Project Chronicle

Great day in the morning: the block for the long-sidelined 1997 Lexus LX450 (fancy Land Cruiser) is done, and Jay Gaston of Jay's 4WD has already snagged it from R. Johnson & Sons Engine Repair in Warwick, RI. The head was previously cleaned up and refreshed by Johnson's and Jay had retrieved it; the block then had to go over to the machine shop due to corrosion found on the deck. Jay had viable concerns about the head mating with the block and the visible corrosion leading to future issues. 

The team at Johnson's asked me to track down some oversized pistons, rings, a full gasket set, main bearings, and rod bearings. We went with .020 oversized components, mostly from DNJ. Remember, this is not a power build but rather just a reliable, stock setup that will allow this engine to go another 250K (or more.) 

From here, Jay will reassemble the engine and also replace the timing chain and pan gasket while the engine is out of the truck. We also plan to install a three-inch lift kit and refresh any other wear items, including hoses and belts. I may also replace the new-ish but cheap aftermarket radiator with a genuine Koyo unit, so there may be more opportunities to make improvements while we're in the re-assembly phase. 

There's a point in every project where you begin to feel actual excitement that the end is approaching. For the 190E 2.3-16, I haven't felt anything approaching this in the last four years. From seeing it sitting outside my mechanic's shop for months at a time to waiting for my one-man-band body shop to get me into the garage rotation, it's been difficult to make significant progress at any one time. "Keeping the faith" has undoubtedly been critical to not ever giving up on this long-term project.  

Fortunately, we are in the home stretch for bodywork. The original body kit was actually bolted up to the car on the driver's side for checking fit and how flat the pieces laid on the body, but all I could think about was how good the car looks with its lower cladding installed (The kit was previously torn off by the junkyard employees when the Cossie was waiting for its day with the crusher.) 

The side skirts and door trim pieces are so integral to what the car "is" that even in temporary form, seeing them suspended against the body reminded me of how good this Cosworth will look when it's finally done. We'll prime the whole car next, block sand all of the panels, and then prime it once more before getting a proper paint job. 

Speaking of paint, my body guy grabbed the Smoke Silver paint and set about prepping it for application. That tells you just how close we're getting to finishing this major phase of work. 

I've been on the hunt for a V8 anything that was fast, comfortable, and just the right side of obnoxious. 

I started with the 1990 Audi V8 Quattro. A fine car plagued by some nagging issues I never remedied, and thus, never felt totally comfortable taking long distances. (Ironically, this car just sold on Bring A Trailer with a different owner than the one I sold it to, so it's still looking for its forever home.)  I loved the stealthy nature of the inconspicuous styling, but it was slightly too subdued. 

The Dodge Dakota R/T was another attempt to live that V8 life, and it went dramatically in the other direction. Loud, tawdry, and poorly screwed together, it was impossible not to wake up half the neighborhood on a cold start. I hustled this muscle truck all over Alabama and loved it, but in the end, I just couldn't see myself living with the pitiful domestic build quality for the long term. I actually just sold that truck for a fair - not great - price, but I was done with it. 

A big driver for buying the 2002 E55 AMG was because I knew the Dakota was going to leave and there'd be a V8-shaped hole in the garage. Thankfully, this car is checking all the boxes, with loads of luscious torque, completely stomp-on-it-and-go-RIGHT NOW acceleration, and plenty of comfortable in the spacious E-Class cabin. It's a car for all seasons that has a reputation for going 300,000 miles before needing a rebuild, and the dramatic styling still looks contemporary in modern traffic.

So far, I am very happy with the car, and glad to have found a V8-powered machine I'm not already itching to unload. 

The next phase of bodywork has begun on the 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth, and now we are truly counting down until we paint this long-term project. The bodywork phase has been arduous, with the rear quarters basically being rebuilt; the rockers being repaired at all four corners; and the front quarters inside the fenders have been patched up with new metal.

When you sand a car down, it reveals the battle scars and bruises it has encountered along the way. It's clear this 190E was completely repainted, poorly, at one point, and that it has been needlessly repaired with body filler to correct small dings and dents. Quite honestly, this poor car - despite having a history of only two owners and being well-maintained by the first caretaker - fell into cheap car territory wherein it was "freshened up" as cheaply as possible. 

This is not at all surprising for an older vehicle such as this, but it does highlight just how much work a bodyshop does to get a car prepped for paint. I'm going to take a day next week to sand down the primer that will soon be sprayed across the body, as you need to wet-sand the entire car afterwards in order to smooth it out and prep it for paint. It will be a learning experience, and hopefully shave a few bucks off the final bill as well. 

Well, unfortunately my first maintenance log for the 2023 season comes on a negative note. Usually, changing your oil is a fun and therapeutic activity to engage in with your vehicle, and gives you a nice sense of pride when done. Sadly, when I went to change the oil after getting it out of storage, my drain bolt spun freely, and after fooling around with it a bit and not having any luck, I realized the reality of this situation would be replacing the oil pan unit all together. 

This is not a huge deal usually, but in my case, It was a little bit of a process. I was able to locally source a used but good condition oil pan for $100, and my local shop Revenant Motorsports (big shoutout to Jarrett!) was more than up to the task. Unfortunately he had to drop the lower cross member, and labor hours add up...Its definitely a bummer, especially considering up until this point (besides modifications) the car has not needed any unexpected maintenance items. 

All in all, here are the entries for this maintenance log:

- 5W-40 Mobil 1 Full Synthetic (European Car Formula) (5QRTS)

- W719/15 Mann Oil Filter (1x)

-OEM Replacement M20B25 Oil Pan (1x)

-Fresh Drain Bolt + Washer(1x)

This is a milestone day for the 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth I harvested out of a junkyard in 2018: we have eliminated all rust from the body, save for some meaningless surface spots that will be eliminated during the sanding process.

The rockers are repaired and the rust spots that were revealed when the fenders removed in the lower footwells have also been fixed. There were also small spots in the rear floors underneath the rear bench on either side; those, too, were repaired. The only remaining concerns before we get to paint is straightening out the right front bumper bracket (pushed in from a previous collision) and replacing the charcoal cannister inside the driver's fender which has rotted away. 

I will be putting in some sweat equity on the next phase, working alongside Nelson, the master body man, to sand the rest of the body down and prep it for primer and paint. This will also have the added benefit of saving me some money (hopefully). To know this car will soon be ready for the final phase of bodywork - by far the most painful part of this whole exercise - is a relief. 

There's still another heavy lift of mechanical work to do, but by God, we are nearing the end of this journey to rescue an 80s four-door performance car from the jaws of junkyard death. 

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.