Classic Jalopy Blog

W126 radiator removal 3

W126 radiator removal

As part of the work I have been doing to the 560SEC, I have removed the radiator.   The radiator was leaking from the top tank and appeared to be original.   It was an IMI unit which was one of the OE suppliers and had a 1987 date code on it.    W126 radiator removal is fairly straightforward. Fist step is obviously draining the coolant,...

W126 Monovalve eliminator – part 2 6

W126 Monovalve eliminator – part 2

My 560SEC had been leaking coolant and giving me heat when I didn’t want it.   Last week I started the repairs for these problems.   As the Bosch and Mercedes W126 Monovalve repair kit was no longer available, I have been installing the Klima Design Works monovalve elimination kit. In the first part I removed the W126 monovalve, auxiliary water pump and other hoses.   This...

W126 Monovalve eliminator – part 1 6

W126 Monovalve eliminator – part 1

My 560SEC has been having a couple of problems with its cooling system.  Coolant has been weeping out of the top tank of the radiator.  In addition, the monovalve has failed, causing unwanted heating at idle.  The radiator looks either original or replaced very early in the cars life.   As these radiators have plastic tanks, I have purchased a new one to replace it....

July and August Night Drives 6

July and August Night Drives

I’m a member of a few different car clubs (Mercedes, Jaguar, Citroen), but am rarely able to make events.   With a young family the times rarely work for me.   A lot of the time I spend either working on or driving my cars is late at night.   I figured I am not the only one in this situation, so after a poll of a...

New Jaguar E-Type fuel pump 3

New Jaguar E-Type fuel pump

A couple of months back, I noticed a bad fuel smell from my E-Type.   I was able to trace the problem to a leaking E-Type fuel pump.   The car still had the original points type SU pump, which are rebuildable.   After speaking to a few people, and doing some research, I decided to purchase a new pump.   The new SU pumps are a solid...

R/C107 Differential Ratios 11

R/C107 Differential Ratios

The R/C107 models had an extremely long production run – 18 years.   There were a variety of different models and specification changes.   This included the differential ratios that can have a big impact on the performance and economy of the vehicle. In compiling the table below, I have tried to research the various country specific variants.   It is possible I have missed a few. ...

Mercedes-Benz Australia price list – April 1982 0

Mercedes-Benz Australia price list – April 1982

In April 1982 Mercedes-Benz was pretty much king of the hill when it came to mainstream luxury cars.   Rolls Royce was in a league of its own, and Jaguar was at its quality nadir.   BMW were just releasing the E30 which would propel them to a leadership position in the small, luxury market.  They still could not touch Mercedes-Benz in the mid or upper...

Yorkstar Motors – December 1969 Price List 0

Yorkstar Motors – December 1969 Price List

I recently came across a price list from Yorkstar Motors, dated December 1969.   Yorkstar motors were at that time the main dealer in Sydney and I think they had something to do with the overall importation of the cars.  This era Australian delivery cars have a Yorkstar motors tag on them regardless of where they were sold. Unlike in later years, nearly the whole...

MBCNSW Drive to Bilpin 2

MBCNSW Drive to Bilpin

Today I joined an event with the MBCNSW for a drive to Bilpin.   Bilpin is to the West of Sydney and is half way up the Blue Mountains.   It is know for its Apples.   The purpose of the drive was to raise money for one of our club members, Sam.  Sam is the proprietor of the Bilpin Apple Pie Cottage, our destination.   He suffered...

Replacing CIS injectors on my 450SLC 2

Replacing CIS injectors on my 450SLC

This week I replaced the CIS injectors and the spark plugs in my 450SLC and the car is running much better for it. I’ve been thinking about swapping the fuel injectors in the SLC for a while now.   When cold, the car wouldn’t run that well at first and you would need to blip the throttle a few times to get the idle to...

Mercedes Club drive to Peats Ridge 0

Mercedes Club drive to Peats Ridge

The Mercedes Club organized a joint drive with the Rolls Royce Owners club to the Corrugated Cafe in Peats Ridge.   Peats Ridge is about 90km north of Sydney.   This was one of the first drives after the COVOID19 restrictions were eased.   A couple of the members of the club were trying to organize a line up of W126s at the event.   The event seemed...

Leaking SU fuel pump 1

Leaking SU fuel pump

I took my E-Type out for a couple of drives this week.   The state of NSW has been in lockdown due to COVID19 since March.   Until last week, it was illegal to be out and about without a valid excuse.    This precluded the use of the E-Type as unlike some of the more modern cars it isn’t so suitable to use to do...

W126 reclining rear seat 0

W126 reclining rear seat

Long wheelbase models of the W126 could be equipped with an electric reclining rear seat.   From the factory the W126 reclining rear seat was standard on the 560SEL and optional on other models.   local subsidiaries may have ordered other models with this feature as standard in their markets too.    At least here in Australia it is always seen on the 560 models, commonly...

560SEC stone chip touch up 0

560SEC stone chip touch up

Over the years my 560SEC has acquired quite a lot of stone chips on the front of the car.   I understand the previous owner was in semi-rural Queensland so there may have been some gravel or unsealed roads in there.   Today I applied a stop gap fix until I can address the problem properly.   Most of the stone chips were in the front panel...

Flashback:  2012 Sydney German Auto-Fest 1

Flashback: 2012 Sydney German Auto-Fest

They Sydney German Auto-Fest is now a major event in the Sydney car show calendar.   There are hundreds of cars to choose from including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Audi and some of the smaller brands.   It has even replaced the separate Mercedes-Benz concours event.    However, this show had quite humble beginnings.   I attended the 2012 Sydney German Auto-Fest, back when it was a couple...

W126 Antenna grommet 0

W126 Antenna grommet

One of the things that had been bugging me about my 560SEC was the missing W126 antenna grommet.   Over time, they perish and instead of replacing it, the previous owner had used household sealant.   This is an odd bodge as the part is inexpensive and easy to fit.   The household sealant was making the SEC look like a real jalopy, and while that might...

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