What a beautiful day!

First of all. Happy birthday to all norwegians!! And to the foreigners: Today we celebrated our national day. The 17th. of may is always a great day for all of us, but this year it was very special for me. I have been looking forward to this for many years, and worked hard the last years to finish the car. To drive around in a classic Mercedes at this day is very satisfying. People are dressed up, everybody is happy and the city is decorated with the norwegian flag and flowers. The car behaved as it should, with no technical problems. I am so pleased!!
These pictures are taken at our local marina. It is going to be a busy summer. Drive the Mercedes, or go with the boat? Is that what they call a luxury problem?

A beautiful rear end.
Lunch in the garden.
Proud owner and his wife.

"Drilltroppen" in front of the parade.

A lot of people in the city. No beer for me today, but that is ok!

I can't wait...

......for tomorrow. 17th. of may is Norways nationalday, and a big day for us with classic cars. I have spend half the day in the garage cleaning and polishing Silkesvarten. A friend of mine came over with some magic swiss products costing a fortune. But I have never seen a better result. I can use the hood as a mirror and read the newspaper! I will take a lot of photos tomorrow, so you foreigners can see how we celebrate "17. mai."

Back to the beach.

Tomorrow it is one year since last time we had a photoshoot at this place. I called the post for "Time for a break and outdoor activity" Last time the pictures showed Silkesvarten and Egils Austin Mini. The Mini is sold, but today Egil proudly could present his new car. A 1976 Jeep CJ7 Levi's edition, imported from California. A car in very good original condition!! Egil have been my helper the last two years. I couldn't done this without his help. Thank you Egil.

I hope you will enjoy the pictures of our cars.

Heaterboxes part eight-thirteen

In the morning today I finished project heaterboxes. Both boxes are in place and the flaps inside operates as intended. My brother did an exellent job with the repair, and I just had to do the finish. The flaps for floor/window regulation had to be a little modified to move free. After days of thinking and testing I found out how to connect the correkt wire to the correct flap.. (Without cutting a big hole in the innerfender.)

Here is the result of the heaterbox repair:


Water hoses and wires in place:

Right side. As you can see there is not much room between the box and the body.
Left side. The fan is not in place yet. Maybe today. After som gardening...

99,99%

The observe reader may think "where are the heaterboxes?" Now I am at part twelve, and not finished..... They have to get in place. Mercedes guys: Why did you make it so damn uncomfortable narrow?

Ok, when we are waiting for part thirteen, mounting the heaterboxes, we can look at some pictures.

Waiting for the painter

The painter is not yet ready, so I have used the time to do some work under the car. Gear and rear axle oil change, (shit, it was in time) valve adjustment, greasing up all nipples, tightening and checking bolts in suspension and steering, mounted the plate under the main brake cylinder, mounted the bracket between the gearbox and the front silencer (I hope I don't have to do that again!) and then I took a testdrive. The test drive is always the most fun part!! Surprised....?

Some pictures of my work on the heater boxes.

Sit back and enjoy!

The last details

After spending the eastern holiday in Copenhagen, Denmark, it is time for the last details. My brother came with the heaterboxes, and he had made a great job. Today they had one layer of etch primer, and a couple of layers with dark filler. It is just a few spots I have to grind before I am satisfied with the finish. I am also working on the inside details.

On Sunday I take the car back to the painter. He will make some paintrepair, and fix some small paintfailures. And finish with a real polish. When the car returns I will mount the front and rear bumper. And hopefully I have completed the heaters, so I can get them in place.

I will then spend some time on engine adjustments, change gear oil and rear axle oil, and grease all the service spots. Then the car is ready for the road!

Updates will follow.

The heaterboxes arrives tomorrow!!

Follow the story of my brothers heaterbox repair here.

Impressive work. I look forward to my brothers visit tomorrow, and to see the result of his intence work. A few months ago I didn't think the heaters would be ready at this side of the summer. Now it looks promising. I just have to finish the work on the air intake pipes. More cutting, welding and grinding. Can you hear me Egil.......?

Wheels

This looks like an almost completed car. I didn't put money on that in october 2008.


Look at this! Are they nice or what?

Should I have painted the nuts?

A taste of spring in the garden. And four nice rims.

Say goodbye to a Ponton

My donor cars job is done. It is just a very rusty body left. Here it is on its way to the car graveyard. Take a moment and say goodbye.

I have used a lot of parts from this car. Small parts and big parts. And I also have many parts in the garage. I would not be able to finish the restoration without it.

Rest in peace.

A picture update

A sneakpreview of the wheels. 185/80 R 13. Yes, I know it is not original!! Maybe when I get old an rich....

Panels at the firewall in engine compartment. Soundinsulation on the backside. The old was totally broken, so it took a couple of hours to reconstruct the shape. And some cardboard in the garbage.....

From the right side of the car.
New sunshades in place. The same fabric as the headliner. Different type on newer models.

New rearview mirror in place. Nice.
Repair of air intake tubes for the ventilation. Still a lot of work on these.