Pages 4-13 - The International M

From the Editor’s
Desk
Brian Glusovich
As you probably have noticed by
now, there is a somewhat different
look to this summer’s LODE STAR.
This is the first edition which is being
developed and published
electronically. We are generating the
material on a PC, including text and
pictures, and sending the computer
copy via the Internet, to a printer.
Because of this, we expect a few
(hopefully only a few) glitches in the
first version. Part of the “quantum
leap” initially involves such things as
getting older hardcopy articles into
softcopy – this has involved a fair bit
of retyping, as text recognition
software does not do especially well
on input which has been faxed and
then scanned). Photos, whether
digital or hardcopy, are not a
problem. For photos and other
graphic input, including ad copy, we
have had very few problems.
Scanning of hardcopy ad material
also works very well.
You may notice that the pictures on
the Table of Contents page are from
the M-100 Meet Drag Racing Movie
(or as Tomasz put it, “Dan’s
Gallery”) – getting the still frames
from the video file was a bit more of
a project than I thought it might be. It
definitely helped that one of my sons
works for a company which makes
video editing products.
Anyway, we’re here now in the
digital age, and there are a number
of advantages. Besides cost of
printing and preparation, we will be
able to more easily get the LODE
STAR copied onto our website, and
Summer 2003
can much more easily take input
from group members and other
sources, whether material for
articles, digital photos, hardcopy
photos, or ad copy.
Beginning with this issue, we want
to encourage articles and other
material, for some projected
“regular” sections. These include:
• Club News – events and activities
of interest to M-100 owners
• 6.3 Spotlight -- Maintenance,
Restoration, and “know your car”
section (see this month’s article
from Arthur Love for an example)
• 6.9 Spotlight
• 600 Spotlight
• M-100 – Articles about M-100
items which are not specific to
6.3, 6.9 or 600 vehicles
• General Restoration Section
• General Maintenance
• M-100 Adventures, overt or
covert; a single article each
month on a member’s adventure
in his/her M-100 vehicle, or a
retelling of someone else’s
adventure. May be signed or
anonymous (covert or overt)
Of course, we’ve had similar articles
in previous LODE STAR editions, so
none of this is earth-shattering.
We’d just like to make these regular
features. In that context, I’m
encouraging (entreating, in fact) any
interested members who have
articles or ideas for the above
sections to contact me. Also,
anyone who may be interested in
coordinating any of the sections
above, please contact me. And,
even though we’re moving into the
digital age, we’re still encouraging
any and all hardcopy material,
whether articles or photos, as well
as softcopy. For any information on
formats, etc., just call, email, or write
me:
Brian Glusovich
P.O. Box 845
Cambria, CA 93428
805.927.2203 (voice, fax)
[email protected]
We’d appreciate any and all input to
the LODE STAR, whether articles,
photos, complaints, ideas or
recommendations for improvements.
300 SEL 6.3 “Know
Your Car”
By Group Member Arthur Love,
Australia
[Editor’s Note: This article, by Dr
Love, is part of a planned series for
various M-100 models, to help
acquaint readers (and owners) with
the specific characteristics of the
various models. We know that many
readers will have additional input,
including corrections, as well as
variations for different model years,
country of sale, etc. We certainly
welcome your input, and will publish
updates to each of the “know your
car” articles, in upcoming editions.]
For experienced 6.3 owners, this
article will be preaching to the
converted, but for many new and not
so new owners whose previous
experience has been standard V8 or
straight 6 American family cars, the
Mercedes Benz, WI09 018 300
SEL/8 6.3 will be a daunting and
extremely complicated motor car.
The series of articles, beginning in
this issue of Lode Star, is designed
LODE STAR p. 4
to help ordinary (non mechanically
trained) folk like me understand this
car – I hope this will make
ownership of the car more
interesting, less expensive and more
pleasurable...
I shall start in the fashion we all do
by looking at the car externally,
then opening the doors, the engine
hood, the trunk and then finally
jacking the car up to talk about what
is underneath. It I get a bit out of
sequence then I hope you will
forgive me.
Approaching the car from the front,
the obvious features are the
headlight clusters, the fog lights, the
bumper and the grill with the engine
hood, air intake, windscreen and
wipers. For American readers, the
stacked headlights were a standard
feature but for European, Australian
and other country’s drivers, the
inclusion of these headlights as
standard was initially unique to the
6.3, distinguishing it from its more
mundane predecessors. The upper
light unit is the low beam lens; the
lower is the high beam lens. In the
angle between these two are
mounted two further lights. On the
inside is a clear lens for parking
(clearance) lights (these are not
always wired). [Editor’s note – I
don’t think they are wired for U.S.
models] and on the outside is the
indicator flasher. This lens is orange
Summer 2003
or sometimes clear with an orange
bulb and I presume would vary
according to country of delivery
regulations. These American style
headlight units require an additional
bracket in the top of the fender
housing which is not present for the
standard European (or Australian)
single glass units used on other
models. Later, the 300 SEL 3.5 V8
cars were also produced with these
American headlight units and the
units were fitted optionally by
owners of 280 and 300 model cars
as well so they became no longer a
hallmark of the 6.3 outside the
United States. These units and their
surrounding chrome trim are easily
disassembled in typical MercedesBosch fashion and the nice electric
cable Bosch plugs at the back make
bulb changing much
more straightforward
than in many other cars
of their vintage.
Below and inside the
headlight assembly
6.3s have 2
further lights
mounted onto the
air intake section
of the front
fenders. These
lights were fog lights as
designed and installed, Bosch
or Hella ex-factory. Many cars
have had them converted to
driving (spot) lights by
increasing the wattage with
appropriate fuse alteration. The
wiring loom capacity seems to have
been adequate for this without the
necessity for rewiring in the cases I
have seen. The wire access holes in
the fender panel for these lights
should have a grommet. All front
light units are still available from MB
spare parts but are expensive. The
wiring loom for both right and left
headlights and fog lights travels
along the right inner guard from the
fuse box under the right end of the
dash board with the left hand light
wiring traveling across the front of
the car at the top of the front cross
member (with the horn wiring and
others) to reach the left side of the
front of the cars.
The engine hood and grill assembly
is common to other 108-109 cars.
The garnish mould strips on the grill
are often dented, readily available
and cheap and easily replaced. In
the 6.3 there was no hood liner. A
hood liner was fitted for the 3.5 and
could be used for the 6.3 if desired.
Behind the engine hood is the air
intake for the heaters and general
ventilation. This is covered by an
anodized aluminum grill which tends
to crack in its little cross braces as
time goes by. This grill can still be
bought new as a spare part. It is
screwed to the cowl panel with
sealing rubbers and spacers – the
latter are no longer available. The
cowl panel screws onto the top of
the cowl below the windscreen. The
windscreen wiper shafts come
through this panel and again there
are seals on the shafts – well worth
replacing if the panel is taken off –
readily available from spare parts.
Behind the grill and under the panel
are the air inlet chambers covered
by two air filters. In my experience,
no one changes, cleans or replaces
these filters even though they are
over twenty years old and they are
LODE STAR p. 5
invariably in a state of severe decay
covered with leaves, dirt, and other
rubbish impairing their functions and
allowing rubbish into the chambers
once they have decayed. They are
available from MB spare parts. The
grill needs to be taken out to remove
and replace them. If they are
defective the wet rubbish falling
through them will fill the air
chambers, block the air chamber’s
drain and result in rusting out of the
bottoms of the chambers into the
under dash area with water leaks
into the cabin of the car. In addition,
failure of the filters allows dirt,
leaves and other rubbish into the
heater box and fan under the dash.
Replacing the filter is not only
functional but also tidies up the
appearance of this section of the car
no end.
I spoke earlier of the air intake
chamber drain. You will have to lift
the engine hood to find this. In the
6.3 it is well hidden by the bulk of
the engine. It is far more easily seen
in the 6 cylinder engine bay. It is a
steel pipe coming from the bottom of
the V of the air intake chamber
through the firewall into the engine
bay and has a large rubber ball
valve on it. If this drain blocks, the
air intake chamber will fill with water.
You should check it is free of
rubbish and drains freely. The ball
valve (unlike its predecessor in the
finnie (110-111) models and 600) is
readily available from MB spare
parts if necessary.
On to the windscreen and wipers -These are the same as in the 108
models - Slightly different in the
wiper base from the l09 300. The
windscreen is standard. It is
available with varying tinting
depending on different countries’
regulations. . It is routinely of
laminated construction from new
Summer 2003
(standard M B practice from the
1950's). To remove and fit the
windscreen, it is necessary to
remove the various outer anodize
and inner padded moulds to release
the rubber seal. Unless you are
keen, it is better to get a windscreen
supplier to do this job. Not only will
he take a fraction of the time you will
take but also if they break the new
windscreen putting it in, it is their
problem. If you buy a new screen
and break it putting it in, easy to do,
then it is your problem! Getting out
old screens without breaking them is
quite an art and usually requires
total destruction of the old rubber
seal. It is wise to always put in a
new seal with the new screen
(unless it has been recently
replaced). The string method of
installation of the front (and rear)
windscreens is recommended if you
must do it yourself. New rubbers
usually don’t require sealant. They
are available from MB spare parts
and I guess also from other market
sources.
The front fenders (mudguards) are
prone to rust in two main areas. The
first is above the headlight bay
where wet mud and road grime is
thrown from the front wheels and
compacts in the angle. When
washing the car take care to clean
this area out. The second area is at
the bottom of the fender at the back
behind the wheel arch and in front of
the front doors. This area is
theoretically protected from mud,
etc., by the splash panels behind the
front wheels, screwed to the inner
guards with rubber sealing strips
onto the outer guards (fenders).
However, despite these splash
panels, the space between the A
pillar, the top of the front end of the
sill, the outer and inner guards and
the splash panels usually ends up
full of wet rubbish resulting in severe
corrosion of all items, especially the
front of the sill and the fenders. In
this space behind the left hand
splash panel is the vacuum cell for
the central locking and on the right,
the aerial motor for the radio. It is
worthwhile periodically removing the
splash panels to clean and inspect
this area. There are two drain
channels between the fender and
the sill which are usually clogged
and will certainly be so if someone
has “restone guarded” the area. The
rubber seals on the splash panels
are readily available if necessary
from MB spare parts. MB’s running
the heater drains into this space in
non air conditioned cars aggravates
the problem.
Removing the fenders involves
removing the front bumper bar,
unscrewing the fender from the
radiator support panel, front cross
member, and inner guards,
removing the splash panels and
unbolting the two bolts into the A
pillars at the inside rear of the fender
and unscrewing the bolt into the A
pillar at the top of the fender,
accessible by opening the front
doors, and then unscrewing the two
screws into the front of the sill
(usually rusted tight). There is a seal
between the inner and outer guards
(fender) which must be replaced
when the guard is replaced –
available from MB parts if
necessary. There should also be a
seal strip between the fender and
the front of the sill as well as pliable
sealant between the fender and the
A pillars. The garnish moulds on the
fenders, doors and sills are held on
with plastic male and female plugs.
These are readily available and
cheap and it always upsets me to
see these items either screwed on
or otherwise attached by bodgy
(there’s a new word to learn for
Americans – ed.) means. There is a
LODE STAR p. 6
screw at each end of the sill mould
inside the wheel arch. New garnish
moulds are still available.
The doors are prone to rust at their
lower edges especially if the car has
been repainted and proper sealing
not reapplied. There are drain holes
in the bottoms of the doors which
will be plugged by inadvisable “rust
proofing, sealing”, etc. Once these
drain holes are plugged up, any
water entering around the window
glass will pool in the bottoms of
the doors and rust them out –
ensure the drain holes are free.
With a lot of usage the hinge
pins may wear out of their
bushings. Both are readily
available from MB spare parts.
The door lock strikers will also
wear with usage as will the
retainer strap units. The door
locks themselves are
extremely durable. The electric
cables fro the doors and the vacuum
lines enter the fronts of the doors
from the A and B pillars via
corrugated hoses and grommets.
These fracture and break up with
usage. They can be replaced but
some are expensive although still
available. Feeding the driver’s door
cables and vacuum lines through
the corrugated hose and grommets
is an extremely tedious undertaking
because of the bulk of the cable.
The other doors are much easier.
Inside the doors are the window lifts
and electric motors, the vacuum
elements for the central locking and
the window runners. I shall deal with
them later. Along the rain water
channel at the edge of the roof is a
garnish mould. Removing this
without buckling it requires great
care. Installing it is also difficult after
a repaint – there is a special
wooden tool. I shall talk about the
sun roof later. There is an area in
Summer 2003
the C pillar at the junction of the roof
and the rear three quarter panel
where the garnish mould runs which
is also prone to rust. I am not sure
why.
Looking at the car from the rear, the
only distinguishing features are the
6.3 badge on the trunk lid at the
right, the bigger twin exhaust and
the fatter tires. The floor plan of the
trunk is shared with all finnie, 109
and 108 cars. The wheel wells on
either side are very prone to rust
once the trunk lid seal is leaking.
There is a drain hole in the bottom
of either side with a special drain
rubber grommet but again, over
zealous “stone guarding” painting
and dirt and rubbish easily block
these drains and the wells fill with
water. The tail light assemblies are
readily accessible and the lenses
can be bought separately. The
rubber seals are worth replacing, to
keep water out of the wheel wells.
We shall look inside the trunk later.
The fuel filler flap hides a vacuum
lock and the fuel filler pipe which
has two breather hoses going off to
the left into the trunk to the tank
breather unit in the left wheel well.
The cap may or may not have a key
lock (optional). The rear license
plate bolts to the filler flap and both
should have rubber buffers to
prevent paint damage. The license
plate lights are in the top of the ear
bumper and the wiring comes
through from inside the trunk via a
hole with a grommet – another
potential source of a trunk water
leak.
When the bumper bars are chromed
at the factory, the outsides and
edges are polished and the insides
are painted (pale beige). If someone
has repaired and rechromed the
bumper bars it is very likely that they
will not have bothered to prime and
repaint the insides. This makes the
assembly very prone to rust
from inside where you can’t
see it). Check that the
insides of the bumper bars
are rust free and painted.
The bumper bar uppers
should be separated from
the lowers by spacers –
these may also have been
left out if the unit has been
repaired. The bumper
brackets were painted
black – these days you could
powder coat them as an alternative.
If reassembling, make sure there is
plenty of protective grease on the
bolt threads as they are exposed to
the weather. Spacers are also
available to get the bumper bars
away from the bodywork – always
use two people when putting
bumper bars on toe avoid paint
damage.
Next edition, I shall get inside the
cabin from under the dash to under
the rear seat
LODE STAR p. 7
INTERNATIONAL
M-100 GROUP
MEET
“LODE STAR FEST
– 2003”
By Stu Hammel
President, International M-100
Group
It is only fitting that owners and
admirers of the Mercedes-Benz
Grand 600 would be treated to an
affair to remember during this the
fortieth anniversary year of the
commencement of production of
these fantastic automobiles. The
International M-100 Group, at this
year’s Annual Meet known as the
“Lode Star Fest - 2003,” presented
the largest single gathering of Grand
600 vehicles ever in one location,
June 12–14, 2003. A total of thirtynine Grand 600s were assembled
on the turf at the Woxall,
Pennsylvania estate of Karl and
Ruth Middelhauve. In addition to
the short wheelbase 600s present,
the collection included two six-door
Pullmans, the only 600 hearse to
have been produced, as well as one
of two 600 coupes that exist in the
world. It is believed that there have
never as many 600s on hand at any
one time in one location even at the
factory during the model’s
production run.
While the Grand 600 model is the
crown jewel of the three MercedesBenz models to carry an M-100
Summer 2003
engine, the 300SEL 6.3 and the
450SEL 6.9 models were also well
represented at this year’s Meet. A
total of fifteen 6.3s and seven 6.9s
were driven from as far away as
Oregon to be shown and raced at
the Meet. Of special note was the
presence of the only 300SE 6.3
cabriolet, a 300SE 6.3 coupe with
computerized fuel management
system, and a supercharged Grand
analysis. However, the heart and
soul of the annual event is always
the program entitled “Cars on the
Lift.” The purpose of this program is
to offer each attendee the
opportunity to have his or her car
inspected by master technician Gary
Ensor of Winchester, Kentucky.
Gary provided a full safety and
preventive maintenance inspection
on seventeen vehicles in addition to
conducting a live rear
brake caliper transplant
and complete front
brake overhaul on
Richard Rose’s fine sixdoor 600 Pullman.
All told, nearly one hundred-twenty
M-100 enthusiasts and family
members from near and far
converged on Pennsylvania for the
largest annual meet of the
International M-100 Group in its
twelve year history. Nineteen
International attendees came from
Malaysia, Australia, Germany,
Spain, Netherlands, and Ireland.
The assembled guests were treated
to a full schedule of technical
sessions and demonstrations
throughout the three-day event.
Technical and
educational
presentations included
an informative
demonstration and discussion of
Grand 600 hydraulic functions
provided by Helmut
Schattenkirchner of Munich,
Germany. Participants came away
with a much clearer understanding
of how the hydraulic system
operates and how to make simple
emergency repairs as needed. Mr.
Schattenkirchner, one of the world’s
leading experts on the Mercedes
hydraulic system who still rebuilds
many of the hydraulic components,
spent many additional hours with
individual attendees answering their
specific questions throughout the
three-day event.
This year’s event offered all
participants the chance to have their
The latest technological innovations
in computerized fuel management
cars run on the dyno tester at
Second Street Speed Shop in
nearby Perkasie, PA. Some
excellent data were generated for
systems and their application to M100 vehicles was the subject of Dale
Cherrie’s presentation. Dale’s
concepts have been incorporated
600, all of which were produced by
Classic Car Restorations.
LODE STAR p. 8
into several M-100 vehicles to date
and have resulted in some
impressive improvements in fuel
efficiency and motor power. To
make this tech session easier to
understand, Karl Middelhauve had
built an AMG 6.3 engine on a stand
running with transmission, steering
box, air suspension set-up, and
complete instrumentation as well as
a computerized fuel management
system. Dale explained all engine
control functions displayed on a
laptop computer.
Drew Tibcken, of Heritage
Woodworks, Andrews, North
been painted at Extreme
Motorsports and looked fantastic.
Rich Varjan, proprietor of European
Transmission Exchange, one of the
few transmission specialists in the
US skilled in rebuilding the M-100
transmission, explained the
intricacies of the transmission as
well as its durability. Rich did an
outstanding job of making one of the
more complicated mechanical
components of the M-100 vehicles
clearly understandable. The
addition of a complete M-100
gearbox on the “operating table”
served as an excellent instructional
1% (acceptable). A 2% reading was
found in 8 cars, which means fluid
should be changed. Eleven cars
were at 3%, which is the danger
level. Overall, more than half the
cars present should have had their
brake fluid flushed and changed.
Because this is such a critical item
in the proper maintenance of M-100
vehicles, this testing service will
become a regular feature of future
M-100 Meets.
Alderfer Glass Company, from
Telford, PA, demonstrated the
proper installation of a Grand 600
windshield.
International M-100 Group member
Rayland Beurlot discussed ways to
improve original M-100 audio
systems. As an example, Rayland
demonstrated a system that he had
created and fitted into his own
vehicle. The results were exquisite,
with the cosmetics blending well
with the original interior as well as
producing sound that was
exceptional in all respects.
Carolina, presented a workshop on
the care and restoration of interior
wood in each of the three M-100
models. Drew covered the actual
process by which sun-dried, faded,
cracked wood is restored to original
and show quality levels. Drew’s
quality craftsmanship could be found
in some of the finest 600s and 6.3s
on display in Woxall.
The staff of Extreme Motorsports
Painting, of Pottstown, PA, offered
an informative presentation on the
correct methods to employ in the
preparation of the exterior of the
automobile for quality painting as
well as the painting process itself.
Several of the vehicles in
attendance at the Meet had actually
Summer 2003
tool. A lively discussion followed
Rich’s superb session.
Group member Michael Tovalillo
and German guest Uwe Schuler
inspected the brake fluid for water
content in every M-100 vehicle at
the Meet. Only 17 cars had less
than 1% water content (good), while
another 6 cars were measured at
A highlight among the educational
sessions was the keynote
presentation made by Manfred
Pfander, former Grand 600
customer order liaison for
Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart. In his
position, Mr. Pfander was
responsible for all special equipment
orders as requested by purchasers
of Grand 600 limousines during their
full production run. His presentation
gave fascinating insight into the
special options that were available
as well as some of the special
requests and accommodations
Mercedes-Benz had been asked to
provide for
special
customers.
One of the
fascinations
many Meet
participants
shared was a
keen interest in
options and
special equipment that was
LODE STAR p. 9
available at the time of purchase of
these fine vehicles. One such rare
accessory was a set of headlight
wipers and washers on an
interesting 300SEL 6.3 that had just
made the trip to the United States
from Germany. The unusual
operation of the wiper/washers was
demonstrated by Konrad Linckh of
Born, Germany.
Dan Smith, of Newberg, Oregon
kicked off the annual Concours
d’Elegance with an excellent
discussion of the standards that are
applied in Concours automobile
judging. Dan’s presentation was a
prelude to the People’s Choice
judging that took place on the last
day of the Meet.
As valuable as all of the technical
and educational programs were
found to be, the Meet offered a day
of excitement at Island Raceway in
New Jersey, where the bravest
members of the International M-100
Group put their cars through the
paces. Quarter-mile time trials were
offered the entire day thanks to the
generous sponsorship by Neil
Dubey of Star Motors, Endicott, NY.
The fastest performances in each
category were achieved by Dan
Smith of Oregon for the fastest 6.3
(nearly breaking the 14 second
mark); Brett Stabler of Alabama, for
the fastest 6.9; and Anthony Bove of
New York, for the fastest Grand 600.
It was reported by Dan Smith that
Terry Jackson of Dublin, Ireland,
had to be the fastest tire changer at
the track.
Summer 2003
In juxtaposition to the speed that
was the topic of conversation
throughout the Meet and at the
track, we were fortunate enough to
have a hot air balloon on the show
field on Saturday, providing gentle
rides to all takers.
The People’s Choice Concours
d’Elegance concluded the
scheduled activities of the Meet,
with results announced at the
conclusion of the traditional German
Pig Roast. This year’s winners
included Anthony Bove, for the best
Grand 600 for his magnificent
Anthracite Metallic short wheelbase
automobile. The award for top 6.3
went to Dan Smith for the “Silver
Bullet,” his stunning silver metallic
6.3 that is as fast as it is good
looking. Hanno Schill, of Delaware,
took home the honors for the best
6.9 displayed. Special awards were
presented to those attendees who
drove their cars
the longest
distance to
Woxall. The
award for
longest distance
driven for a 6.3
went to Dan
Smith from
Newberg,
Oregon. Brett
Stabler of
Alabama took
home the 6.9
honors and
Albert Plekker of Pittsburgh drove
the longest distance in a Grand 600.
This year’s Concours d’Elegance
concluded with the awarding of the
Ladies’ Choice Prize to Albert
Plekker for his excellent 600 short
wheelbase sedan.
Lode Star Fest 2003 would not have
been the same without the
wonderful food and drink that nearly
overshadowed the cars we all
brought to Woxall. Ruth
Middelhauve’s home baked cakes
and pastries were again the perfect
way to top off a thoroughly
enjoyable Meet.
The International M-100 Group
wishes to dedicate Lode Star Fest
2003 to our friend, Director, and
technical wizard, Randy Durrance.
His untimely death has touched us
all very deeply.
Based on comments made by many
participants in this year’s Meet, Lode
Star Fest 2003 was an
overwhelming success. We now
turn our sights to St. Louis, where
we will host Lode Star Fest 2004!
Travels with Big
Merc, Arnold and
John
By Group Members John Sutter and
John Olson
Some of you may remember the
article I wrote for the fall, 2001 Lode
Star describing my dad’s 6.3, Big
Merc. I had no intention at the time
of ever getting another one like it,
except as a parts car - the idea of
keeping more than one 6.3 running
just didn’t appeal to me.
The following describes what can
happen when you start looking for a
parts car.
Sometime during 2001, I discovered
that Don Venn, who worked at
Valley Imports, Fargo's Mercedes
dealer, owned what turned out to be
the only other 6.3 in the area. Don
had purchased the car in 1975 from
Sears Motors in Minneapolis, and
was the second owner of the car, a
black 1969 6.3 with cognac interior,
serial no. 2347. According to the
window sticker Don had carefully
preserved, the car was first sold by
Archie D. Walker Jr. Motors in
Wayzata, MN, a suburb of
Minneapolis. The sticker price was
LODE STAR p. 10
$14,840. It was a good example of
Mercedes’ practice of making
running changes during a model’s
life, having the early ride height
lever and horizontal strip bisecting
the dash, but the later window
switch position on the center
console and PRN432 shift pattern.
Don had driven it regularly for a
number of years, running total
mileage up to about 74,000, but
more recently had stored it in a barn
on the southern edge of Fargo.
issues, that it was too good to be
parted out. So I suggested to Don
that he contact Neil Dubey at Star
Motors about rebuilt air valves and
other air suspension parts, and
promptly forgot about the car.
The first time I saw the car was in
the barn, covered with dust and
sitting on completely deflated air
bags. Don started it with some
difficulty and let it run for a few
minutes. It was obvious that the air
suspension needed professional
help, and it sounded like the engine
needed tuning despite the MSD
ignition that Don had installed some
time earlier. The exhaust sounded
like it had leaks, but we didn’t get
the car up far enough that day to get
a look at it or drive it. Except for the
dust and rust in all the usual places
at the rear of wheel arches and the
bottom of the driver’s door, the paint
looked good. The interior was in
remarkably good condition, probably
reflecting indoor storage for most of
its life. The overall impression was,
despite the obvious mechanical
John Olson’s latest SL Market Letter
data on 6.3 prices and suggested he
call me when the car was ready for
sale. He did so and I met him for a
look and a test drive.
Summer 2003
About a year later I learned that Don
lost his storage barn when local
developers bought the farm. He
was in the process of rebuilding the
entire air suspension with parts from
Neil and planned to sell the car as
soon as possible, so I showed him
I was amazed to see how good the
car looked after a thorough cleanup,
and how well it drove after the air
suspension rebuild, which Don had
done himself. It ran like a new car
except for the exhaust noise. I
suggested the Lode Star, Hemmings
and the M-100 bulletin boards as
good places to advertise it, but Don
finally decided to list it in the local
paper, asking $12,500. At that point,
despite what appeared to be a very
good price, I had no interest in
buying it myself. After all, it wasn’t a
parts car.
In March this year I decided to drive
Big Merc to Huff Auto Body in
Asbury, NJ where it had been
repainted in 2000, to get some stone
chips and door dings fixed, planning
to use frequent flier miles to get
back to Minnesota and return to pick
up the car in time for Woxall. After
getting home I discovered that Don
still hadn’t sold his car, and in fact
hadn’t gotten any inquiries about it,
even after placing an ad in the
Minneapolis Mercedes club’s
newsletter. Preparing for retirement,
he was starting to liquidate
everything he could and planned to
tour the country in his new motor
home. At one point, he even
mentioned parting out the car to get
rid of it, an idea I strongly
discouraged. Finally, he told me
about an ad he was placing in the
next issue of The Star, cutting the
price significantly. Right then, I
started thinking about buying it
myself – if I could talk my wife
Sandy into it. Thinking that this was
going to be a really hard sell, I
asked Sandy if she wanted to take a
look at the car. Amazingly, she did,
and more amazingly, she liked it!
The clincher turned out to be the
suggestion that she could have her
own 6.3. And so she does.
The first thing I looked at after the
deal was closed was the exhaust
leak, which turned out to be no leak
at all, but rather the four Glaspak
mufflers that Don had installed years
earlier replacing the stock system.
So what do you call a black 6.3 with
loud pipes? “Arnold
Schwartzenrumbler” sounded about
right, and the name stuck.
Next on the list were the 20+ year
old Michelin XWXs on the original
14” wheels. Before finding 15”
Bundts for Big Merc, I had picked up
a set of chromed 15” alloys from Tri
LODE STAR p. 11
Star Pete in Arizona, so I put these
on Arnold with a set of 225x60
Yokohama AVS db S2 tires from
Tire Rack – an improved version of
the tires already on Big Merc. At $70
apiece, they’re a far better deal than
reproduction 14” Michelin XWXs for
$250 each, and are extremely quiet,
good-riding ultra-high performance
tires. They’re so good that I almost
immediately started thinking about
driving Arnold to Woxall instead of
flying back. But with Big Merc
already back east, how would I get
two cars back home?
The answer was provided by John
Olson, who happens to be the
founder of the M-100 Group. John
enthusiastically accepted my
suggestion that he drive Arnold to
Woxall with me, stopping in Ohio for
the new W113 Pagoda SL Group's
Tech Session at Joe Alexander’s
residence and Shop, and then help
me get both Arnold and Big Merc
back to Minnesota.
We set out from Minneapolis and
took turns driving Arnold. The car’s
air suspension had obviously been
set up perfectly and John, who has
among other things driven La
Carrera Panamericana four times,
began probing closer and closer to
the limits. Arnold remained
surprisingly unflappable during the
most extreme lane-changing and
off-ramp maneuvers that were
possible on a relatively flat, straight
Interstate highway. Despite the
superb handling qualities, the car
actually was more comfortable than
Big Merc, with a firm, flat ride quality
and no floating over any kind of
bumps. I resolved right then to
figure out what was different
between the two cars and get Big
Merc to the same standard.
Seeking more challenging driving
conditions, John exited from I-80 in
Summer 2003
Encourage New Members!!
The International M-100 Group is now approaching 250 members, and is
growing and improving continually. We’ve worked hard to provide a world-class
website; we just recently put on an outstanding club meet in Woxall, and we are
working hard to expand and improve the coverage, variety and timeliness of our
newsletter. Additionally, because of our affiliation as an official MBCCCI
organization, we’ve been able to get official access to the Daimler Chrysler
archives (see the website members’ area for details).
How you can help
Word of mouth, with a little help from advertising.
We are advertising in Hemmings, in the “Star” and are getting our message in
other enthusiast publications.
You can help simply by mentioning the club to enthusiast friends, whether they
own M-100 vehicles or not (giving them a drive in your car is often enough to
convince even the most jaded “muscle car” lover).
If you happen to see an M-100 vehicle on the street, you might use an approach
the Ponton Club uses – place one of the “M-100 Business Cards” (email the
editor at [email protected] for copies of the “business card”) on the windshield.
As we all know, new or old owners of M-100 vehicles benefit tremendously from
the dialogue, assistance and sometimes commiseration the group can provide.
a mountainous section of
Pennsylvania to try some twisty, hilly
back roads. We soon came up
behind a first-generation Ford
Taurus, driven by someone who
obviously knew his car and the road
well. He attempted to accelerate
away from what he probably thought
was an old Mercedes diesel, and
was shocked to find us filling his
rear view mirror no matter how fast
he went. After a few miles, he pulled
over and waved us past. During this
lively chase, which found me with a
death grip on the passenger’s seat,
John managed to provoke some
unwanted but controllable
oscillations in the car’s suspension - a delay in the rotational response
of the body to sudden steering
changes, not an issue in regular
maneuvers but would fringe on the
unacceptable for critical incidents. In
later discussions with Gary Ensor
during car inspections session at the
M-100 Convention, Gary showed us
a thick rod fastened through large
rubber bushings and running at a 45
degree angle between the
differential and the body to mute this
phenomenon. He felt old bushings
here could cause the body to get out
of phase with the suspension. Air
bags are no better than springs in
this regard; they only work well in
one direction. That was the only
time during the whole trip that the
car handled anything less than
perfectly. It probably would have
been more fun to chase a BMW on
that road, but it still was an amazing
performance for a 34 year old luxury
cruiser loaded to the gills with,
among other things, tool kits, spare
parts and a 300SL transmission
John had picked up in Ohio. The
car and contents probably weighed
at least 4,500 lbs at that point.
LODE STAR p. 12
Driving Big Merc from Asbury to
Woxall confirmed its ride to be
different than Arnold’s, with
generally more up and down motion
in the suspension. During the 'Cars
on the Lift’ inspections we found the
suspension was set significantly
higher than Arnold’s. Gary Ensor
lowered it about an inch (an
adjustment under the car of only a
quarter inch!) at Woxall. That
simple change narrowed the ride
and handling gap noticeably, but we
couldn’t experiment further without
tying up the lift.
The Meet was a complete success
(details in this issue), and many
thanks are due to Karl Middelhauve
and his lovely wife Ruth for hosting
yet another tremendously successful
gathering! We finally headed back
toward home, switching cars every
few hundred miles. Arnold proved to
have somewhat of a drinking
problem, averaging 13-14 mpg
during high-speed driving, compared
to Big Merc’s 14 – 15 mpg under
identical conditions. That and a puff
of telltale smoke when Arnold’s
kickdown switch is used lead me to
suspect it’s time for a FI pump
rebuild or valve guides. Arnold used
some oil along the way, but no more
than specifications. Strangely, Big
Merc consumed no oil at all (it never
has) despite having about twice as
many miles on the engine. I can’t
explain that, but it might have
something to do with the car having
had a short block replaced in 1976,
140K miles ago. I read somewhere
that Mercedes at some point
switched to a different design piston
ring, which may have been used
when that engine was reassembled.
The trip was a total success thanks
to John’s help, and I hope he had as
much fun as I did. Thanks are also
due to our son Sean, who with
absolutely no prodding whatever
agreed to drive Arnold back to Fargo
from Minneapolis. With no
mechanical problems of any kind on
either car we proved again that
there’s no reason to fear setting out
on a long cross-country trip in a
well-prepared M-100, something to
keep in mind when you start thinking
about attending next year’s Meet in
St. Louis!
One more thing – anybody know
where I can find a good parts car?
International M-100 Group Financial Summary; 8/10/03
FY 2002
FY 2003 through 8/10
INCOME
INCOME
Carryover - FY 2001
Membership Fees
Lode Star Ads
$2,989.33
$5,246.00
$120.00
Total Income
$8,355.33
EXPENSE
Bank fees
Lode Star Publication
Postage
Bylaws mailing
Supplies
Telephone
Reimbursements
2002 Meet loss
Total Expenses
Summer 2003
Carryover - FY 2002
Membership Fees
Lode Star Ads
2003 Meet Surplus
Total Income
$1,690.97
$7,848.00
$340.00
$3,266.28
$13,145.25
EXPENSE
$32.00
$4,669.27
$838.44
$151.80
$97.71
$93.45
$406.60
$375.09
($6,664.36)
Bank fees
Lode Star Publication
Postage
Incorporation Charge
Supplies
Telephone
Reimbursements
$64.00
$5,832.20
$993.66
$395.00
$80.32
$122.54
$212.95
Total Expenses
Operating Surplus as of 8/10/03
($7,700.67)
$5,444.58
LODE STAR p. 13