320touring Posted May 2, 2021 Author Share Posted May 2, 2021 Was entertaining* trying to get any sort of weld on the metal* of the wing. But it is attached, and it is solid. Much better than what was almost there before. My work was rough as arses, and no doubt @GingerNuttz is crying with laughter! However, as @jaypee says, it's now solid and a lot less "pull me" than the silver gaff tape. I do like this big old bus - so dont mind spending some time on it. Will need to buy a grinder for the other side - should make the cutting and welding (plus tidying) much easier. jaypee, GingerNuttz, Jim Bell and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 OMG MPG UPDATE! RobT, 320touring, Jim Bell and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 So, the bold Merc has developed an incontinence issue.... After much head scratching, and a little culinary and nasal testing, it was deemed to be diesel..... Where from though?? Also, thank flip it wasn't suspension fluid 😂 I had been out assisting a mate with a Tigra that had a stuck on handbrake, large hammer to the rescue! Got home after dark, and decided to have a look under the bonnet to see if I could see what the issue was.. Started at the passenger side, working round the fuel filter, all dry... Then round to the driver side and the diesel smell grew stronger, nothing quite like diesel leaking onto a hot engine to clear the lungs.. The culprit: A quick rummage around found some vac line in a similar dimension, so that was employed for a temp fix! https://youtube.com/shorts/spQAb9xWjx0?feature=share Not the best pic, but you can see how wet it looks, also its a bit gubbed! Tune in soon for more exciting content! Also, pretty happy it was a simple issue! Split_Pin, RobT, 320touring and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacquer Peel Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Always worth replacing the leak off pipes as a matter of course on old diesels. Glad it was an easy fix. Nice to see this back on the road. The Moog, jaypee and Jim Bell 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 15 minutes ago, Lacquer Peel said: Always worth replacing the leak off pipes as a matter of course on old diesels. Definitely. Every XUD I've owned has had a meter of leak-off and a new stop-end thrown at it as soon as I've opened the bonnet. They leak for a pastime and I'm sure that's a lot of the reason why people say old diesel engines always smell. jaypee, Lacquer Peel, Jim Bell and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 26 minutes ago, Lacquer Peel said: Always worth replacing the leak off pipes as a matter of course on old diesels. Glad it was an easy fix. Nice to see this back on the road. Cheers dude, I have a replacement leak off pipe kit en route, so it shall be done post haste! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 10 minutes ago, Talbot said: Definitely. Every XUD I've owned has had a meter of leak-off and a new stop-end thrown at it as soon as I've opened the bonnet. They leak for a pastime and I'm sure that's a lot of the reason why people say old diesel engines always smell. Indeed! This had been fine, but failed spectacularly, so hopefully the new hose will be here soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 So, last weekend we decided to attack the other front wing... It was, as predicted, decidedly worse than the passenger side... However, we did have a grinder this time, which certainly helped. First off... The tape! Only a small* hole here..... Up next is to tidy up the abovementioned hole and the rest of the arch. This left us here... Next up, time to make a little patch to sit behind the wing, weld it in (by me 🙄) , and allow us to fill it. #flashdance Faither Touring was in attendance, and was warned not to poke things.... Too late.... Ah well, it's only another little panel.... More to come 😊 Lacquer Peel, 320touring, Skizzer and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Some more cutting, shaping and the rest, got us to this point. Which, is certainly a lot more solid than earlier! Remember kids, always check where you are welding... Woops That left us with the quandary of how to make the front of the arch. There was much conversation between @320touring, Faither Touring and me, we settled on a flat, curved panel, with some slits and a few folds. Hopefully the pics are more descriptive! This actually worked pretty well.. After a little bit of trimming, it looked not too horrific! Then it was time to dress it up a bit, this made me happy! Peter C, GingerNuttz, Tickman and 18 others 19 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 All the welding was done, apart from the additional hole provided by Faither, this turned out to be a hooooooor to weld due to the metal surrounding it being honking, which explains the ease of it's initial egress. The following 6 pictures condense what felt like eons of vactan, fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand, prime and heat into a bite size piece. Thanks to @320touring for the help here, as I don't have any patience for this part! Far from concourse, but a fuck tonne better than previous, and much more solid. The profile isn't quite right and there are some low spots. However, those are tasks for another day. Here's a relieved, but tired me as we prepared to exit the unit and head for a Chinese carry out 😊. It does look a bit like the merc has had a little too much 'beak' though 😂 I have the correct paint mixed and ready to be applied, once the fit and finish is better, although I have a little bit of work to do on the rear arch too. CreepingJesus, Coprolalia, HMC and 22 others 23 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tickman Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 8 hours ago, jaypee said: as I don't have any patience for this part! I thought you were the calm methodical one... Skizzer, CreepingJesus, 320touring and 2 others 1 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 1 minute ago, Tickman said: I thought you were the calm methodical one... I am, however, not when it comes to bodywork! Tickman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 OMG MPG UPDATE INCLUDES HORROR FUEL LEAK Lacquer Peel and Jim Bell 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 Great job on that, looks loads better. jaypee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 1 hour ago, Split_Pin said: Great job on that, looks loads better. Thanks dude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad D. Conelrad Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 To this day you can see the marks in Aldi's carpark where the diesel return line failed on mine. Rust Collector, Skizzer, jaypee and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 33 minutes ago, Conrad D. Conelrad said: To this day you can see the marks in Aldi's carpark where the diesel return line failed on mine. Excellent work, there are a couple of new 'spots' in the flat car park now.... 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Moog Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 That's a good job ... Remember you can always see your mistakes.Top bending on that metal jaypee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 27 minutes ago, The Moog said: That's a good job ... Remember you can always see your mistakes. Top bending on that metal Thank you kindly, aye, it's not bad for 3 non metalworkers 😊 Tickman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Passed an important milestone in this beast today.... A terrible picture, but 324,000 rolled over, as you can see, the hazards were on.... Thankfully not for me, but my mate's, new to him '68 plate Leon was playing up. Not entirely sure what was wrong, but much head scratching, and looking confused, managed to get it to stop the horrific noise it was making... He's only had it a couple of weeks, so advised him to take it back for a check up! Split_Pin, Rust Collector, Tickman and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 The long overdue leak off pipe replacement was carried out today! Nice and simple, a little footery, but it's done. The little blanking plug on the car didn't seem to want to leave, so, I left it where it was. Replacement parts. Then, bonnet to 'service' position, I also refitted the hub caps. Measure once, hack with Stanley* knife... Job, jobbed. A quick check revealed no new leaks! Also, a handy passing neighbour assisted me in dropping the bonnet back down. Rust Collector, dome, Carlosfandango and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizzer Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 This is a smashing thread. Claim to fame: I have sat in this car. I’ve even beheld the now redundant gaffer tape and smelled the chips. PM me if you want an autograph, anyone. CreepingJesus, dome, blackboilersuit and 3 others 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Skizzer said: This is a smashing thread. Claim to fame: I have sat in this car. I’ve even beheld the now redundant gaffer tape and smelled the chips. PM me if you want an autograph, anyone. Cheers @Skizzer Form an orderly queue now! Skizzer and blackboilersuit 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 Life has a way of treating* you when you are being helpful.... My neighbour had some items to go to the local dump, so I offered to assist by using the merc... Double mattress loaded, a few other things too, then off to the dump... Small bits and pieces out, then, open the boot to get the mattress out... Oh. Boot is stuck... Home, and hot it open, bungees used to keep it shut. Mattress extracted, then boot doesn't close. After a number of attempts to get the boot open, much jiggery pokery ensued, catalogued below means the catch is off and the boot is tied shut... Any hints or tips on how to remedy/clean/service the lock would be appreciated. 320touring and Jim Bell 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter C Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 I’ve had two S124s and both had issues with the rear SLS. The first suffered from rusty pipes and the other from an excessive ride height regardless whether it was carrying a load or not. Whilst neither car had any issues with the tailgate soft close mechanism, its sheer existence was enough to scare me. As great as 124 estates undeniably are, I’m sticking with the Ws. Apologies for the irrelevant contribution, I hope you manage to fix your lock mechanism. Carlosfandango and jaypee 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 15 minutes ago, Peter C said: I’ve had two S124s and both had issues with the rear SLS. The first suffered from rusty pipes and the other from an excessive ride height regardless whether it was carrying a load or not. Whilst neither car had any issues with the tailgate soft close mechanism, its sheer existence was enough to scare me. As great as 124 estates undeniably are, I’m sticking with the Ws. Apologies for the irrelevant contribution, I hope you manage to fix your lock mechanism. No worries dude, I am going to have a look later, now that I have had a sleep 😊. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 Quick update on this... Having spent a load of time fucking about with this. I bit the bullet and ordered a replacement part for £80 delivered. Spent a few moments on Monday replacing it. Side by side Compare the motor positions. New. Old. EXCITING CONTENT. https://youtube.com/shorts/fMUwF_sSpB8?feature=share 320touring, Split_Pin, RobT and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaypee Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 I believe it was the microswitch that had given up the ghost! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dome Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 Top rear entrance action! Can you fix/replace the microswitch on the old one and sell it on to get some money back? jaypee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 The soft-close on these isn't essential. If you move the motor back to it's normal "rest" position, the tailgate just works like a normal one and doesn't soft-close, but otherwise works like any other two-click position boot lock. The last S124 I worked on had it unplugged, and it still worked (without the soft-close) just fine. Usually they're very reliable. Mine has only just started not engaging the motor sometimes, but with a swift tap to the tailgate does then engage. It'll be a sticky/gummed up microswitch somewhere. Other than the switch, they're as reliable as windscreen wipers... as that's essentially what the motor is. jaypee and Carlosfandango 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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