What have you done to your UnMerc today?

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Well the travails of this last year have focused my mind and work starts on the restoration of my 1985 Ford Capri 2.8i. this spring. All new brake components have arrived so just waiting for the weather to improve too cold to work in the garage at the moment unless you provide heat. Brakes first, then recommissioning the engine, recaro leather refurbed and then bodywork and respray.

Hope to get it finished this year but of course will be dependent on problems along the way... looking forward to it

Interesting thread Jim pleased you posted it...my car addiction isn’t just confined to Mercs

 

[Jimbo1959]

Interesting thread Jim pleased you posted it...my car addiction isn’t just confined to Mercs.

I must admit to being car daft from a very early age, I can remember talking to my Dad about cars at 4 years old, he told me I have been interested in them since I was two years old, although my conversation was a bit limited for obvious reasons.

My wife frequently gives me "The look" when I am boring guests about them, in her view anyway.

It's one of the reasons I have worked in the motor trade most of my adult life, just to be close to and around cars. I love 'em, plain and simple.

 

[Srdl]

I’m told that my first word was “car”

 

[John Laidlaw]

The 530 UnMerc got a full JDL valet last Sunday and hasn’t moved a wheel since- no work to take it to so it’s been the Duracell Leaf since!

 

[Blobcat]

Like that one do you Russell?

I was looking through my trove of photo's and thought that this might not offend some of the more sensitive Merc owner/drivers than the TT did.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Is that a Ford RS200 Jim lurking behind the Lancia, I remember being very tempted to buy one when they were selling them off post Group A being banned?

 

[Blobcat]

Is that a Ford RS200 Jim lurking behind the Audi, I remember being very tempted to buy one when they were selling them off post Group A being banned?

It is an RS200 - had one at a Police HQ I was working at... stolen recovered

 

[00slk]

I must admit to being car daft from a very early age, I can remember talking to my Dad about cars at 4 years old, he told me I have been interested in them since I was two years old, although my conversation was a bit limited for obvious reasons.

My wife frequently gives me "The look" when I am boring guests about them, in her view anyway.

It's one of the reasons I have worked in the motor trade most of my adult life, just to be close to and around cars. I love 'em, plain and simple.

You and me too Jim, it was my Uncle that raised my interest in cars at an early age, though I think I was of a talking age when this all kicked off for me. He used to collect the National Geographic Magazines and cut out the pages of cars when they visited, these were 1964 American cars up to 1967 when Uncle died. My very first car was going to be a 1959 Chev Impala 4 door pillarless, but my parents put a stop too that as I was only 15years of age, although it was the legal age to drive in NZ. Then I brought home a 1964 Chrysler Valiant to try and bring father around, that too failed and I took the car back. However they weren't too bothered with my Triumph Herald.......Why?? Because it was Dad's car and I was starting to use it more than he was so he got himself a 1965 Triumph 2000. I then sold the Herald on and purchased Triumph Vitesse 1600 and started racing it...............Well I could go on the bore everyone too death, but I wont.
Today I am going to take the UnMerc to work, well all this weekend really as my radiator hose is on order for the e320

 

[A.J.]

You and me too Jim, it was my Uncle that raised my interest in cars at an early age, though I think I was of a talking age when this all kicked off for me. He used to collect the National Geographic Magazines and cut out the pages of cars when they visited, these were 1964 American cars up to 1967 when Uncle died. My very first car was going to be a 1959 Chev Impala 4 door pillarless, but my parents put a stop too that as I was only 15years of age, although it was the legal age to drive in NZ. Then I brought home a 1964 Chrysler Valiant to try and bring father around, that too failed and I took the car back. However they weren't too bothered with my Triumph Herald.......Why?? Because it was Dad's car and I was starting to use it more than he was so he got himself a 1965 Triumph 2000. I then sold the Herald on and purchased Triumph Vitesse 1600 and started racing it...............Well I could go on the bore everyone too death, but I wont.
Today I am going to take the UnMerc to work, well all this weekend really as my radiator hose is on order for the e320

What, with that rear suspension I bet that was an experience

 

[00slk]

What, with that rear suspension I bet that was an experience

I used to work for a Triumph Indy and the boss raced a 2 litre Vitesse which had the MK2 rear suspension fitted. Me being of a young silly age couldn't afford such luxuries so we made do with our own form of mods on the MK1 Vitesse rear end playing about with fitting MkIV Spitfire rear spring or even cheaper removing a leaf and turning other leaf upside down They were so easy to get the thing to turn in the direction of the corner before getting to the corner without turning the steering wheel. Once you mastered driving that rear end setup you could then master any other car
I raced that Vitesse from '76 to '79. Late 78 I sold the car and the new owner wanted me to keep racing it
Then I set sail to the States in '79 and then on to old Blighty for about 5 years working for Audi/VW.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

It is an RS200 - had one at a Police HQ I was working at... stolen recovered

I was very tempted but yes you would need a lock-up. All Ford wanted to do at the time was get rid of the 150ish cars they had in a compound so relatively speaking they were giving them away

 

[A.J.]

I was very tempted but yes you would need a lock-up. All Ford wanted to do at the time was get rid of the 150ish cars they had in a compound so relatively speaking they were giving them away

There are two in Town here who have them. One of them you used to see around quite often, It was a bit of a scruffy old thing. Havn't seen it for a while even before lockdown. The Guy I work for also has one, it's been in dry storage for quite a few years along with his 1980 BMW M5

 

[Jimbo1959]

Is that a Ford RS200 Jim lurking behind the Lancia, I remember being very tempted to buy one when they were selling them off post Group A being banned.

I looked at this post and then got thoroughly confused by the one Russell posted/quoted where he had changed Lancia to Audi, I was like WTF???
What made him do that, as it's clearly a Lancia, even says so on the front screen.

With the greatest of respect Russ was that just "a senior moment" or were you winding us both up?

 

[Blobcat]

I looked at this post and then got thoroughly confused by the one Russell posted/quoted where he had changed Lancia to Audi, I was like WTF???
What made him do that, as it's clearly a Lancia, even says so on the front screen.

With the greatest of respect Russ was that just "a senior moment" or were you winding us both up?

You’ve completely lost me with your post...

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

You’ve completely lost me with your post...

Probably my fault, I was so surprised at seeing the Ford I had to correct my post, initially I said ‘RS200 behind the Audi’ realised my mistake and corrected it to Lancia

 

[Jimbo1959]

You’ve completely lost me with your post...

Probably my fault, I was so surprised at seeing the Ford I had to correct my post, initially I said ‘RS200 behind the Audi’ realised my mistake and corrected it to Lancia

My apologies Russ, Malcolm's the one who's confusing me.

Now at least I understand the why's and wherefores.

 

[Jimbo1959]

Todays hard graft straight after work, the car washed, dried, glass done, polished with Autoglym SRP and tyres detailed with Autoglym Tyre dresser. I also got the exhaust trims polished, nice to see them chrome again instead of the dirty black that they had become.
I even remembered to lift the spoiler and polish all the surfaces under it, you know, the ones that only people behind you ever see.

 

[Jimbo1959]

The wheels really pop in the dusk, night shots. Looks great imho of course, lol.

 

[Blobcat]

View attachment 66239 View attachment 66240

The wheels really pop in the dusk, night shots. Looks great imho of course, lol.

Could you try again without flash or any streetlights...

 

[SmartAmg]

Car's looking good, Jim.