My 1987 UK Market 560SEC was originally sold with Becker Mexico Cassette player (option 251). I’ve been planning for a while to re-install a period Becker radio, with a few of my own upgrades. My first task was to research the radios and purchase a suitable unit. I ended up purchasing two radios, Becker 1402 and Becker 1480. As the skills and parts to...
I’m currently planning to re-install the Becker Radio in my 1987 560SEC. At the same time I will be installing a small amplifier, a bluetooth FM Injector and a couple of unobtrusive USB charging ports. The second generation W126 wiring harness provides a factory way of adding additional accessories. This is the X30 power block. Up to 8 accessories can be connected using factory...
Today I was supposed to be attending the All British Day at the Kings School. Unfortunately the event was cancelled after the weeks of torrential rain here in Sydney. The grounds keepers judged that the fields would be too wet for the cars and spectators. In lieu of this event, the JDCA organized a replacement event at short notice. The last All...
The Becker 374 Mexico Cassette Vollstereo Reverse was the standard radio installed in the S-Class from 1979-1981 models in Australia. It was seen on the last of the W116s and I believe the early W126 too. This radio replaced the 485, the last of the pinstripe models in the W116s. It was the last of the older style radios with knobs to be found...
I’ve ben grappling with a stuck ignition key on my 280SE W116 for some time. In part 1 I finally managed to move the key to position 1, but could not unscrew the collar to remove the tumbler. In part 2, I tried a special tool, and then attempted to remove the whole steering lock. As the collar and tumbler was still on the...
When I purchased my 560SEC, the A/C was not working. It hadn’t even been converted to R134A. I suspect it had never worked while in Australia. The car came out of Queensland, and I’m not sure I would want to drive a car without a car up there. The long time owner was in the Army, I guess tougher than me! When I...
Today I took my E-Type to the Eastern Suburbs cars and coffee event. I’ve never taken my E-Type to one of these informal cars and coffee events. I normally take what I have in the garage on the day. The E-Type is a car I normally get out for specific drives or shows. That means it’s less likely than some of the other cars...
In Australia, the 560 models were standard with a Becker 868 or later 874 Mexico CD Player. This doesn’t sound like much of a deal in 2022, but back in the mid 80s this was a huge deal. Should you have wanted to upgrade your 300SE or 420SEL from the standard Becker Cassette player to the CD, you would have paid more than $2,000...
This month we had a shorter and less adventurous night drive. We started at McDonalds Thornleigh and took the Comenarra Parkway and Lady Game drive before crossing the harbour and finishing at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels in Tempe. Originally the drive was to finish at the Woolloomooloo location, but it has drastically cut back its late night hours. I guess this is a...
I am currently installing a Becker 1402 Grand Prix electronic in my 560SEC. I don’t have the original owners manual packet for the car, so I didn’t have an instruction guide. In any case, since my 560SEC is a UK version, it would have originally had a slightly different Becker that looks visually the same. There were a couple of buttons I wasn’t able...
Previously I had a stuck ignition barrel in my 280SE. After 5 hours of trying, I finally got it to move, allowing me to get the car out of the way. At the time, I was feeling pretty confident that the right tool would get the ignition tumbler out no problem. As it turns out, my optimism was misplaced. The first issue was...
Today was the 2022 Shannons Eastern Creek Car Show. This is the biggest car show that I know of in Sydney, and is held at Eastern Creek Raceway. I’ve been going for years, but have never entered a car. All those previous times I have been a spectator, most recently in 2018. The 2021 and 2020 events were cancelled due to coronavirus and...
I’m currently planning to install period correct Becker radios into my 450SLC and 560SEC. I previously outlined the radios I plan to use, and tested them. I was able to confirm that the Becker 1402 destined for my 560SEC was working correctly. Rather than using the internal 2x25W amplifier in the Becker, I planned to connect it to an external amp. While I...
by Nick Gruzevskis · Published August 9, 2022 · Last modified September 15, 2024
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 couldn’t get up there fast enough to see the red W116 450SE which Greg had just towed out of a customer’s garage, together with...
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 display at this event. This wasn’t the biggest event I can remember, but it probably has the biggest variety. A great example was a timewarp Chrysler Lancer. I don’t recall the last time I...
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. Unfortunately, a previous owner cut my dashboard to DIN size. This meant putting the correct radio for the year was now practically impossible. Instead of putting a 70s Becker instead, I went...
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