HMC WBOD news

[HMC]

On 01/02/2024 at 12:14, Volksy said:

My S Class is fitted with 15in 8 hole alloys, probably from a W124. I was holding off buying tyres as I was looking for a set of 16's to fill the arches a bit more. 

Could be interested in a swap if it's bugging you! 

I had a look and these are 15s as well

 

[hairnet]

the wood in the centre console makes me cry

the rest is ace - nice job on the carpet

shame its not the chequered cloth but still nice

[vulgalour]

noice

[Schaefft]

On 02/02/2024 at 19:32, hairnet said:

the wood in the centre console makes me cry

the rest is ace - nice job on the carpet

shame its not the chequered cloth but still nice

Zebrano was such a popular choice for wood trim in 80s Mercedes for some reason, I really dont know why. It reminds me of cheap wood veneer on 70s furniture. Burl walnut on the other hand...

[HMC]

I got hold of a proper red centre console 

to replace the originally grey, now painted up, scuffed and damaged original…

And started pulling it to pieces…

Factoid- MB didnt believe in blanking panels for unspecified options- they simply had every variation pre cut into the trim cover panel stock- or maybe they were cut for each car “just in time” Either way top work lads!

Revealling the original sober 80s grey beneath

And before long we had a load of spagetti…

But before long it was all back together…

And although it looks not a lot different to most people, im happy with the result!

[HMC]

On 19/01/2024 at 18:41, HMC said:

We all know how @LightBulbFun the DVLA have got ever stricter with their v888 vehicle history requests.

In my day you could just state you wanted to research the history but AFAIK you just get rebuffed these days.

But what if a personal effect has been hidden in the car…..

 

Lets find out….

 

Well the DVLA have responded….

Predictably, the “reasonable cause” criteria threshold wasnt met. I routinely used to do these on all old cars and used to state simply that it was to research the vehicle history. GDPR has shut that avenue, unless there is a legal need.

Nevertheless,  hopefully the link to the Grandson will provide a lead, and i do have a couple of recent reciepts that i could use for an address to write to.

Meanwhile, lets fire up all 7 (early range rover dizzy cap and leads on the way- they share the same 35D-8 unit)  and chug to the local…..

 

[lesapandre]

These have hydraulic tappets that sometimes stick... 

(well actually they don't - they have 8 little butlers who live under the bonnet and subsist on cake crumbs and champagne glass dregs).

There will be plenty of advice online. Give it an oil change if you haven't... (thought even that will raise the price of a barrel of Brent Crude).

[lesapandre]

13 minutes ago, HMC said:

Well the DVLA have responded….

Predictably, the “reasonable cause” criteria threshold wasnt met. I routinely used to do these on all old cars and used to state simply that it was to research the vehicle history. GDPR has shut that avenue, unless there is a legal need. I do find it a bit curious as AFAIK at least until recently said DVLA used to monetise their personal data and sell it.

Nevertheless,  hopefully the link to the Grandson will provide a lead, and i do have a couple of recent reciepts that i could use for an address to write to.

Meanwhile, lets fire up all 7 (early range rover dizzy cap and leads on the way- they share the same 35D-8 unit)  and chug to the local…..

 

It's natural habitat - fyne dyning ...

You could continue to wind Captain Mainwaring up by responding to his letter. 

 

[egg]

I understand your colour match compulsion. Imagine if my 'none more blue' Mondeo interior had a 'pumice' centre console. It would be against the laws of decency.

[bunglebus]

On 01/02/2024 at 00:48, yes oui si said:

I'm sure you know, but that's a properly early MK2 - and as such has the wrong grille, should be F O R D lettering.

Even when I was a teen, an N reg MK2 was a rare sight

[Schaefft]

Painting interior pieces gives me the fears. The paint will wear down eventually so any attempt at rectifying this with original parts is approved in my book.

[HMC]

3 hours ago, Schaefft said:

Painting interior pieces gives me the fears. The paint will wear down eventually so any attempt at rectifying this with original parts is approved in my book.

My thoughts exactly. For instance I dislike rubber coated 90s VAG switches and weird non oem colour clashes (i can spot a diy job mile off) and this is it x1000

Ive almost got a compulsion to scratch the painted surfaces with my nail, cant help it 😂

[HMC]

19 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

Painting interior pieces gives me the fears. The paint will wear down eventually so any attempt at rectifying this with original parts is approved in my book.

This is the original colour scheme for the interior- “alpaca grey cloth”

 

 

[vulgalour]

The original grey is so DREARY.

[bezzabsa]

those Merc heater switches , now know where BMV got the idea for the Bini heater controls!!!

[HMC]

2 hours ago, vulgalour said:

The original grey is so DREARY.

Absolutely. I usually like stuff original but i feel the world has had more than enough of dreary drab grey interior colourways.

The rear luggage compartment side covers in “mittelrot” are en route as I type.

[HMC]

The shad shed has had some later replacement plates…

 

 

Theyre in a blocky modern font and follow the love for black background plates. IIRC you can put these on anything up to a ‘79 now. To a number plate obsessive (raises hand awkwardly) this feels, and looks, all wrong.

Anyway- would a 71/72 k been on the more modern reflectives or the old plates? Maybe, maybe not. I wanted a bit of 70s modernist realism going on so ideally wanted a reflective set. 

Trouble is, the 7s and 8s are all wrong on these. I want an 8 to have an hourglass shape. Yes im aware this sounds pervy 😂 and a brand new number plate has no patina.

So i got hold of an old number plate that had the key older characters i was after, and added new old stock one of those that were missing.

 

I then aged the too-new looking NOS ones with some wet and dry, took it all to bits, and drilled and reassembled.

So the shad shed has a bit of a 70s sweeney / long good friday era look to it….

 

[Peter C]

My most recent W124 had a lovely blue MB-Tex interior.

[N Dentressangle]

35 minutes ago, HMC said:

The shad shed has had some later replacement plates…

 

 

Theyre in a blocky modern font and follow the love for black background plates. IIRC you can put these on anything up to a ‘79 now. To a number plate obsessive (raises hand awkwardly) this feels, and looks, all wrong.

Anyway- would a 71/72 k been on the more modern reflectives or the old plates? Maybe, maybe not. I wanted a bit of 70s realism going on so ideally wanted a reflective set. 

Trouble is, the 7s and 8s are all wrong on these. I want an 8 to have an hourglass shape. Yes im aware this sounds pervy 😂 and a brand new number plate has no patina.

So i got hold of an old number plate that had the key older characters i was after, and added new old stock one of those that were missing.

 

I then aged the too-new looking NOS ones with some wet and dry, took it all to bits, and drilled and reassembled.

So the shad shed has a bit of a 70s sweeney / long good friday era look to it….

 

Now that is truly admirable numberplate obsessiveness.

They look ace.

[Metal Guru]

On 08/02/2024 at 17:27, HMC said:

Well the DVLA have responded….

Predictably, the “reasonable cause” criteria threshold wasnt met. I routinely used to do these on all old cars and used to state simply that it was to research the vehicle history. GDPR has shut that avenue, unless there is a legal need.

Nevertheless,  hopefully the link to the Grandson will provide a lead, and i do have a couple of recent reciepts that i could use for an address to write to.

Meanwhile, lets fire up all 7 (early range rover dizzy cap and leads on the way- they share the same 35D-8 unit)  and chug to the local…..

 

I tried to trace the owner of a car and it met two of those criteria , abandoned ( tyres completely flat, generally turning green inside and out), and parked on private land (car park of my flat), but they refused to give me any details. I was considering getting it pulled out and staging some sort of crash but moved out so didn’t care anymore.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Last time I did the dvla info request was around a decade ago with my old mk2 Golf Gti. It took ages for them to get back to me - I think I was something like the 18th owner. I seem to remember they sent me a letter partway through the process suggesting that they were struggling to find some of the old V5s from the old filing cabinets hidden in the basement or something. It was great when they eventually did send the paperwork through though - it gave a real insight into where the car had been for the previous two decades. It's a real shame GDPR has put pay to the process now.

[HMC]

Ive not done the rear plate yet (so is currently looking like the 280sl of Helen Mirren’s character in The long Good Friday  by having old style rear and new style front plates.)

Incidentally the main protagonist (a young Bob hoskins ) @richardmorris has an early 70s ‘shad also. (here with a henchman/ chauffeur)

 

A young Helen Mirren

The one in the film (shot around 1979 in and around east london) has had its age hidden with reflective plates on a (presumably fake) private plate. Tarted up with whitewalls, it gets blown up outside a church early on in the film

Anyway, ive already got the rear plate (which handily had the same digits, in the same order, as the shad) but is even more patinated…

I’m confident a little tart up as i go will preserve the patina but bring it down a notch or two (from scrapyard relic to survivor car) New they want £60 per plate + postage and this way cheaper, and suits the car better anyway.

[adw1977]

So nice to see a car go back onto period reflective plates.

I'm sure it will soon become less obvious with weathering, but as the outline of some of the old digits is still visible, I wonder if it will attract the attention of plod? 

[HMC]

15 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

So nice to see a car go back onto period reflective plates.

I'm sure it will soon become less obvious with weathering, but as the outline of some of the old digits is still visible, I wonder if it will attract the attention of plod? 

Good point, i also need to fill in the holes as well, and maybe think of a way of darkening down ‘brighter’ bits

Edit :Ive got an idea to tint the brighter areas down with something.

[richardmorris]

23 minutes ago, HMC said:

Ive not done the rear plate yet (so is currently looking like the 280sl of Helen Mirren’s character in The long Good Friday  by having old style rear and new style front plates.)

Incidentally the main protagonist (a young Bob hoskins ) @richardmorris has an early 70s ‘shad also. (here with a henchman/ chauffeur)

 

A young Helen Mirren

The one in the film (shot around 1979 in and around east london) has had its age hidden with reflective plates on a (presumably fake) private plate. Tarted up with whitewalls, it gets blown up outside a church early on in the film

Anyway, ive already got the rear plate (which handily had the same digits, in the same order, as the shad) but is even more patinated…

I’m confident a little tart up as i go will preserve the patina but bring it down a notch or two (from scrapyard relic to survivor car) New they want £60 per plate + postage and this way cheaper, and suits the car better anyway.

Yes, the long Good Friday and Mona Lisa are two of my favourites. Plenty of car spotting.

[N Dentressangle]

22 minutes ago, HMC said:

Good point, i also need to fill in the holes as well, and maybe think of a way of darkening down ‘brighter’ bits

Edit :Ive got an idea to tint the brighter areas down with something.

Dark soy sauce? Stains like a bugger, but you get to lick it off 😉

[NorfolkNWeigh]

On 03/02/2024 at 22:18, Schaefft said:

Zebrano was such a popular choice for wood trim in 80s Mercedes for some reason, I really dont know why. It reminds me of cheap wood veneer on 70s furniture. Burl walnut on the other hand...

For years I didn’t know Zebrano  was an actual tree, I just assumed it was Mercedes  term for fake wood, like MB-Tex was for fake leather.

[HMC]

7 minutes ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

For years I didn’t know Zebrano  was an actual tree, I just assumed it was Mercedes  term for fake wood, like MB-Tex was for fake leather.

I thought it was just a term for fake wood (until now)

[lesapandre]

6 minutes ago, HMC said:

I thought it was just a term for fake wood (until now)

Jaguar used the word Ambla for their vinyl trim option. Was the ICI trade name for this material. Sounds better than vinyl trim.

The Silver Shadow velour trim option was called 'Parkertex' - I kid you not m'lady.

[adw1977]

5 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Jaguar used the word Ambla for their vinyl trim option. Was the ICI trade name for this material. Sounds better than vinyl trim.

Vauxhall used Ambla on the HA Viva, but only on the top SL trim level.  More modest Vivas had to make do with standard vinyl.