Mercedes SEL to The Sahara

[dome]

50 minutes ago, Landy Mann said:

On the two LPG RRC's I've been involved with the system never worked properly. I suspect lots of land rover owners with prefer to spend money on suspension lifts rather than getting the LPG set up properly. 

As I was one l once told, if you can't afford to run it on the correct fuel, you can't afford to run it ..

There's an element of tarring with the same brush here, as I alluded to in my earlier post about Rangeys and badly set up single point systems. 

I've had several LPG cars and they've all been maintained well with properly installed modern multipoint injection systems and they've all ran very well with no noticeable performance loss.

As Matt says, why not have half price fuel when the only inconvenience is planning fuel stops and having to find somewhere to put the fecking spare wheel because the wheel well is full of LPG tank🙈

[Jack D]

You’re quite right gentlemen, LPG does have its merits and in a car that I’d actually use for transport I would definitely consider it but in this instance I’m still glad it’s absent.  

Anyway, things progressed.  I’ve always been a fan of the twin side angled pipes that old Range Rovers had, they only came on the 3.5 though.  The 3.9 just had some boring downturned thing that was shared with the TDi.  

None of that, thank you very much.  

 

On went the double bell end trumpet side master.  The only modification from factory that I have made.  Meanwhile I was getting filthy and sweaty underneath.  The result was nice clean looking axles.  

 

I had a problem with my balls.  They had gone a bit scabby.  New seals and a shot of asshole ball grease sorted them out.  

[bezzabsa]

IIRC Early Disco V8's had these too 

[Jack D]

12 hours ago, bezzabsa said:

IIRC Early Disco V8's had these too 

Yeah that’s right, the 3.5 discos with the Sherpa headlights!  Can’t remember the last time I saw one.  

[808 Estate]

On 9/23/2021 at 8:57 PM, Jack D said:

Most people think these are a bit *nice but they chub me right up.

[straightSix]

Seems you have two of my dream cars, E31 8 series and Range Rover classic. Both look glorious, well played

[task]

Nice to see another 1993 Classic being saved, IMHO the best year for the RRC, although I am a bit biased 😆. Enough mod cons under the skin to be very usable but just pre-dated the softdash which really doesn't belong in the classic, that view of the top of the dash running at the same height as the decker panel and then bonnet really is unrivaled.

Shame about the lack of EAS, any plans to re-instate it?

Funny story about LPG, I took a now sold 1991 2 door classic down to 2 Mai in Romania and back quite a few years ago, filled up at a dodgy petrol station on the journey that killed the fuel pump, managed to get the vehicle home running on LPG. Saved a fair bit on fuel for the 4000 mile trip too!

[Jack D]

I have most of the equipment to reinstall it and all of the wiring is still present but honestly I’d need to have some massive miracle of motivation to pull apart the completely working new correct weight coils that it’s on.  In terms of ride comfort there’s definitely improvement to be made . . 

20 hours ago, task said:

Nice to see another 1993 Classic being saved, IMHO the best year for the RRC, although I am a bit biased 😆. Enough mod cons under the skin to be very usable but just pre-dated the softdash which really doesn't belong in the classic, that view of the top of the dash running at the same height as the decker panel and then bonnet really is unrivaled.

I heard that the steel used in the soft dash faired poorly compared to the hard dash for corrosion.  Might be bollocks.  Sounds like bollocks now that I write it.  

[Jack D]

On 10/9/2021 at 12:58 PM, straightSix said:

 

Seems you have two of my dream cars, E31 8 series and Range Rover classic. Both look glorious, well played

 

Thanks,  bought that old thing when it was worthless.  Held onto it by the skin of my teeth as a student ten years ago.  Now it gets the love it deserves.  She looks like this underneath now.  

[straightSix]

6 hours ago, Jack D said:

Thanks,  bought that old thing when it was worthless.  Held onto it by the skin of my teeth as a student ten years ago.  Now it gets the love it deserves.  She looks like this underneath now.  

Looks minty. If you've not already, m539 on YouTube restores a lot of rare E31s and is worth a watch if you've time to spare

 

[Jack D]

I’ll give it a watch some day, thanks.  
 

Right, back on topic.  The Range Rover now had a clean MOT but was cosmetically untidy.  Aside from the lack of badging the faded pillar trims were really letting it down.  
 

They went from this nasty mess 

To this 

 

With the help of some satin black rattle can.  It made a massive difference to the overall appearance of the car.  
 

In the same week it received new front and rear steel bumpers.  When everything was coming together it made it glaringly obvious that it didn’t have any correct badging left on it.  The previous owner had stuck a P38 autobiography one on it, I removed that along with the perished coach line.  New correct vinyl badging and coach line were ordered.  Still with no exhaust in this shot.  

[Jack D]

The day had arrived.  I could take the car home with a fresh clean MOT, stick a tank of juice in her and hit the road.  Before this I applied the all important reproduction “Vogue SE” decal which had been decorating my piano for the last few months.  
 

First impressions were that these things drive awfully.  Couldn’t keep it in a straight line.  Bouncing all over the show.  Pulled in for a pit stop alignment with the excellent chaps at Checkpoint in Devizes.  That mostly sorted things out, still a few issues.  
 

On the ramp having its gusset tickled at checkpoint.  
 

 

And finally, after ten years of lusting after a good one it rolled into its new home ready for some cosmetic finishing touches.  
 

I can’t begin to express how fudging excited I was to have this thing home.  Maybe I’m a weirdo but I would have walked straight past a McLaren P1 to fondle it’s saggy headlining and stroke the swoop on the top of the headrests.  

[dome]

You should put a warning up before showing us pics like that.

I need to go and lie down in a darkened room now for a bit

That looks fugging amazing! 

 

[Jack D]

Caution Dome.  More incoming.  
 

I spent a good day polishing learning to polish on the old hector, it had the most dull paint I’ve ever come across - probably from all those hedges and country lanes.  Went in full danger with the rotary.  It came up rather nicely however was still naked without rear badging and coach line. 

 

Fleabay came up with something vaguely similar to the original coach line.  I went with a twin line as fitted to 1989-91 instead of the single fitted to mine originally.  What do you think?  

In progress 

Finito

 

 

 

[Leyland Worldmaster]

49 minutes ago, Jack D said:

Caution Dome.  More incoming.  
 

I spent a good day polishing learning to polish on the old hector, it had the most dull paint I’ve ever come across - probably from all those hedges and country lanes.  Went in full danger with the rotary.  It came up rather nicely however was still naked without rear badging and coach line. 

 

Fleabay came up with something vaguely similar to the original coach line.  I went with a twin line as fitted to 1989-91 instead of the single fitted to mine originally.  What do you think?  

In progress 

Finito

 

 

 

That looks the fucking bollocks! Brings back good memories! Great car; well saved! 👍 👍 👍 😎 😎 😎 

[Landy Mann]

Very nice great work

[Jack D]

 

I’m calling this finished, or at least as finished as I’m likely to take it.  You’ll notice the date, a little over a year ago.  I have had a fair time now to really appraise the car and get to know it and I can tell you there’s nothing quite like a Range Rover classic.  It has many flaws as most of them do but it’s such an endearing thing, so characterful and joyful that I can forgive the creeping rot, flaky electrics and questionable dynamics.  
 

 

I think this does something that very few cars can: everything.  In the last year I’ve tried to do just about everything with it and here’s a record of parts of that.  

Dog wagon.  Quad transporter.  Farm shunt.  
 

Livestock mover.  Bench.  Air conditioned café on a hot day.  
 

Feed wagon.  Countryside tamer.  Fast tractor.  
 

Tree dragger.  Chainsaw table.  Sheepdog. 

Theatre going town limousine.  Connolly leather clad fellatio cabinet.  Motorway cruiser.  

 

The long and short of it is this, it’s a completely irrelevant car.  Nobody needs an ancient V8 Range Rover but nobody needs an open fireplace, a meal to taste good, or a piece of art to look at but they’re joyful.  People smile at it.  It brings a shred of enjoyment to them and a ton of it to me.  

[Leyland Worldmaster]

1 hour ago, Jack D said:

 

I’m calling this finished, or at least as finished as I’m likely to take it.  You’ll notice the date, a little over a year ago.  I have had a fair time now to really appraise the car and get to know it and I can tell you there’s nothing quite like a Range Rover classic.  It has many flaws as most of them do but it’s such an endearing thing, so characterful and joyful that I can forgive the creeping rot, flaky electrics and questionable dynamics.  
 

 

I think this does something that very few cars can: everything.  In the last year I’ve tried to do just about everything with it and here’s a record of parts of that.  

Dog wagon.  Quad transporter.  Farm shunt.  
 

Livestock mover.  Bench.  Air conditioned café on a hot day.  
 

Feed wagon.  Countryside tamer.  Fast tractor.  
 

Tree dragger.  Chainsaw table.  Sheepdog. 

Theatre going town limousine.  Connolly leather clad fellatio cabinet.  Motorway cruiser.  

 

The long and short of it is this, it’s a completely irrelevant car.  Nobody needs an ancient V8 Range Rover but nobody needs an open fireplace, a meal to taste good, or a piece of art to look at but they’re joyful.  People smile at it.  It brings a shred of enjoyment to them and a ton of it to me.  

And that is proof if needed that cars are more than 'just' machines. 

A conversation with a neighbour and friend some years ago was rather educational; here's  (some) of what he said:

"[...] these are our horses, we need them to do our work[...] they're more than machines; even though to some they're old shitters, they're our old shitters[...]"

From memory, this conversation happened whilst we were cleaning and polishing our vehicles in the car park. 

His car? A P38... 👍 👍 👍 😎 😎 😎 

[Jack D]

So you’ve had the Range Rover story to this point, but I’m a serial motoring masochist.  This thread is going to become a general diary on running old shit cars.  Allow me to introduce the rest of the fleet.  

 

There’s this thing.  89 300 SEL.  Bought a long time ago to keep wear and use off another car in winter.  Yes, it was a WBOD.  At well under a grand and I didn’t expect to keep it for long.  It has accidentally become a classic in my ownership so I’ve shown it a bit of love and had it cosmetically sorted.  It continues to require very little mechanically.  Velour, wheel trims and looong seat rails.  

Below is the car I have owned the longest, it has been in my ownership for over a decade now.  Bought when worthless, like the merc it too has become a classic in my ownership.  It looks derelict here but that’s just frost and hay.  Don’t believe what people tell you about these.  They’re not a nightmare and really quite simple by modern standards.  

 

Sometimes you need a smol.  My girlfriend uses this day to day because I believe the correct number of cylinders is more than four,  it’s a 325ti.  Great fun and far sportier than the big 8 series.  The poor thing gets very little in the way of pampering.  It is extremely muddy (but not in this photo).  Requires moderate amounts of mechanical intervention, certainly more than the Mercedes.  

 

[Jack D]

Someone had DEBADGED SHAVED LOOK YO the compact at some point.  I’ll have none of that thank you very much.  
 

Before 

After.  Ahh, that’s better.  

[Tadhg Tiogar]

42 minutes ago, Jack D said:

....  Don’t believe what people tell you about these.  They’re not a nightmare and really quite simple by modern standards.  

 

 

They are quite a bit more complex than an E24. I did look into the possibility of running an 840Ci after the end of my 635CSi era, but decided against. Less interior room, more electronics, heavier fuel consumption and weight, and - at the time - definitely bigger bills, so I went without. One towering advantage with the E24 was that many bits were accessible for a DIY owner; not something I could ever say about an E31.

Also not really a fan of the M1 front welded to back end of Testarossa look.

[Jack D]

Well I’m sorry you’ve missed out!  It’s been a tremendous car to own long term and in my ownership almost all maintenance and repair has been DIY.  Compared to something like a modern Golf it’s a simple car.   When touring it is not difficult to see over 28mpg.  
 

Each to their own, I love it!  
 

[dome]

That's quite a fleet you have there! I looked at an 840 a few years ago but needed something to cart bikes about and there was no way mine would fit in one sadly

[Jack D]

Thanks, funny you mention that.  I bought a tow bar for it (yet to fit) which would in theory let me do bike racks.  

 I reckon it’ll make a hilarious and surprisingly good tow car being heavy, powerful and having a traditional slush box.  

13 minutes ago, dome said:

That's quite a fleet you have there! I looked at an 840 a few years ago but needed something to cart bikes about and there was no way mine would fit in one sadly

 

[Jack D]

A few years ago I had the idea (inspired in part by a certain Harry Metcalfe) that I would like to drive one of my cars to the Sahara Desert.  It just seems so extraordinary to me that it is possible to drive from oh so ordinary England to a land of camels and dunes. To drive to Africa.  For a long time the thought sat on the back burner, until recently a relative of mine got cancer and I thought it would be a good fundraiser challenge.  I picked at date and started the preparation. 

 

 Which car to bring though?  I will be travelling alone.  I want it to make the trip, reliability and comfort are a concern as is the ability to cover the rough and difficult terrain that I might encounter.  I ruled out the 840Ci immediately, despite it being the only one with both air con and cruise control working.  It has a low nose and I’d have a nightmare sourcing parts if I needed any.   The Range Rover has lovely cold air con and would handle any physical conditions that might arise with ease - but 14mpg and high potential for it to become unhappy ruled that car out.  
 

Enter the Mercedes.  Lots of space, reliability and comfort.  Loads of ground clearance and rugged rough road ability.  Mid 20s MPG  possible.  Spares probably easier to come by and a lower likelihood of needing them.  No working air con or cruise control, but isn’t this is supposed to be a challenge?  This is the one.  It’s SEL TO THE SAHARA FOR CANCER.  

 

I’ll add the journey in a series of posts, including some very amateur YouTube  videos (I’ve not made any before so please forgive the first attempt!) so stay tuned if you’d like to see an old shite blue whale make it to the dunes and back.  

[angle]

There's a few 'driving to Morocco' threads on here - to be honest I don't think you need to worry too much about the quality of the roads, they're all pretty decent in Morocco. I did Marrakech to the Sahara in an i10, here it is on the Tizi n'Test:

Merc is definitely the right choice - if it makes you feel better, when we landed at the airport the taxi we got off the rank to our hotel was an S-Class identical to yours, even down to colour and trims. Blue velour inside?

What route are you planning on taking?

[Ian_Fearn]

Looking forward to progress updates. I’ve driven it from the UK if you have any questions.

Avoid Ramadan if you can, everything is closed and make sure to get away from the coast if you want real Moroccan experiences. I loved Merzouga and Tafroute. The small city of Asilah was way more friendly and classic Morocco than Marrakesh. Keep your speed down if you don’t want speeding fines/bribes.

I would drive it in my modern Passat with zero ground clearance, roads are mostly good/excellent until you really go off the beaten track (or on sand) and then it’s more about potholes. When I was there in 2020 the old Merc w123s were being replaced with Dacia Logans but still plenty about.