Classic Jalopy Blog

250SE crash repair update – paint 1

250SE crash repair update – paint

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 paint was just done yesterday so it was good timing to take a look at the car.    It’s looking really good! The front chassis, wing and bonnet are now...

Guest Article Update:  Mrfrotop’s 1978 280CE 0

Guest Article Update: Mrfrotop’s 1978 280CE

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 & Jenny. They owned the CE from Jan 1995 to Oct 2011 during which it was cared for and meticulously maintained by an expert mechanic (Peter Klarenbeek, ACT). In their care,...

MBCNSW May 2021 night drive to Bilpin 1

MBCNSW May 2021 night drive to Bilpin

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 Windsor and then headed up to the Apple pie cottage for a late dessert. Unlike the warm summer weather of last year, it was a little colder last night.   Only one...

450SLC Rear screen rust 3

450SLC Rear screen rust

A couple of years ago, MB Spares & Service closed their spare parts division to focus on their restoration and servicing business.  At that time, I was able to buy a very nice rear screen for a C107 SLC.   The car that it came out of was very rusty, but surprisingly not around the rear screen.   My screen is quite delaminated from previous rust...

W111 Kangaroo damage repairs 5

W111 Kangaroo damage repairs

Back a couple of weeks ago, I hit a Kangaroo in my 250SE.   I’m Insured through Shannons who handled the claim well.  Surprisingly, impact with an animal does not impact my premium.   The car is now with All Classic Car restorations in Brookvale, and I’ve popped down to take a look at it a couple of times.   All Classic also did the repairs to...

National Motoring Heritage Day 2021 1

National Motoring Heritage Day 2021

Today was National Motoring Heritage Day.   National Motoring Heritage Day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of each May, with 2021 being the 15th year of this event.   The basic premise is multiple car related events all around the country to showcase our rich motoring heritage.      The Mercedes-Benz club combined this with a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 107 chassis....

450SLC Passengers floor surface rust 1

450SLC Passengers floor surface rust

Back in March, I discovered how wet the passengers floor was in my 450SLC.   Over the time water was getting on the floor, it had started some surface rust.    It appears that at least some of it was coming from the A/C drains.   I still need to test a hose on the windscreen and cowl drains to make sure water is not getting...

MBCNSW April 2021 Night Drive – Eastern Suburbs 0

MBCNSW April 2021 Night Drive – Eastern Suburbs

A couple of days ago I went on the April 2021 night drive with the MBCNSW.   This month was a drive from Luna Park to Coogee via Vaucluse.   We had run a similar drive in December 2020, but the weather was a bit iffy on the day and quite a few people decided not to chance it.   This time there was no such issue...

Preparing the E-Type for the 60th Anniversary celebration 1

Preparing the E-Type for the 60th Anniversary celebration

I was obviously very keen to attend the JDCA 60th Anniversary of the E-Type celebration.    My only problem was a few minor electrical issues with my car.   My rear tail lights were not working (but the brake lights did work), and my right headlight intermittently didn’t work on low beam.   For a day trip this wasn’t fatal, but I could have easily found...

560SEC outside temperature display 3

560SEC outside temperature display

Last week I fixed the outside temperature LCD on my 300SE.   Today it was time to fix the 560SEC outside temperature display as well.   In my previous post I covered the details of where I purchased the replacement LCD panels.   This same repair should also work on W124 and W201 models of the same vintage.  I understand there are minor variances, and that the...

60th Anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type 5

60th Anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type

In March 1961, the Jaguar E-Type was unveiled to the world at the Geneva Auto Show.   Few other automotive launches have captivated the public as much as the E-Type did.   Enzo Ferrari even dubbed it the most beautiful car ever made.     The E-Type would stay in production until 1975 across three different series and three major body styles.   Sixty years later, the E-Type...

W126 Outside temperature LCD screen repair 5

W126 Outside temperature LCD screen repair

For the first time since I have owned the car, my 300SE has a working outside temperature display.   Not only is it a useful feature of the car, but these small fixes can make the difference between the car seeming nice or a bit of a jalopy. The W126 Outside temperature LCD repair is really easy.   It should be on the radar of any...

Impact with a Kangaroo 9

Impact with a Kangaroo

Earlier this week I took my 250SE on an extended drive.   I had wanted to try a route going north via the Putty road, across towards Mudgee and the back.     The roads were really good but ultimately this is really a two day drive and would be more enjoyable with some more stops.    You could make a really nice weekend road trip...

Cocomats for the 250SE Cabriolet 1

Cocomats for the 250SE Cabriolet

I’ve owned my 250SE almost ten years and always had a mind to replace the cheap rubber mats with Cocomats.    Today I fitted the Cocomats I bought as part of a group buy with a few friends.    I also purchased a set for my 560SEC and went into a bit more about the purchase there. For the 250SE, I went with #53...

Cocomats for the 560SEC 2

Cocomats for the 560SEC

A couple of months ago some of friends of suggested a group order for Cocomats. This coincided with a 15% off sale and shared shipping.   Cocomats are a floor mat made from coconut fibre and were a period accessory during the 1950s and 60s.    They were quite popular with Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and other manufacturers.    I have wanted to replace the generic rubber...

Bad W126 window regulator 1

Bad W126 window regulator

Another long standing to-do list item on my 300SE was the passengers side window.   Over time, the window would slip down so there was half a centimeter gap at the top.   It would also make a clunking sound at the top of the window travel. I had purchased a good used W126 window regulator a couple of years back.   Yesterday I decided to try...

Classic Jalopy