2022-08-09 11:03
It was back in April 2018 when I got a call from Greg at Gullwing Motors, telling me to come in as he had a car that I might be interested in. Oooh, this sounded exciting, what was it?! I co… Read More
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Classic Jalopy Blog
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A classic car blog focusing mostly on Mercedes-Benz, Citroen and Jaguar
2022-08-07 07:10
Today I attended the monthly Auto Brunch event at St Ives Showground. This is easily the best cars and coffee event in Sydney. There is always a huge variety on displ… Read More
2022-07-31 20:28
I installed the Classic Auto Sound Becker tribute radio in my 250SE a couple of years ago. The W111 series are supposed to have a slimline radio instead of a DIN size. &nbs&hell…Read More
2022-07-31 07:03
I was able to attend the Eastern Suburbs cars and coffee event this morning. I’ve managed to attend the last couple of these events and there are always a good mix of cars… Read More
2022-07-29 01:45
Earlier this morning I returned from the MBCNSW July 2022 Night Drive. We try to rotate the travel direction around Sydney, so this time we were going South. The dr… Read More
2022-07-25 10:58
It’s only been a bit over a year since I sold Oskar, my 1988 300SE at the 2021 Shannons Autumn Auction. It was my father Oskar’s pride and joy, and I was keen to join the MBCV wh… Read More
2022-07-25 00:50
I was quite keen to start using the 280SE more now I have sorted out the steering, exhaust and drivers seat. I don’t have a modern car, so I rotate the various historic re… Read More
2022-07-24 00:54
Now I had the 280SE at the point where I could drive it more, I wanted to attend to the drivers seat. Like most of these cars, years of driving had caused at least some of the sp… Read More
2022-07-22 03:03
The final things preventing me from turning the 280SE from a garage queen to a rolling restoration was getting the exhaust sorted out. It really was a mess. The rear… Read More
2022-07-21 04:26
My next job on the 280SE project was replacing the drag link and tie rod ends. Of the six ball joins in the steering, two were really bad, and the others were all quite old. &hell…Read More
2022-07-14 05:23
I generally like to keep my cars stock. The exception to that is period accessories that are totally reversible. Things that the first owner may have wanted to do to… Read More
2022-07-11 12:31
In the two years of owning my 560SEL, one of the things I have appreciated is the original Becker CD player. I’ve owned many classic Mercedes-Benz models over the years, bu… Read More
2022-07-06 12:28
The W116 Mercedes is no longer a common sight on the roads of Australia. Yet, at one time, it was quite prevalent. With a 450SEL costing more than 8 times an equivale… Read More
2022-06-30 15:09
This evening was the monthly MBCNSW night drive. We finally completed a route we have wanted to do since March of 2021, on the third attempt. It was worth those attempts as… Read More
2022-06-26 06:10
I attempted to attend the MBCNSW May night drive with two separate cars. Coincidently, I had the same brake issue with both cars. On both cases I experienced a soft b… Read More
2022-06-26 02:17
It’s a lovely winter weekend here in Sydney. Cool in the morning and evening, but pleasant during the day. With a break in the weather, it felt like a good opportuni… Read More
2022-06-19 05:41
The S-Class is probably the signature model for Mercedes-Benz. Personally it’s what I think of when I think of the brand. When I think Porsche, I think rear eng… Read More
2022-06-18 15:20
2022 is 50 years since the introduction of the W116 S-Class in 1972. The W116 S-Class was the first one that Mercedes-Benz actually referred to as the S-Class. Previo… Read More
2022-06-08 06:14
I’m currently in the USA for work. I arrived the day before the event I am attending, so had a couple of hours to spare before work started. I’m in Las Ve… Read More
2022-06-05 04:20
Due to COVID, bad weather and other commitments, it had been a while since I attend the Auto Brunch event at St. Ives showground. March 2021 to be exact. I finally ma… Read More
2022-06-02 13:00
The other day I had to move the 250SE out of the way to access the 280SE. The 280SE was parked in a fairly inaccessible spot until I had sorted out the fuel injection. &nbs&hell…Read More
2022-05-29 03:35
I attended the Eastern Suburbs cars and coffee event for the 2nd time today. The event has moved to a new location since my last visit. Instead of being located insid… Read More
2022-05-27 04:30
After a month of relentless rain, we finally had a sunny day for the May 2022 Night Drive. This drive was a shorter one, The Spit to Palm Beach. We had previously don… Read More
2022-05-22 10:01
I’ve been trying to narrow down poor running on my 79 280SE when cold. Previously, I had two issues I was trying to narrow down, high control pressure when cold, and after… Read More
2022-05-22 05:52
Last year the MBCNSW was planning a Paul Bracq day. That event had to be cancelled due to COVID. I had heard it was supposed to happen this year, so I put the date in… Read More
2022-05-05 04:27
I recently attempted to take my 560SEL on a Mercedes Club night drive. On the way there, I experienced a soft brake pedal and a very hot drivers side rear wheel. I h… Read More
2022-05-01 08:40
Today was the public display for the Jensen Club National Rally. Not being a Jensen owner, I’m obviously not a member of the club, so I attended as a spectator. &nbs&hell…Read More
2022-04-28 23:56
Last night was the April 2022 MBCNSW night drive. Due to the terrible weather we’ve had in Sydney over the last couple of months, it was the first one since January. … Read More
2022-04-15 10:01
Sydney’s powerhouse museum currently has a display of microcars. I assume its a temporary display, as they microcars are on loan from various owners. The powerhouse m… Read More
2022-04-13 12:41
I recently attended the Mercedes Clubs National Rally 2022 in Glenelg, SA. Not only did I attend the actual event, but I joined a group of friends in the MBCNSW to create a Class… Read More
2022-04-12 12:33
We started the day in White Cliffs, after staying at the Underground Motel. I wasn’t looking forward to the shower in the shared bathroom, but they were actually a lot better tha… Read More
2022-04-11 10:38
With the rally now over, it was time to start our drive home to Sydney. Like our journey to Adelaide, we had planned an scenic route back. Our route takes us home via Broken Hill, Wilcannia… Read More
2022-04-10 13:29
Today was the second and final day of the actual Rally. The two official events were a scenic drive down the coast to Lady Bay, and a dinner and farewell event. Star… Read More
2022-04-09 13:21
Day four was a bit of a change of pace for our group. We didn’t have many KM to cover as were are now part of the rally proper. The agenda for today was the Sho… Read More
2022-04-09 13:11
The National Rally included a Show and Shine in the morning to display the participating cars. The show and shine was held at Wigley park, a very nice spot near the Marina in Gle… Read More
2022-04-08 14:38
One of the attractions of this trip was to be able to tick off a few bucket list items. A big part of this was doing the Great Ocean Road in our own cars. Part of the… Read More
2022-04-07 13:05
Day two dawned on our trip to the Mercedes Clubs national rally with the situation that while the 280CE now had a full battery thanks to the trickle charger, it had no way of charging it whi… Read More
2022-04-06 13:17
Today was the first day of our epic drive to the Mercedes-Benz clubs national rally in Glenelg, South Australia. I am going with a group of friends on a road trip to and f… Read More
2022-03-23 04:02
My wife owns a 2007 E350 wagon. This car has been in the shop the last couple of weeks having the balancer shaft replacement done. This car was outside the known af… Read More
2022-03-18 03:11
This is part three of a series where I am trying to diagnose poor cold starts on my 1979 280SE. Please click here for part 1 and here for part 2. In the last part, the fuel… Read More
2022-03-17 11:07
In Australia, each state (and territory) has their own Mercedes-Benz Club. Most countries have a central club with regional chapters. This isn’t really all that… Read More
2022-03-12 10:55
This year I plan to attend the Mercedes-Benz clubs of Australia national rally. The event is being held in Adelaide in April this year. I’ve done plenty of road… Read More
2022-03-07 07:06
Yesterday I was in Canberra to attend Wheels 2022 with the Mercedes Club ACT. I found out that this weekend was also the Rolls Royce Club Federal Rally. Not sure if i… Read More
2022-03-06 11:07
Today I attended the Wheels 2022 event in Queanbeyan. This is a large car show open to car clubs affiliated with the ACT Council of Motor Clubs. In some ways it is qu… Read More
2022-02-27 00:57
Earlier in the week I attempted to run a fuel pressure test on my 1979 280SE. On further examination, I was pretty sure I had it connected up wrong. The instructions… Read More
2022-02-21 12:42
I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of the running issues on my 1979 280SE. The last thing I tried was draining all the fuel and replacing the fuel filter and tank strain… Read More
2022-02-12 12:52
I recently purchased a W116 280SE. On arrival, it wasn’t running too well, and the symptoms pointed to the car not getting enough fuel. A few weeks ago, I drai… Read More
2022-02-08 10:42
The C107 is a bit of an anomaly in the classic Mercedes-Benz range. On one hand it occupies the spot usually reserved for the S Class Coupe. On the other, it was crea… Read More
2022-02-05 08:07
In 1968 the new mid-size Mercedes-Benz range made its debut. This was a pretty important model from Mercedes-Benz – it would set the basic platform for their model range fo… Read More
2022-02-03 00:08
The W108 and W109 series were produced from 1965 to 1972. While its replacement, the W116 was the first model called the S-Class, the W108 and W109 models occupied that spot in the mod… Read More
2022-01-23 20:30
My recently purchased 280SE is not running well. The symptoms feel like it is not getting enough fuel. Strangely enough, performance picked up with more petrol in t… Read More
2022-01-23 10:19
The first night drive of the year was held a bit earlier than usual to avoid the Australia Day Holiday. This was actually a drive we planned for the second half of last year, but… Read More
2021-12-28 01:29
Premature failure of the Balance shaft on the Mercedes M272 engine is a known problem. Apparently the balance shafts were too soft and so they wear out quickly. This… Read More
2021-12-23 03:23
With the year coming to a close it felt like a good idea to do a 2021 fleet update. A bit of a summary of any issues I had with each car, how much I used it and any future plans… Read More
2021-12-21 22:26
Last night was the final night drive (and last official drive overall) for the Mercedes Club in 2021. Since the lockdown was lifted, we’ve really struggled with the weathe… Read More
2021-12-19 23:50
My 1987 560SEL is in very nice cosmetic condition for its age and mileage. The only thing that really let it down was the condition of the alloy wheels. It was clear… Read More
2021-12-16 02:44
One of the things I noticed right away when I got my new 280SE was that it wasn’t running well. It was very hard to start and keep running. Eventually, if I wa… Read More
2021-12-11 22:53
Machines and Macchiatos is another local cars and coffee event I’ve been meaning to check out. I finally made it today, at their new location in Belrose. This l… Read More
2021-12-10 11:30
Last night was the first of two planned December night drives with the Mercedes Club. This was now the 3rd time we’ve run the drive to Bilpin. We did the route… Read More
2021-12-06 23:25
The second generation W126 controls ignition timing from the EZL. In most countries, Mercedes-Benz provided a knob to adjust the timing based on the petrol that was available in… Read More
2021-12-05 20:35
I took the risky move of buying my 1979 280SE sight unseen. This isn’t something I particularly recommend, but you can get a good sense of a car by looking at detailed phot… Read More
2021-12-05 09:02
I’ve been thinking about selling my 1986 300SE for a few months and replacing it with something different. I bought that car five years ago when I needed to be able to driv… Read More
2021-11-28 20:34
The Mercedes Benz 107 series uses a separate front subframe. The engine and front suspension attach to the subframe, and then the subframe attaches to the body. The s… Read More
2021-11-28 02:51
2021 was fifty years since the introduction of the R107 and C107 models. The R107 would go on to be particularly long lived model, finally getting the axe in 1989. De… Read More
2021-11-21 09:16
Today was the MBCNSW Youngtimer Sacco Day 2021 – The second annual event. The day is to commemorate the cars of Bruno Sacco, head of design at Mercedes-Benz from 1975-1999… Read More
2021-11-20 12:53
My one owner 560SEL still has its original Becker CD player. Australian delivered 560SELs and SECs came standard with the CD player, which also has a control box in the boot.&nbs&hell…Read More
2021-11-19 11:25
I’ve had the AMG Aero I wheels ready to go for a couple of months. I couldn’t fit them until the Penta wheels were on the 450SLC. The reason was that I wa… Read More
2021-11-19 01:41
I had previously purchased a set of original AMG ‘Penta’ wheels and had tyres fitted. My next step was to fit them to the car. I waited until the car was… Read More
2021-11-17 11:09
I’ve been doing quite a bit of work to my 450SLC lately. One of my more recent jobs has been to fix the A/C condensate leak. While I was there, I noticed that r… Read More
2021-11-11 05:02
Today we are used to E-Types being coveted sports cars which are treated with care by their owners. Few of them ever even see a drop of rain on their paintwork. Howev… Read More
2021-10-31 00:27
There is another informal cars and coffee event in Sydney that I have been meaning to go to for the last 18 months. Its the one held on the last Sunday of the month at Centennial… Read More
2021-10-29 00:30
After a three and a half month lockdown, official MBCNSW night drives were back last night. The route was Clovelly to Kurnell. The night drives were supposed to be ba… Read More
2021-10-21 12:48
Today I spent a bit more time evaluating the 420SEL parts car and the more I look at it the happier I am with my purchase. It has too much wrong with it to make it a viable resto… Read More
2021-10-19 04:19
I’ve been thinking about buying a W126 parts car for some time. The number of affordable parts cars is getting thin on the ground as the W126 transitions from everyday tran… Read More
2021-10-16 09:27
My 250SE has not been running well lately. Back in April, I hit a Kangaroo and the car was repaired during May and June. In July, the state of NSW plunged in… Read More
2021-10-04 21:32
I have recently purchased a set of 15×7 AMG ‘Penta’ wheels for my 1977 450SLC. These wheels did not come with lug bolts, but I had a set from when I had the rep… Read More
2021-10-03 21:53
Earlier this year I managed to smash a foglight lens on a MBCNSW drive to Berry. I drove over a large stick on the road that flicked up and smashed the lens. I saw th… Read More
2021-10-03 12:47
Back in May, I had the rear windscreen removed on my 450SLC. The idea was to replace the old windscreen that was delaminated with a good used unit I had purchased from the MB Spa… Read More
2021-09-29 05:51
My new 15″ AMG Penta wheels did not come with tyres. Choosing a set turned out to be a lot more complicated than I thought.
The big downside of the 15s over the 16s is the… Read More
2021-09-28 05:41
I purchased my 1989 420SEL about two years ago and have been busy doing a lot of work to the car to bring it up to my standard. My most recent job was to inspect and replace the… Read More
2021-09-22 12:29
When I purchased my 1987 560SEC it came with Simmons B45 Wheels. These are a high quality Australian made three piece wheel. I pretty quickly replaced these for a cou… Read More
2021-09-18 12:02
When you own a modern Mercedes-Benz, you seem to be playing constant whack-a-mole with the check engine light. I’ve written before how silly I think the check engine light… Read More
2021-09-17 12:23
I’ve been on the lookout for a different set of wheels for my 450SLC. It is currently running a set of W126 second generation alloy wheels. I like these wheels, but t… Read More
2021-09-07 12:36
A couple of months ago a friend showed me his BM2 Battery Monitor installed on his 420SEL. It is a bluetooth enabled battery monitor that connects to a phone app. Th… Read More
2021-09-05 11:31
This week I got my 560SEL back from having a front suspension rebuild. This wasn’t something I really wanted to take on myself. My SEL drove well, but there was some… Read More
2021-08-17 05:47
After the impact with a Kangaroo, my 250SE Cabriolet is back on the road and better than ever. While the damage didn’t look that bad at first, the repairs required were ex… Read More
2021-07-31 12:23
I recently changed the flexible brake hoses in my 1986 300SE. I wasn’t sure how old they were and they are a wear item. The next step was obviously bleeding the brake… Read More
2021-07-24 11:27
I’ve always been a little surprised that my W111 Cabriolet rear seatbelts were lap only. Mercedes-Benz were such pioneers of safety at the time that it seemed odd that they… Read More
2021-07-10 01:32
I’ve been meaning to change the brake hoses on the 300SE for a while. I have no history for the car, so I don’t know how old they are. As I also wanted to… Read More
2021-06-30 21:08
When inspecting the SLS in my 300SE, I noticed that the fuel pump was seeping fuel. It wasn’t enough to smell fuel, so I am not sure how long it had been like that. … Read More
2021-06-30 10:04
On a recent drive with a few friends I noticed my 560SEC was sitting a bit low at the rear. I had it parked next to a 380SEC, which I am pretty confident is at the correct height… Read More
2021-06-30 09:29
Back a few weeks ago I identified the problems with my power window was the W126 front window regulator. In particular, the passengers side front. The regulator was m… Read More
2021-06-25 04:42
The previous owner of my 560SEL had the self-leveling rear suspension removed. He told me that he was having problems with it, and the suspension shop he took that car to (Pedde… Read More
2021-06-24 15:46
Today was the June MBCNSW night drive. This month, we had planned to do the route originally planned for March. Back then, Sydney had just experienced the worst storm… Read More
2021-06-24 07:14
A couple of weeks ago I discovered rust around the rear windscreen in my 450SLC. At the time, I was having the 450SLC rear windscreen changed for a unit in better condition than… Read More
2021-06-16 11:15
Last year I had the exhaust replaced on my 560SEL. At the time the exhaust was rubbing on the drive shaft and had a few holes. I had a custom stainless system built t… Read More
2021-06-09 11:01
The W126 introduced a lot of new features for Mercedes-Benz. A small convenience feature is the height adjustable seatbelt for the front seat passengers. This feature… Read More
2021-06-02 08:29
Today I went by to check out how things were going on the 250SE crash repair. Last week the panel work was nearly complete and the car was almost ready for pant. The… Read More
2021-05-29 09:13
After purchasing my 280CE, I was keen to discover more about its history. Through the history file, I was able to make contact with the 3rd owners of the 280CE, the lovely John … Read More
2021-05-28 01:00
Last night was the monthly MBCNSW May 2021 Night drive. This month we did a repeat of our very successful November 2020 drive to Bilpin. As with last time, we met in… Read More
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