Bear's bangers: one batch of secondhand paint for the SLK

[Bear]

Palette cleanser:

Looks cold out there. Come on in.

Need to do:

But not too bad...

Rust prevention system:

[Bear]

Allllllll of the dopamine

Usual yak-shaving, but it isn't. Carefully scrubbing under the arches and into hidden corners.

The mission? While I've no money for new brake parts and stuff, I can do everything I can to make sure it's like working on a new car, in some ways.

And also do things like getting common rust spots

Because right now it's at "paint flakes off but rust hasn't got a foothold.

Which is the perfect time, with this sort of access, to brush, rust-treat, prime, paint, seal everything. Slowly, like washing a bike with a  toothbrush kind of slowly, no rushing, no need to have it moved or on the ground for a while. Let it dry, let it soak, let it set, let it seal.

Even if it does need an engine rebuild or some other major work, it will be worth every penny if I give the car no pennies, but many minutes, of care right now. If it was just fixed and used as is, two winters and it'd be on the way to being another average RX-7 project again.

[Cluffy]

Really like the look of your quick lift thing... Where's it from / rough cost? I've seen some very expensive ones from Tools for Garages... Others I've seen on eBay but never know the quality...

[Bear]

9 hours ago, Cluffy said:

Really like the look of your quick lift thing... Where's it from / rough cost? I've seen some very expensive ones from Tools for Garages... Others I've seen on eBay but never know the quality...

Lift Giant, also on eBay. LGX35 like this is the cheapest new one inc. VAT and sensible delivery at less than £2250 all in (under £2K if you can collect) - there's a no-name AliExpress dropshipper selling scissor lifts for £1699 ex-stuff in Wirral or somewhere but Lift Giant's owner is an actual workshop tool seller/designer, used to work for the people that made the Holden lift I had before! The LGX35 is also rated to 3.5t and definitely feels built like it, most are 3t and feel like you're pushing it to lift that safely.

Easy to roll around on the wheels when you need to move it (but you need the pump to fit the wheels hence the drama I had unloading - my pump had been damaged in shipping and the isolator switch was broken it turned out - just bad luck really - they offered some money back and parts to repair, or a new pump, and as I managed to suss out the issue and make it work I took the former).

They are also on eBay but if you call them they'll list one with the right delivery price for you, that way you can do things like use PayPal Pay in 3 for 0% finance* - comes on a tail lift and if you've a flat drive they'll easily wheel it into the garage.

Given the price of used ones of lower spec, plus cost of moving a 600kg lump of metal and reassurance that a new one hasn't been abused to the point it'll drop on you or break, I think this is a bargain.

And this is how safe it feels...

 

*I need to get a proper salary and stop being so broke all the time 😂

[Bear]

The Ampera hasn't failed the MOT yet but it does need some attention and parts I can't afford, so logically, spending money elsewhere is the solution. I should just give up and accept that the R170 generation SLK is the one true cheap car and all other cars are merely pretenders.

Let's face if, I've never gone wrong with a cheap SLK - and the only time I've been upset with an SLK was because I'd got the value of a swap and relative condition of the cars wrong in my head, and encountered what for many would be "an average SLK" for rust underneath as a surprise.

No surprises here - I didn't have any delusion about a £400 ballpark MOTd SLK anyway, it was literally the value of the remaining ticket and getting me out of feeling trapped by broken cars or forced into using the Audi when I want to restore it slowly and just enjoy short, unstressed drives in it sometimes.

Even so, @Andyrew took advantage of his superhuman strength and took pictures of it underneath before I collected it. It's better than I expected, and with a clean and waxoyl and some new bracing rods, probably has another five years in the body before needing anything. Maybe longer if treated like a near 30 year old classic car, rather than a £400 banger.

Suspension arms are crusty but they're consumables  And it has a recent new headlight, NEW genuine A-pillar seals in the past few years...

Even the standard fit bootlid rust is just at "teenage acne" stage rather than "necrotising fasciitis. 

Needs boot struts before I necrotise myself with a bootlid to the neck though.

How clean is that!

Almost as good as the interior... with just 90,080 miles on the clock I think - that sounds very close to the last MOT so maybe I misread it, it will be easier to read after I change some bulbs. Yeay! Just SLK things.

Only thing to do aside from the heater fan issue and the standard dissolving front wings and rear arch crud, is repaint or replace the roof panel if I want to start making the car look like a 90,000 mile Mercedes roadster instead of a sub-StreetKa banger.

In the rain it looks less like lichen - basically the lacquer has gone and the top coat has been eaten where those white spots are. I am considering having a go at sanding and rattlecan, but as it's a black one it will probably be easier to find a roof panel from a breaker - or indeed get a roof panel from a breaker and paint it then swap them.

Can't see it with the roof down, and the roof works perfectly (of course) - it doesn't even have much parcel-shelf thump or rattle.

Even the number plate screws came out easily for fitting the plate surround before I assign 666 to it.

It's been well maintained, too - the supercharger bearing is a bit grumbly, I'll change the oil, but it boosts nicely and the gearbox feels good, no weeping oil around the cam magnet, and smooth, relatively precise for an SLK steering announces the presence of recent front dampers and some sensible maintenance before seeing the invoice.

Still face a very stressful month covering the purchase, please buy some tat from the carboot ads - plus the temptation to buy stuff to start improving this (it is getting the waxoyl bomb of course) but I now feel I have a car I can trust and not be abusing if I drive it a long way - and therefore can fix the Audi radiator and worn suspension at leisure without breaking it by using it too much.

If I ever have money to buy a car yard/old warehouse, I will fill it with unloved SLKs and wait for people to realise just how damn good and lovable these cars really are. But thankyou everyone who ignores them!

[Bear]

Tinkering begins!

Wonky coin thingy and cubbyhole was trying to retreat into the dash.

Couple of broken tabs

It looks nicer now! The red and aluminium is really quite good looking IMO.

[Shandylegs]

I may be biased, but fully agree with you.

There isn't another car out there offering the same levels of performance / value as the R170 and 171.

[Bear]

I don't even care about the performance - nice build, comfy seats and pedals, generally reliable. It could be a Ford hatchback and still be awesome if it had the same values for the same price.

But they are fun and quick too. And cheap to insure.

Best car ever.

[Bear]

The sun came out!

Had messages to do so the cheap small car that works was super useful by being cheap and small and working. Love it. All the tyres round, no error messages, no worrying about rarity or the fact I haven't sorted the timing or radiator yet...

Is this the best interior on a cheap banger ever, or what?

The Sony MEX-4100 radio is bluetooth and has hands free, it also has an App mode and you can do things like selecting the phone's Spotify from the head unit. Neat! I was going to change it for single-DIN carplay but I won't yet.

And some love for the Audi too!

Maybe auction that random odd wheeltrim it was wearing.

[Bear]

RX-7:

This, is a little bastard. It has defeated every bolt extraction technique I know and am happy to use near a leaking fuel line and plastic part I want to remove without breaking.

Including "broken bolt extractor number 3" and "angry chisel".

Going to grind the bolt head off to save the plastic part, then remove the bracket to get the thread bit out on the bench.

What a pain, though, the other bolts came out easy and this plastic shield is preventing me getting to the fuel pipes to replace the group over the subframe and fix the leak.

Meanwhile the SLK has shown that when the fuse is in, the heater works perfectly.

Unlike the dash bulbs. Don't think I've ever had an SLK with fully lit instruments 😂

Nice weather for it.

New boot struts fitted (Stabilus ones were cheap on eBay - it had Meyle ones on, not sure how old but have been replaced once at least) and compressor for the space-saver spare acquired - just need a first aid kit now to fill the spaces in the boot.

Interestingly, before driving it with the heater on and playing with the controls a lot, I was able to switch "Rest" mode on whenever - this time, it worked when I just parked, but after I got home and switched the car off once the interior light was out and usual accessories delay was over, no rest mode. It was too wet and windy to tell if the fan was still powering on in little bursts, though,  so I took the fuse out again. I think if there is a fault it may lie in the heating control panel itself, and that piece contains the ECU for tempmatic.

I wonder if there's a relay for ignition circuits that is sticking/arcing and enabling the branch of fuses that includes the heater.

Next job is changing supercharger oil, then hopefully the RX-7 fuel pipes will be sorted and I can put the SLK on the lift for some waxoyl action.

Despite factory locations, the plate holder slides down on one side so I'll add a grippy washer when I refit it, need to rust-treat below the handle as per usual.

[Bear]

Failed at removing the bolt head. The opposite side undertray bolt at least had the decency to shear off.

So then the nerve-testing task of four 12mm bolts going into the car floor.

Then try and wrangle the weird bar thing though a hole in the power frame thingy to the diff, past the prop and floor.

And the reward? Still can't reach the fuel filter, and damn, I need to replace front to back as well.

[Wibble]

Just spotted your Audi whilst watching Bangers & Cash.

[Bear]

4 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Just spotted your Audi whilst watching Bangers & Cash.

What? That must have been filmed when it was offered at Matthewson's I guess almost a year ago.

[High Jetter]

15 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Just spotted your Audi whilst watching Bangers & Cash.

Which ep was it?

[High Jetter]

Just now, High Jetter said:

Which ep was it?

*slaps wrist*

Which episode was it?

[Wibble]

Series 12, episode 7, right near the start.

[Bear]

Will polish help?

Not unless it has structural qualities.

Actually it's not bad at all but need to tidy the bumper/wing mount.

[beko1987]

The key with polish is to do the driver's side REALLY well, and the bonnet then you'll look at those as you walk past the car to get into it, the not see any of it from inside 👌 Bar the bonnet, that wants to be shiny and beading as you see it when driving but the rest, fuck it

Sheet of cheap vinyl wrap for the roof? Or blackboard paint 🤔

[Bear]

Blackboard paint is tempting. I'm thinking "just looks like a targa panel" if it's not glossy. Crackle paint like an X1/9 crossed my mind!

[mat777]

6 hours ago, Bear said:

Blackboard paint is tempting. I'm thinking "just looks like a targa panel" if it's not glossy. Crackle paint like an X1/9 crossed my mind!

Vinyl covering for the ultimate (wrong) period look? 

Or more sensibly, some of that carbon fibre wrap that's so naff when applied to dashboards, would look suitably unobtrusive given the colour match 

[Bear]

Pulling the underbonnet fuse to stop the fan running was getting annoying.

Much better. Just plug in the controls when I need to demist.

(Ordered a secondhand heater panel as everything I can see on the wiring and diagnostic manuals says this is the most likely culprit - particularly as the fan and the duovalve are waking up, and the rest mode can be activated when the car hasn't been touched or running when it should be disabled after 30 minutes).

[Bear]

I have defeated the bolt holding part of the RX-7 undertray

Sort of.

It's still in there but the end finally succumbed to the fourth drill and extract attempt.

One of these without broken bolt ends stuck in it is £30 so bugger fighting it, I'll get a replacement - I think my drilling attempts hit the thread part anyway.

Managed to undo the fuel pipe bolt above the subframe as well, but the more I look the more little bits of rust-in-waiting I find and think the subframe needs to come off to properly treat the RX-7 shell.

Ugh.

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, Bear said:

undertray

Y Tho?

[Bear]

So much style for pennies

Roof down can't see the worst bit

And sitting in it, can see the best

V5 arrived so number is done, and a box with a £20 heater control panel.

So far I think the climate control fan issue has not happened since I fitted it and went for a drive... fingers crossed.

(Fongers still crossed - cold duovalve, no ticking, no fan sound... several hours later)

Also have some supercharger oil and should try an A/C regas. But cosmetics next...

[r.welfare]

I seem to recall mine did funny things with the interior fan which was cured by replacing the fan control module under the bonnet, it sits on the nearside inner wing and was cheap (£20 secondhand).  But hopefully your new interior panel solves your issue.

[Bear]

19 minutes ago, r.welfare said:

I seem to recall mine did funny things with the interior fan which was cured by replacing the fan control module under the bonnet, it sits on the nearside inner wing and was cheap (£20 secondhand).  But hopefully your new interior panel solves your issue.

That can also be to blame, but most of the things often blamed have been explored - and what was interesting here was that the tempmatic duovalve was also being lively. If it does it again I might actually have managed to install WIS on my Toughbook and have access to wiring diagrams by then.

[Volksy]

I actually quite fancy one of these as a Rail Station Bike. The S Class is sometimes difficult to find a space for at my local station. Plus it's battered enough without picking up loads more door dings. 

Can you put these on classic insurance yet?

[Bear]

1 hour ago, Volksy said:

I actually quite fancy one of these as a Rail Station Bike. The S Class is sometimes difficult to find a space for at my local station. Plus it's battered enough without picking up loads more door dings. 

Can you put these on classic insurance yet?

Probably, they're 30 years old next year....

[Bear]

I do love the way the back window and roof fold into the boot. So clever.

[Bear]

SLK just hoofed up to North Berwick and back, roof down through the Lammemuirs, steady cruise all the way down A1 - M1.

What a brilliant little beast.