Project Chronicle

We are nearing the finish line on the bodywork phase of the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth. The rear bodywork was the most labor intensive; the next section are the rockers. 

The rocker issues are twofold: one, there's typical rust that all neglected Mercedes of this era tend to have from the northeast. And two, the rockers were damaged when the forklift from the junkyard moved the Cosworth around the yard. The good news is the rust really isn't all that bad and, because it's hidden by the side skirts and body cladding, the repair work doesn't have to be pristine. It can be effective but not beautiful. 

Before we started this project, I manage to track down brand new rocker panel replacements. They have come in handy already, both for offering section cuts for the specific areas of rust and for using the excess / unused material to fix other small holes. The dented rocker on the passenger side was pulled out using heat and a hammer, and the one on the driver side is much milder which will hopefully mean less work. 

After this "affordable" phase comes with big one: sanding, priming, and painting the car. 

Whenever you take a bone-stock virgin example of a car that's historically over-modified and began to modify it, a twinge of guilt may occur. After all, it's a privilege to find a car in stock form that typically represents a horrible buy on the enthusiast marketplace because the modifications ruin an otherwise fine automobile.

Consider me relieved that the small but significant modifications made to the S6 Avant have yielded significant driving improvements. The gorgeous Stromung exhaust not only fit perfectly but sounds incredible - deep, bassy, and glorious. But more importantly, the exhaust combined with the larger aftermarket downpipe has yielded far snappier off-the-line acceleration and it absolutely hauls on the interstate. 

Suspension-wise, the stock components were swapped out for Koni Yellows with H&R lowering springs; meatier Dunlops and a set of Japanese-market Audi RS2 BBS wheels bolted on. At the same time, the front control arms were replaced. The suspension response is night and day over the tired stock components, and grip is what you'd expect for an all-wheel drive car without as much of an understeer penalty as I was expecting. 

Overall, I am really happy with how this car performs, and look forward to keeping it around for some time. 

I dropped off the 1995 Audi S6 Avant today for some upgrades, which I struggled to pull the trigger on. I bought this car for peanuts and it was completely stock. The smart thing to do would have been to sell it for a tidy profit; however, I've always wanted a turbocharged, five-cylinder Audi, and the fact that it was one of the super rare wagon versions made it a no-brainer to keep it. 

The bodywork is rust-free but the paint is tired, so I felt good about the fact that it wasn't a total survivor. It is stock, which is huge considering how many of these cars are over-modified. But given it needs a full respray to look perfect, we're going to go ahead with lowering it a tad and adding some new wheels in a larger size. I went with Koni shocks all around and H&R lowering springs, and a set of gorgeous gold BBS wheels. TIres are the recommended size for 17x8 wheels on an S6, which are 245/40/17.

The exhaust was a work of art, and priced as such; it is made by Stromung and produces a healthy bump in power along with some incredible noise when the AAN engine is uncorked. Stromung only builds a few of these each year, and it is paired with a 3" downpipe from EFI Motorsports in New Hampshire. 

All in all, this is a decent amount of work, but I feel the performance and aesthetic improvements will be worth it - even if I am missing out on a nice chunk of change from flipping it. 

A few days ago, Jay of Jay's 4WD called me with a query. He said after removing the head, he was surprised to see just how far the chain reached down into the oil pan. Jay recommended replacing the chain as a sensible "while you're in there" project, but after seeing how it snaked through the very lowest point of the engine, he suggested we remove the whole assembly. This would free up space in his shop while waiting for the head to come back from the machine shop, and also make it possible to replace the oil pan gasket and rear main seal as further "while you're in there" projects.

Unfortunately, in an unrelated call today, Jay mentioned we're going to be spending more time at the machine shop. Upon closer inspection of the block, Jay noticed signs of rust on the surface where it mates with the head. He said he could just throw it all back together, but that he wouldn't feel comfortable offering anything close to a guarantee that I wouldn't have future headgasket issues. Further, he said most shops wouldn't even do the work knowing there was rust around the cylinder bores. 

This creates two problems: one, of course, is that this truck continues to be more of a project than I ever anticipated. The second problem - and more of a concern - is the timeline. I was hoping to have it back at the end of March but the machine shop is already working out several weeks, if not months. At the end of the day, there's really not much of a choice here, especially since Jay has a relationship with this shop. We'll do piston rings and guides at the same time, and while all of this is spiraling way out of control, it continues to further guarantee the LX450 will be damn near bulletproof when it's done. 

Are we having fun yet? 

Trying to keep the status on my 88iS mostly OEM+....I really like the factory 14" basketweave that came on the U.S. iS E30s, but sadly another thing the US market didn't get from BMW, the 15" 'Euroweave'. The European spec sport wheel/basketweave was superior to ours, and though its subtle only being 1" bigger...It also has a deeper lip, and its extra size allows a lot more tire options. 

Knowing this, I started the hunt and eventually found a very friendly fellow E30 Enthusiast from the UK. From him I purchased a freshly refinished/painted set of 15" Euroweaves. These really help fill in the wheel arches and give it a more aggressive look. 

For tires, I decided to go with the Continental Extreme Contact Sports in all four corners. Up from 195/55/R14 to 205/50/R15, the new tires really dialed the car in and reduced a lot of roll. The grip from the summer tire vs. All season compound truly makes it a completely different experience!

Now this last part may make me sound crazy, but I swear I have noticed the steering has gotten a little heavier due to the extra weight of bigger wheels...Trade off is worth it though!

P.S. 

Anyone have a lead on Euro caps? They are harder to find than the wheels! 

For me and most of us enthusiasts, hearing the car is an extremely obvious and exciting way to enhance the driving experience. But, like I said in my previous post, I want the car to remain relatively OEM+ without doing anything too crazy and obnoxious. After a lot of research and hours on YouTube finding sound clips, I decided to go with the Strömung E30 325i specific catback exhaust. I read some good things on the R3V forums, but quickly realized the posts were years old. I reached out to the company and the owner, Scott, was extremely receptive and personally interacted with me. Though they didn't currently produce them at the time I bought mine, he got the BPs and made one for me anyways. The quality is second to none, finished in a super nicely crafted polished stainless steel construction, resonated exhaust tips, and some of the better welds I have seen on an exhaust system.

Quite honestly, its not as loud as I wish it was, and sometimes I feel dumb spending the $ to make it just a little louder...But, it looks much better, and is probably the equivalent of a modern day factory optioned 'M Sport Exhaust'. Again, OEM+ was my goal!

One of the few bright spots of the surprisingly endless Lexus LX450 project is the mechanic I have working on this truck. Jay, of Jay's 4WD, first came into the picture when I searched for someone to revive the long-dormant Isuzu Trooper RS project. Jay is a talented wrench, and he's since taken on the revival of my '98 Dakota R/T project.

I've used the local Lexus dealer for repairs on the LX for two reasons: one, a mechanic I knew from a previous project had since taken a job there, and two, it's entirely convenient because the dealer is close to my house. But when the headgasket issues materialized, I decided to move it down to Jay because I was growing weary of the dealer mentality that they would fix anything I'd like but didn't necessarily have the intuition to deduct months ago that headgasket issues were looming.

Jay has already dived in, and within two hours on a Saturday morning, he had the head removed from the LX450's inline-six and was in my neighborhood shortly after that to drop off the head. I'm going to run it over to a local machine shop that Jay has used for his boat engine repair business, and hopefully, we'll find the head is free of any cracks and can be decked and cleaned, ready to drop back in. 

While I have been bummed out by the amount of work the seemingly most-reliable vehicle in my fleet has needed, I'm excited at the prospect of having a truck with almost every major mechanical component replaced - some much-needed peace of mind for a truck I intend to make my daily driver in the spring. 

When I first got the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth home, I reached out to the dealership in Pennsylvania that was listed on the service reminder sticker in the windshield. I asked if there were any records of repair available, to which the service manager confirmed that yes, they did.

Amazingly, the service manager said he'd send me copies of the records they had on file, which were surprisingly complete. Now, most dealers will never release the service records, so I'm forever grateful this advisor agreed to do it. I look at the report every now and again, which confirms the 190E was well maintained before it ended up in the hands of the last owner before it went to the salvage yard. 

The most interesting detail is that it dropped a piston at just over 66,000 miles. In terms of the Cosworth engine, there's not much evidence that the DOHC mill has a tendency to burn through pistons. Although the details are sparse on the service reports, I've always been curious how extensive the repair was, and if the dealership made other fixes "while they were in there." 

We'll never know for sure what else was fixed at this time, but it's a fascinating anecdote in this car's colorful history. 

I finally had the chance to flip through the service booklet that came with the 911. Now, the bulk of the records came in the form of invoices from specialist shops in North Carolina and Georgia, and those were certainly compelling reasons in my decision to buy the car.

That said, the tried-and-true method of tracking a car's history - the maintenance booklet - can be just as valuable. In the case of this car, the stampings were limited but meaningful. The early part of the car's history showed a few dealer stops in Wisconsin after being sold new by a fairly prominent dealer in a wealthy Chicago suburb. After it arrives in North Carolina, however, it makes two stops at Road Scholars. 

Road Scholars is one of the foremost Porsche restoration shops in the country, if not the world. Between their personal collection of significant air-cooled Porches that routinely win at major Concours like Amelia Island and Pebble Beach and being hired to take on the restoration of historical and culturally significant cars, Road Scholars has an iron-clad reputation in the Porsche community. 

This car already had a strong portfolio of proactive maintenance, but seeing Road Scholars in the maintenance book suggests a prior owner was only keeping the 911 serviced by the best of the best. I hope to get in touch with Road Scholars soon to see if they're willing to share whatever invoices they have on file for this car.