OWNER outrbnks

[JC220]

The main thing to consider here is originality and ultimate collector value in the future. For a w124 500E is that relevant or a huge issue – will deviation from originality actually impact on the future value of the car in the real world? Put it this way – it is quite common for 500E’s here to have been converted to facelift E500 guise and thus body coloured gloss bumpers, sacco cladding etc. If one had a choice between say a 100% original example with the 500E trunk badge, grey matt bumpers + sacco panels and un-marked black plastic bumper trims would that be worth more because of the originality? Yes I think it would VS a car with modified paint scheme.

Having said that my 500E came to me in late E500 guise with the all matching gloss black bumpers and cladding. It does look great and the value of the car appraised by the MB club did not appear to be marked down because if that. But it was mentioned by the valuer as a potential issue – however I was able to show that I had the correct euro pre facelift headlamps (Thanks again Oscar!) + new 500E emblem on hand with pre-facelift trunk and bonnet which I keep to enable reverting my 500E back to factory look in the future if desired. That let the valuer not be concerned about the non original E500 guise of my 500E since I had the other 500E specific and NLA parts available on hand with my car.

I understand you may be simply referring to the colours themselves and not actually a facelift scenario. I would suggest looking up various photos of both versions of paint and decide what works best for you personally Oscar. Just do consider if you think there might be some merit in keeping it as per how it left the factory thinking of 10+ years on down the line….

Regarding the paint shop questions / clarifications per my email I would be happy to speak to you about that and share my experience on the subject with some important items to ask the bodyshop before dropping it off

 

[gsxr]

Have the lower paint match the upper (not satin on the lowers). I don't know of anyone that's done monochrome with different finish (satin/gloss) on each section, on a 500E... I'd want to see photos BEFORE spending $$$$$ on this! There are multiple cars with 199 gloss monochrome to check out. My old '92 had this, looked great to my eyes.

Glasurit or Sikkens would be ideal. Anything else, make sure it's near the top of their range, especially if the area where you live is prone to small pits/chips from debris on the road.

 

[gerryvz]

especially if the area where you live is prone to small pits/chips from debris on the road.

Definitely use Lamin-X on your headlights, so that you aren't like jlaa and have to suffer knowing you have a chipped, imperfect headlight lens......

 

[northNH]

Satiny lowers; ?obvious with lighting in the picts but blends invisibly in the flesh...
.

 

[outrbnks]

Happy Holiday season everyone...!

The last several months, in fact this past year has been a quite a hardship for me and our family to get through. 2019 started out well enough, with prospects for a good year, then some real unexpected show stoppers cropped up randomly and out of the blue. We lost my kid brother Wayne to an unexpected short term illness, earlier in the year, he was my best friend and it took a lot out of me. He lived near Denver, and I just returned from a second trip out there, settling the rest of his estate, he had no wife or children, so it was me to get through it all. Not long after that my closest Aunt passed away, then over a 4 month period 3 of our close friends at work all passed away unexpectedly as well. At the same time our work contract was coming to an end, and we partnered with an international company to rebid. We did win the rebid, but you can't imagine the amount of work required to get through this bureaucratic process. Then Mom took a fall and fractured her pelvis, luckily no operation, but six weeks in a therapy rehab facility was in order, she just moved back home this week and refuses any more help, fiercely independent... wonder where I get it from... lol

In addition the paint shop that was supposed to take TEX, the 199 car, in last May-June pulled out at the last minute, So not a lot has been done to the two 500E's in 2019. I'm so glad 2019 is about over...

But some things did get finished as follows;

Ms. Bornite
1)- Swapped in a rebuilt 500E USA cluster, with equivalent odometer readings as the Japan Kilometer odometer had
2)- Occasional ASR limp mode fixed with brand new eGas module from Tom at the classic center, Japan model 500E eGas still in stock
3)- Diagnosed a low engine oil light as being a bad sensor- will be replaced next spring, oil level is perfect
4)- Up until the beginning of the winter storms earlier this month, it's been driven 25 to 75 miles a week, & runs perfectly, such a pleasure to drive
5)- Amazing how many younger motor heads, stop and come back for a second look at this car with a big thumbs up. Ms. Bornite draws more attention than anything I driven before, including my old C3 coupe, (which was wrecked by a stupid kid years ago... that kid was me!!!).

TEX
1)- Ordered and received all the external trim clips in anticipation of repaint
2)- replaced the rear passenger widow regulator
3)- rear window fuse burns out often, need to find the short
4)- Just got a call this week from the paint shop that refused more old Mercedes work, (my indie had called them and vouched for me), so now it's going in on 1/3/20. Going complete 199 Glasurit monotone paint for everything, replacing all rubber weather stripping/seals as well, and basically told them to keep it as long as needed and replace anything needed. I won't be driving it anywhere until the salt is off the roads anyway, maybe April. Just happy they are taking it in, they have the best reputation in the area for high quality work.

That's about it for the 500's, I see posts on the SL forum in BW that Key FOBS are starting to become available again in the States, with confirmed orders received in the lower 48.

R129 key fob purchased...new

www.benzworld.org

Maybe that means they are also available for ML's GL', G's etc., I think I'll head to the dealer tomorrow to try and order another FOB for the wife's 99 SL500, she only has 1 FOB..

Well that's about it for 2019 for me, the wife has been after me for a couple of years to retire and go on some adventures, traveling around the country and the world. After whats happened this year, I think she's right, life's to short, I've decided on a June retirement to clean up a few more money issues and fix whats left to be done with the fleet, I may want to downsize some, undecided yet...

Happy New Year to all, 2020 will be a great year

 

[gerryvz]

Thanks for the summary write-up. Seems like quite a consequential year for you. Congratulations on retirement plans! I envy you.

 

[TerryA]

Sorry for your losses in 2019. You never know what life will bring to your doorstep.

Be positive about 2020. It’s going to be a better year for you. You’ve repaired a lot of issues on your car to update it and when it comes from the paint shop in it’s brand new Bornite Suite you will be smiling.

Your wife is right. It’s time to kick back and start enjoying your life. Since my retirement in 2010 I have seen a lot of wonderful things in the world. Mostly off of cruise ships. A 45 day driving trip thru Italy in the fall of 2013 was fantastic. Off of cruise ships I’ve had small tastes of many countries in the Mediterranean and Baltic Oceans. 2 years ago we were at the tip of South America on Christmas Day on a 36 day cruise from Los Angeles to Rio including a 3 day side bar trip to Machu Pitchu in Peru.

Life is Short. It’s a fact that can’t be ignored.

As we all go thru life, we strive to attain different goals or stations along the way like the day you got married, buying your first home, watching your children grow up, that big promotion with the corner office, buying that new car (in your case we’ll say the Bornite Benz). As we go thru these stations of life always striving for just one more.

When you reach that last station and there are no more you look back and realize that what really counted “Was the Trip”

Have a HAPPY NEWYEAR!!

 

[outrbnks]

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts, and thanks Gerry for the group buy on the Lamin-X, got it and I'll have it installed before the warm driving season begins... Thanks... O

 

[outrbnks]

OK, a quick update on Old "Tex" in the paint shop. I did drop it off the first week in January, and hadn't heard anything back, so I decided to stop down to the shop during lunch today. Low and behold they just started working on it late this morning. The bumpers were already off, and they will be stripping the rest off over the next few days. They identified a bunch of parking lot dents and marked them for the dent remover specialist and they don't see anywhere on the body that would need bondo. The shop owner is a "keep it stock" guy and is still trying to get me to keep the Alto Grey with Satin finish. I told him no again today, all mono with gloss finish please.

This week-end I will dig out all my new parts from my stock pile, saved for this project, it's time. New Euro headlights from 2016 when they were available, mirror rubbers, new antenna, etc. The shop is getting all new body / window seals, fasteners etc. Does anyone know if the door handles are still available? These are rather sun baked, and it would be nice to replace them.

Question about the Euro headlights, they are facelift of course but I also have the pre-face lenses which I ordered at the same time. I suppose I'll see how to do it when I open the boxes this week-end, but is there anything special I need to do when swapping the lens out?

Hard to believe I purchased "Tex" almost 4 years ago, but in a few weeks it will have a new paint finish to rival Ms. Bornite. I would have loved to change color completely, Cabernet, Almadine, and Azurite are just stunning. My wife's 99 129 in Azurite is just beautiful... but that would be throwing $$$$$ away, much more than I'm doing already, with no return at all... I've never seen a new 199 in person, and my 92 coupe is the same, cooked 199 paint.

Anyway, I only had time for 4 pictures and had to run back to work..

Since this is just the beginning of the prep-mode, for those who have done this before, if you have any suggestions before they really get going, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks...O

 

[TimL]

Lenses are a straight swap. Sounds like a very exciting project and hope you will keep everyone posted on the progress.

Have to agree with your painter though- alto and 199

 

[sheward]

Glad for you things are moving along. One of my cars was resprayed last year. Do you have the proper panels for below the lights? They are different for pre change and post change models. Might be a good time to replace the front windshield if necessary. It helps with the painting process.
Keep us posted on the progress.

drew

 

[gsxr]

Looks great so far! I assume the prep isn't complete yet... still need to pull door handles, mirrors, wide bottom mouldings, and glass weatherstrips, right? The antenna is easy to remove so it isn't poking through the hole. Don't forget to carefully remove the trunk badge too. Remember the mirrors are easy to take apart to paint the plastics separately, click here.

BTW - with new headlights, I'd highly recommend installing new fog lights at the same time. P/N's 129-820-01-56 and 129-820-02-56, $275/pair from Naperville, or $215 + shipping from either MB Portland or MB Ft. Pierce. That is for complete new fog assemblies, not just lenses. Old/faded fogs will stick out like a sore thumb next to fresh paint and new headlights. Oh, and Lamin-X the headlight & fog lenses too!

 

[sheward]

Also, take care with the side glass to door weatherstrips Dave mentioned. At least one, drivers side rear, is NLA.
I also suggest you add the original under light panels for paint if you are keeping the original lights. If not, I believe there is someone in the WTB section interested.

drew

 

[JC220]

Oscar, if you require any particular headlamp trim panels just let me know. I can make one set available for you- and I have all types available IIRC.

 

[outrbnks]

Thanks for all the suggestions;

Joe, I have the euro pre-face headlight panels in storage, just need to find them, new primed versions, for both wipers and wiper delete. I'll have all of them sprayed, and install the wiper delete keeping the wiper versions in storage in case I come across a set of euro wipers someday. Anyone have a working set of pre-face euro headlight wipers for sale?

Dave, thanks for the fog light tip, I'll get them ordered, appreciated.

Drew, sorry to hear about the window strips, whats an option? The shop said they intended to replace then with new....

Ext. door handles, are the available new?

One last trivia, was reminded while driving Ms Bornite today, she doesn't have a drivers exit interior handle, the other three door do, just not the drivers.
Before you ask the obvious, no, there are no holes in the headliner where one should be mounted. I miss having one there, and I notice that the headliner is just starting to sag in a couple of small places, and will probably get the headliners replaced on both 500's this summer. Anyone ever see a 124 with no drivers interior exit handle?... odd

Update; OK fogs and door handles ordered, tnx again

 

[sheward]

If your window strips are in good shape I would carefully pry them out and re use any that are not available. There is a notch in the rears for the rear window channel trim. It would be possible to create a seam at this thin point using two window channels that would be barely noticeable. I have a set of wiper motors and arms that I may be persuaded to sell if you cannot source them.
You may also choose to replace the long trims that run from the A pillar to the back of the roof if yours are faded. They were still available last year at a cost of around $150 per side. The trim at the top of the windshield is around $38. I believe. Either way, you will want to have the clips for the long roof trims on hand as they will likely break upon removal. Same for some of the lower cladding clips on the doors. The upper ones should be reusable if removed properly. There are good references here for that.

drew

 

[gsxr]

Last I recall, some or all the external door handles were NLA. You should be able to source decent used ones if yours are badly faded.

IIRC, new headliners (when available) did not come with the holes pre-cut for the driver grab handle. It's possible someone replaced the headliner in the past and just left the handle off, rather than attempt to chop holes in the new headliner.

Drew is correct about the roof trims, new ones would be great if available. And definitely get all new clips. Match the color of your old/existing clips, note the rearmost clip is different (1 each side).

 

[outrbnks]

About 1 hour ago, our E420 which we purchased in May of 2009, broke the 200K mileage milestone.

We pulled over and took pic's for Chits & Giggles, this the first car I can recall in all of our extended families that made it to 200,000 miles.

Probably an old hat thing for many of you long time Merc drivers, but new to us.

Our other 3 124's have somewhat less mileage, the 300CE @ 178K, and both 500's @ ~155K.

I expect the E420 to keep climbing steadily, as it's the wife DD, and now that the CE is fixed and back on the road again will become my DD.

Both the 500's will get limited miles per year, (~2K ea at the most perhaps), as has been the case since I purchased them.

I don't want to put a lot of miles on the 500's, but with our DD's and the SL's about to come out of storage on April 1st, it won't be a problem.

I've set a tentative retirement date (last day at work anyway), for June 25th. If Coronvirus doesn't spoil the plans, we'll be flying 1 way to Burbank for our youngest daughters wedding, then spend a month exploring northern California, followed by an Amtrak train all the way home.

The first leg of the Train ride will be on the "California Zephyr", with deluxe Sleeper car accommodations, for the trip over the Rockies. Always wanted to do this, and now the trip is booked.

In Chicago we change trains onto the Lakes-Shore Limited, which goes to NY City. Along the way it makes a stop at Poughkeepsie, NY which is only 5 miles from our house.

So we're getting a ride to the airport to fly out to California on June 25th, and then getting a ride home from the Poughkeepsie when the train drops us off in late July.

Still thinking I may wander into work when we get back, just to make the official retirement date in early Aug. that way I'll still have full medical until Aug 31st.

Gotta start shopping for the mandatory insurance we all must have... Hard to believe it's getting this close, I think its only 109 days until we fly out to California..

Cheers... Oscar

PS: just moved post to here, didn't mean to start a separate owners thread

 

[sheward]

That sounds exciting. I've wanted for many years to take that same train ride. Enjoy.

drew

 

[TerryA]

Oscar,

Congrats on making it to Retirement

Enjoy it ! Don’t do what I did. I retired in October 2010 but went back to work a year later. Still at it 10 years later.

PS: I took the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to Los Angeles back in 1960 courtesy of the Marines. It was a fun trip until the end in San Diego.

 

[outrbnks]

Update on the repaint of Tex... etc.

This COVID thing has upset just about everything I had planned. My daughters wedding is now delayed for one year. I was able to cancel and get a refund on the cross-country Amtrak trip after the wedding in July, and the paint shop has had a huge slowdown due to the virus impacts.

But I did get a call from the paint shop owner a few days ago, he has his paint shooter coming back to work soon and he wants to pick back up with the prep work before painting. So I brought him the Euro trim plates for under the Euro headlight being installed after paint. I have both styles, with and without wipers, and getting both painted now. I may not have the wipers before Tex is put back together, so the blank trim panels will have to do for now.

I stopped down to drop off the parts to the paint shop, and I took a few more pic's. They still need to remove more stuff, but a lot of it is off and semi-prepped already. Pic's are attached...

I still need to order more parts, but nothing that will hold up painting. The roof trim and door handles I tried to order a month ago, but could not get the door handles anywhere, the roof trim I forgot and need to check into that again.

So last night I went out to my back building to look for more parts again, and finally uncovered the new in the box Euro headlights and preface lens I bought 3 or 4 years ago. Then I decided to swap out the lenses as discussed previously, and discovered it looks easier than it is. Using upmost caution not to break the plastic clips, (what a disaster that would be), I struggled for quite a while not knowing the limits of torture the clips could endure, and finally decided to try some sort of clamp to compress the rubber gasket and allow easy un-clipping/re-clipping. After some trial and error, I settled on an old wooden clamp used in wood working. With a little piece of rubber on both sides to protect the plastic edges of the headlight, the clamp worked perfectly. It compressed the rubber gasket easily allowing a much easier removal of the facelift lens, and really made easy work of snapping the preface lens onto the headlight body. I'm sure they must have had some sort of custom designed clamping tool in the factory to mount the lens, simply squeezing them together by hand was useless, and I was afraid to force anything for fear of damage. The next think I need to do is cut and install the Laminex I bought from Gerry, I guess I should have done that before mounting the lens. Anyway, other than the Laminex, the headlights are ready now, just need to source bulbs. Oh yea, BTW, these headlights have the vacuum adjusters, I just need to find the dash kit I had purchased years ago just for this purpose.,

Anyone have suggestions for the best bulbs to use these days? I need to make a complete order, and get new fuses as well.

So, I've decided that the final look will be 199 monotone gloss, top and bottom, if the next owner wants to go back to Alto Grey bottoms, it should be easy enough to do so. This paint shop has been shooting MB's for years, and he's done many 124's in the past, and he is using Glasurit.

Retirement is looming, hard to believe that this COVID thing seems to drag so slowly, yet there's only 50 days left to go for me... The line in one of the Pink Floyd songs is so true.. "Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time "....

Anyway... updates to follow.. Cheers...

 

[Jlaa]

Update on the repaint of Tex... etc.

This COVID thing has upset just about everything I had planned. My daughters wedding is now delayed for one year. I was able to cancel and get a refund on the cross-country Amtrak trip after the wedding in July, and the paint shop has had a huge slowdown due to the virus impacts.

But I did get a call from the paint shop owner a few days ago, he has his paint shooter coming back to work soon and he wants to pick back up with the prep work before painting. So I brought him the Euro trim plates for under the Euro headlight being installed after paint. I have both styles, with and without wipers, and getting both painted now. I may not have the wipers before Tex is put back together, so the blank trim panels will have to do for now.

I stopped down to drop off the parts to the paint shop, and I took a few more pic's. They still need to remove more stuff, but a lot of it is off and semi-prepped already. Pic's are attached...

I still need to order more parts, but nothing that will hold up painting. The roof trim and door handles I tried to order a month ago, but could not get the door handles anywhere, the roof trim I forgot and need to check into that again.

So last night I went out to my back building to look for more parts again, and finally uncovered the new in the box Euro headlights and preface lens I bought 3 or 4 years ago. Then I decided to swap out the lenses as discussed previously, and discovered it looks easier than it is. Using upmost caution not to break the plastic clips, (what a disaster that would be), I struggled for quite a while not knowing the limits of torture the clips could endure, and finally decided to try some sort of clamp to compress the rubber gasket and allow easy un-clipping/re-clipping. After some trial and error, I settled on an old wooden clamp used in wood working. With a little piece of rubber on both sides to protect the plastic edges of the headlight, the clamp worked perfectly. It compressed the rubber gasket easily allowing a much easier removal of the facelift lens, and really made easy work of snapping the preface lens onto the headlight body. I'm sure they must have had some sort of custom designed clamping tool in the factory to mount the lens, simply squeezing them together by hand was useless, and I was afraid to force anything for fear of damage. The next think I need to do is cut and install the Laminex I bought from Gerry, I guess I should have done that before mounting the lens. Anyway, other than the Laminex, the headlights are ready now, just need to source bulbs. Oh yea, BTW, these headlights have the vacuum adjusters, I just need to find the dash kit I had purchased years ago just for this purpose.,

Anyone have suggestions for the best bulbs to use these days? I need to make a complete order, and get new fuses as well.

So, I've decided that the final look will be 199 monotone gloss, top and bottom, if the next owner wants to go back to Alto Grey bottoms, it should be easy enough to do so. This paint shop has been shooting MB's for years, and he's done many 124's in the past, and he is using Glasurit.

Retirement is looming, hard to believe that this COVID thing seems to drag so slowly, yet there's only 50 days left to go for me... The line in one of the Pink Floyd songs is so true.. "Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time "....

Anyway... updates to follow.. Cheers...

Great update.

1) Your daughter will get married next year - look on the bright side - one more year for youngsters to save for the costs?
2) Do you have a picture of the clamp set up for removing the lenses? Thanks!
3) +130 Philips Xtravision halogen bulbs - H4. Plug that into ebay and you should get lots of results w/ white and aqua colored box.
4) Congratulations on retirement!!!

 

[gsxr]

Ditto what Jlaa said on the bulbs, the +130 with "blue band" is the hot item for H4 these days. Just be VERY careful about the vendor. There's a major issue with Philips counterfeits out there. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. You can also buy from Dan Stern Lighting, it may cost a bit more, but he only sells genuine stuff.

Another option is using overwattage bulbs (130/100, or 100/90) along with 100-watt H3 but relays are required for that setup. It's a *lot* of work to do properly, but the light output on high beam is... dazzling. Overkill for most people though.

 

[Kyiv]

Why Xtravision and not X-tremeVision, which, apparently, is the top SKU, guys?

 

[gsxr]

It may indeed be the " X-tremeVision " name - I'm not positive. But it should be "+130" and have a blue tinted band on the glass globe. The blue band isn't for looks, it's a way to sneak the bulb past the rating limits for street use... neat stuff.

 

[Jlaa]

Why Xtravision and not X-tremeVision, which, apparently, is the top SKU, guys?

Yeah, you're right, its called "X-treme" vision not "Xtravision".
I bought this a couple of years ago ---- you can see the blue band from the closeup pictures of the bulb.

Robot Check

I have no idea if what I bought is real or counterfeit, but I have been happy with them for the past 3 years or so.

 

[gsxr]

That's the afterburners, Jlaa! Dan Stern says these are equal or better than the now-NLA Osram Hypers.

For anyone buying Philips bulbs, here's how to confirm if what you receive is genuine:

Welcome to Philips product authenticity

It is always our highest priority at Philips to provide maximum satisfaction for customers who choose to buy genuine Philips products.

www.chk.philips.com

 

[Kyiv]

@Jlaa, this is what I have on my car. They are better than "regular" bulbs, but still, night driving, on unlit highways is somewhat challenging

EDIT: actually, this is what I have. Hmmm....

 

[Jlaa]

@Jlaa, this is what I have on my car. They are better than "regular" bulbs, but still, night driving, on unlit highways is somewhat challenging

EDIT: actually, this is what I have. Hmmm....
View attachment 103440

I think you need to get the X-tremeVision +130.

According to Daniel Stern, this is what that means:

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

Koito, Cibie, Hella, Marchal, Carello stockists. ECE headlamps, E-code headlamps, fog lamps, driving lamp, halogen bulbs, and full technical consultancy and support

www.danielsternlighting.com

First, a Note About "Plus" Bulbs:​

​

"Plus+" bulbs (+50, +80, +110, etc) are standard-wattage items with higher filament luminance and tighter filament focus. They give better headlight performance than standard bulbs—longer seeing distance and broader beam coverage—with an attendant shorter bulb lifespan. They have totally or mostly colourless clear glass so all the filament's light reaches the road (some of these have a blue band near the tip; it does not reduce light reaching the road because of its placement). The small number of reputable makers in the world differ a little in how they test and label their bulbs—the bulbs called "+110" by Osram, "+120" by Tungsram, and "+130" by Philips are substantially alike as a class, though depending on the bulb type there may be a reason to prefer one over another; I am constantly testing bulbs to keep on top of (and keep stock of) the best ones.​

 

[Kyiv]

@Jlaa, thanks. It's irking. Before buying my current bulbs, I went to Philip's website to see their range. +130 is still not listed. I wonder what gives

 

[Jlaa]

@Jlaa, thanks. It's irking. Before buying my current bulbs, I went to Philip's website to see their range. +130 is still not listed. I wonder what gives

Ah, I think that the Philips Xtreme-Vision +130 stuff is not exactly distributed by Philips in the USA. I think that the +130s here in the States are all grey market imports.

 

[gsxr]

And, I don't think you can get +130 bulbs for 9004 type, used in USA DOT lamps through 1993. There are limits to how much you can get from the 9004 design.

 

[outrbnks]

OK, still a little confused, which bulbs are recomended and still available? Thanks...

 

[gsxr]

OK, still a little confused, which bulbs are recomended and still available? Thanks...

For Euro lights, you want H4 bulbs, and try to get the +130 Philips from an legitimate source. Or just buy from Dan Stern Lighting, he's the guru on this stuff... he can supply the H3 and T4 bulbs as well if needed, for the high beams and city lights respectively.

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

Koito, Cibie, Hella, Marchal, Carello stockists. ECE headlamps, E-code headlamps, fog lamps, driving lamp, halogen bulbs, and full technical consultancy and support

www.danielsternlighting.com

 

[outrbnks]

Painting is completed, I drove down to the paint shop, and took some photos which I'll attach.

The car still needs to be assembled, and they need to repaint the drivers mirror, (a different mirror, the orig broke), and the front lic plate delete strip, (which I don't use now, but wanted it painted for future use). It's all in pieces still, but a close inspection of the finish showed the quality of they're work.

I don't know how they do it, but the finish has the same tiny sculptured orange peel look you would see on factory paint, it's gorgeous.

The shop owner says it may be ready by Friday, if not, then early next week.. Can't wait to see it put back together and then drive it...

 

[gerryvz]

Congratulations. It's rare to find a paint shop that knows how to do that factory-style orange peel, but that is one way you know that they know what they are doing. I know a lot of people hate it, but it's how the factory did it, and it's how it should be done for authenticity. Awesome to see -- thanks for sharing !!

 

[sheward]

That's beautiful stuff. It looks grand.

drew

 

[LWB250]

Good time to replace the hose on the overflow reservoir, too....

Looks awesome!

Dan

 

[outrbnks]

Tomorrow is pickup day from the paint shop, Old-Tex is ready for the road again... here are some pics they sent me on Friday
Hard to believe it's finally painted and looks like new again.. what a difference.. can't wait to see it in person tomorrow...

First chance I get the OZ 3 piece wheels (4 ea 8.5's), that are now on Ms Bornite, are moving over to Old-Tex, and the EVO II wheels I've purchased two years ago are going on Ms Bornite. In the back building I still have E55 wheels, 2 Piece SL600 5 spokes for consideration, along with another staggered set of OZ 3 piece wheels that need to be refurbished. I want to try the EVO II's on Ms Bornite first before I do anything else, I think they may compliment the color well.

If the OZ 3 piece don't do it for Old Tex, I may move right to the SL600 wheels instead. But first we'll give it a try and see what it looks like.

Here are the pic's the paint shop sent me from last Friday, Notice the brand new Euro headlights with wiper delete, I have new euro wiper panels painted up as well, and Just received the wipers to fit from Sheward, Thanks... When I get a chance later this season, I'll swap on the wipers..

PS: while digging through my parts store this week-end, I came across another set of new in the box Euro lenses from Speed Autotele, I had forgotten I had gotten them on a separate order. Now that I have 2 500's with the same euro lens, it feels good to have spares on the shelf. They are not for sale, they are insurance.... first job to do before anything else is Laminex

PPS: Just noticed the clear front corners and how odd they look, I have yellow, and maybe amber euros in the shed, those clear corners will not be there very long...

Cheers ... O

 

[TerryA]

Looks Great Oscar,

I have the clear corners on my car but I changed the bulbs to white. It looks much better. They came with yellow bulbs but I thought that they looked weird.

Let’s see those OZ wheels

 

[outrbnks]

I was just reading some back posts in Gerry's owners thread, and I saw all the posts on guns. I started to reply and it became obvious that my post would have been too long and too many pics to put in his thread, so let me pick that back up right here.

I'm a gun owner and enthusiast myself, and I've acquired a very nice collection over the years, but the post in Gerry's thread that got my attention was the one about Swiss and Belgium firearms. I don't own any Swiss guns, but I do have Belgian guns and two Austrian guns I would put in the same category.

So here is what I was about to post there, and decided it belonged here;

Reply by dionphaneuf in Gerry's thread begins my post;

I've always found it quixotic that the Belgians and Swiss have such a rich history of arms manufacture, despite being countries otherwise known for being calm, restrained, and makers of delicious chocolate. I'm not one to own firearms but they are certainly impressive pieces of engineering and it'd be cool to see a factory at some point and better understand the manufacturing processes and capabilities. Knowing the precision they use to make their timepieces, I can imagine they are equally impressive in this area; would be interesting to compare to something like a car engine which is of similar (greater?) complexity.
end of dions post

Big thumbs up on the Belgium firearm manufactures. I own several Belgium made Browning's (shotguns and rifles). The two most cherished are my dads Superposed 12 Ga O/U's. They are a piece of art, and the fit and finish are incredible. One is a 1932 field grade with two triggers ( rare), and the best one is the 1934 Pigeon Grade. On the rifle side, a 7 x 57 Steyr Mannlicher Schoenauer built in the early 60's is the rifle showpiece, I doubt you can find a bolt action rifle anywhere with the action smoothness of this model. My oldest gun is my grandfathers Remington Auto-loader in 35 Remington. The Remington historian dated this rifle to 1906, the first year of manufacture, a classic John Browning square receiver recoil action design. It is Iron sight only and I shot my first deer with it. It also took a 8 pointer this past season with it, after not being used for over 20 years. Later this rifle was renamed the Model 8 (1910)?, with very minor changes, then face-lifted to a model 81 in 1936 which was continued until 1950. This was the first high powered semiautomatic rifle to be built and sold publicly, in 1906 they sold for $35. They also made a special police version with extended capacity clips instead of the 5 round magazine, rumored to be the gun used in the Bonnie & Clyde ambush.

I also was just gifted my grandfathers 1917 Colt 45 Revolver which he used in France during WWI. I haven't shot this one yet, as I had to source the special star clips and the 45 ACP ammo for it. Ammo is almost impossible to get in NY state, I have to drive to Pennsylvanian to get it. I could rant about city slickers making laws that affect country folks but I won't. Unfortunately, High Taxes and certain laws make NY State a great place to move out off, too bad because most of the state is forests, farms and rural living. But the city slickers out number us, and worse than that, COVID is pushing them out of the city and into our valley in alarming quantities. Everything is going up, real estate prices, (already is a sellers market, bid away), traffic, demand for more services, bigger roads... tax increases to keep up.... and conservative counties will be changing to liberal...
*******

Email from the Browning Historian; (3363 C is the Field Grade O/U. 7230 is the Pigeon Grade O/U.

Hello Oscar,

Thank you for your email. I have been able to determine that number 3363 C was made in 1932. Double triggers were only used in very early guns, unless they were special ordered. We cannot determine why the 'C' is in the serial number. It is located away from the numbers and we have no records of this configuration. Number 7230 was made in 1934. If you could please send photos of the markings on the barrels, we may be able to find additional information.

The first Superposed was built in 1931.

Browning Customer Service

km

Field Grade Browning - 1932



Pigeon Grade Browning - 1934



Belgium Browning BLR 308 cal, NOS 1972, never been fired. Acquired from a collectors estate



Steyr Mannlicher Schoenauer - 1963? 7x57 Mint; Austria


Also the same rifle in 30-06, not mint - my fathers DD and used heavily, harvested over 20 deer with it over the years


Remington Autoloader (pre-model 8) 1906 1st year of manufacture
Acquired used by my Grandfather in 1925, handed down to my father in 1948, then to me in 1969,
still shoots bulls at 50yds consistently @114 years old, (we sight in at 50yds, usually can't see farther than that in the dense woods we hunt)



These stripper clips for the Remington Auto loader below are original and impossible to find, and I won't fire this very old ammo, more of a nostalgia item, new ammo is still avail. BTW The M1 Grand also uses Stripper clips to load, a concept borrowed from the late 1800's.


Continued in the next post....

 

[gerryvz]

Very nice! Going to have to take some time to read through your post again.

Yes, the Belgians, and also the CZECHs, both have quite a tradition in designing and manufacturing arms. Don't forget the Czechs !!

Both of the .270 sporting rifles I own are Belgian-designed (Fabrique Nationale -- FN) Mausers. And my .222 varmint sporter is a Sako (Finnish) Mauser design. FN is an amazing company that has really designed and manufactured some awesome guns over the past century.

 

[outrbnks]

Gun Post (Cont.)
*******************

Colt 1917 45 ACP Revolver - used in combat - WWI - France






Yes there are 14 notches -
Trench Warfare in France is all we know, my grandfather never talked about the notches, the stories were never passed down...


New Xmas gifts below, the Glock 19M is mine, the Beretta APX is my wife's
Very nice shooters, light and well balanced, both 9mm easy shooters, the wife is really on target with the APX she loves it..
(Ulster County is still a full carry county, amazing)




I have over 40 guns in my three gun safes, these are some the more interesting ones, also have larger cal pistols and old Ithaca and Fox Double barrels, classic old well made firearms. I'm starting to pick up reloading again, since it is so hard to get new ammo.

But back to the Belgium guns, they are really well made hardware by old school craftsmen, I'm searching for a good Belgium Browning 22 LR auto-loader circa early 60's if anyone has one.

@ Gerry, yes one of our gang has a Sako bolt action, as well as a BSA bolt action, both are incredible builds.. agree on FN, they still make custom ordered Browning Superposed O/U's for those who can afford them, old world craftmanship...

Cheers... O

 

[gerryvz]

Glock 19. Very nice. Is that a Gen 5? When I lived in Texas, I concealed-carried a Glock 19 Gen 4. It's a great compromise on frame-size vs. mag capacity. My Gen 3 Glock 17 is my primary upstairs home defense handgun.

Our midshipman at the US Naval Academy whom we sponsor, came back from summer vacation in July with a brand-new, US Mil-spec Beretta M9, which is only available in this configuration to law enforcement and armed forces personnel. I keep it for him as he can't have it while living on "The Yard" per USNA rules. The USNA midshipman firing range is just a couple of minutes (or a short walk) from our home. I hear the mids banging away on target practice every single day.

The Beretta is a nice piece, but I've always been more of a Glock fan. If someone gave me a Sig, I wouldn't turn it down ;-)

 

[outrbnks]

Yea although the 19M is not labeled as Gen 5, it was developed for the Military/FBI, and the Gen 5's improved features came from the 19M, so they are very similar. The 19M may have more features than the Gen 5, I'm not sure. I was also looking for a Sig MK25, but no one has any to actually look at, and I didn't want to order one without holding it first. Another hard to find one to find is the CZ P-10, No one had any model CZ's or Sig's in stock at all, and I was lucky enough to get the Glock 19M, as it was delivered to the local gun-shop about 2 hours before I walked in the door, and all he had was the one.

The APX is too small for me, but the wife loves it, gives her confidence for shooting accurately.

I still need to get concealed holsters, shopping around now...

My Pennsylvania sources just called, they just got another shipment of 9mm in, so road trip this afternoon, almost out of target rounds...
I need to buy some 9mm dies for the reloading press as well.

 

[gerryvz]

I'm seeing prices of around $0.80-1.00 per round for 9mm ammo these days. Major price gouging (due to hoarding). The gun store I have been going to in King George, VA, is selling bricks of 9mm (1,000 rounds) for $999. They have plinking 9mm for around $750 a brick. They have hundreds of bricks in stock. I also have ordered from Ammoman.com in the past, but their stocks of stuff are quite limited.

7.62x39 is still decently reasonable, fortunately. I prefer steel-cased ammo for the AK, because that is what it was designed by the Soviets to shoot. The Wolf (Russian) or TuLAmmo (also Russian) are both quite good. That said, an AK-47 will shoot pretty much anything. I've been tempted to make my own gunpowder out of bat guano, charcoal and sulphur and seeing how even that shoots!!

Some ranges don't allow non-brass AK ammo, though. I would NEVER shoot steel-cased ammo in an AR-15, though.

 

[outrbnks]

Wanted - Info verification on interior grab rails (Handles)

This is for my Bornite car, I'm having a new headliner installed, but this 500E has no front drivers grab handle, and the current sagging headliner shows no holes or any evidence where one might have been installed previously. Just smooth uninterrupted lining material where the handle should be located.

I'm guessing that this headliner is a replacement from years ago, and the owner at the time didn't want the drivers grab handle installed.

But I do want to restore the handle to match what it looked like from the factory. I'm assuming the metal rail backing has the holes to install the handle, I just need the grey handle and the hardware.

But when I went to the Xentry website and looked up the parts, I noticed a variation of quantities when using the Japan Market VIN vs the USA market VIN.

When plugging in the Ms Bornite Japan VIN, the EPC entry quantity for front grab bar is 1, when using the USA VIN from Ol'Tex, the same quantity field shows 2. The screws and screw back plates are double the amount for the USA VIN to provide for 2 front grab handles, where the Japan VIN only shows quantities for 1 front grab handle only. Is this just an EPC error, or does it suggest that Japan 500Es only had one front grab handle? The part numbers are the same, just different quantities.

GRAB BAR - A 124 810 03 51
TAPPING SCREW - N 007976 004215
CLIP NUT, TAPPING SCREW - A 000 994 06 45

So now I'm wondering if Japan Market cars had the drivers grab handle installed at the factory or not. If not then the current headliner is probably original factory.

I know this issue borders on trivia, I'll probably purchase and install the missing grab handle anyway, but does anyone know if Japan Market 500E's or 124's in general had the drivers grab handle installed from the factory?

Also does anyone have a front grab handle with the hardware for sale? Grey of course, the new headliner color is also grey, and almost a perfect match to whats there now.

 

[outrbnks]

I went looking through the E500Es for sale forum, for E500E Japan cars for sale, and found this Japan import that does not have a drivers grab handle

SOLD - 1992 500E, Pearl Black/Black, 122kkm, $50k USD, Japan import (Florence, AL) | Cars for Sale - 500E / E500 ONLY

ADMIN EDIT 1: Price increased from $35k to $60k (!!), new dealer/flipper, July 2020. See post #5. Thread title updated. Now includes parts car. ADMIN EDIT 2: Price decreased from $60k to $52k, September 2020. See post #16. Thread title updated. ADMIN EDIT 3: Price decreased from $52k to $50k...

www.500eboard.co

The pictures of the grab handles are in post 25 and 26, clearly show passenger side with both front and rear, where the drivers side has just the rear.

Not much data to go on I know, but there are two Japan 500Es I know of now without drivers grab handle.. weird.

 

[sheward]

I believe I have the grab handle and hardware in grey. I'll get back shortly.

If so, it's yours for the price of shipping.

 

[sheward]

I haven't found them yet. I have one more place to look but it will have to wait until morning.