[mbz180]

Originally Posted by asdfvinay

Your car is turning up great. I cant wait to see it complete. Kudos to your patience and hard work that you are putting in to source all these original parts to the minutest detail. Superb.

Thank you very much for the complement asdfvinay. At times I feel a strong urger to drive the car, after all in total its been 6 years now since I last drove it. I am doing my best to make the cr turnout to factory fresh standards, I've even settled for the original paint colour, DB-40G, jet black.

Best Regards
Prithvi Tagore

[Kartik Krishnan]

Originally Posted by mbz180

At times I feel a strong urger to drive the car, after all in total its been 6 years now since I last drove it. I am doing my best to make the cr turnout to factory fresh standards, I've even settled for the original paint colour, DB-40G, jet black.

Best Regards
Prithvi Tagore

Hi Prithvi,

Six Years! Hats off to your patience and perseverance. I've been following your thread from the beginning and i truly appreciate your efforts and dedication. Your attention to detail is truly an inspiration to all of us out here on the forum.

[asdfvinay]

The car will look great in black. I actually wanted to suggest that yesterday, but I did not know whether it was a factory option for your model. Black and white I think are ever green colours that we do not ever get bored of.

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by asdfvinay

The car will look great in black. I actually wanted to suggest that yesterday, but I did not know whether it was a factory option for your model. Black and white I think are ever green colours that we do not ever get bored of.

Actually let me tell you the moments in time when I decided to paint the car black.

It was afternoon, Saturday last, I was standing in front of a paanwalas shop on a road in South Calcutta with relatively less traffic. Just then I saw a gleaming black, army Ambassador with red light and flags etc. zip by. The finish was so good and the contrast between the chrome parts and the paint so great, I immediately decided in those moments to keep the colour the same as when it left the factory!

[asdfvinay]

You are right. The chrome-black combination is great. Old cars having lot of chrome parts look awesome in dark colours. Here is my 1955 Landy in black. I'm planning for restoration this year as the body is developing some rust and the paint is peeling off at few places.

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by asdfvinay

You are right. The chrome-black combination is great. Old cars having lot of chrome parts look awesome in dark colours. Here is my 1955 Landy in black. I'm planning for restoration this year as the body is developing some rust and the paint is peeling off at few places.

What a beautifully maintained car you keep. Fantastic. You want to restore this? It looks so good, so how come? I have a new plastic pair of front parking lamps should you be interested.

Best Regards
Prithvi

[the mole]

Originally Posted by mbz180

I immediately decided in those moments to keep the colour the same as when it left the factory!

Here is one that never left the factory.

[Kartik Krishnan]

Originally Posted by asdfvinay

You are right. The chrome-black combination is great. Old cars having lot of chrome parts look awesome in dark colours. Here is my 1955 Landy in black. I'm planning for restoration this year as the body is developing some rust and the paint is peeling off at few places.

That is one fine looking Landy my friend . At first glance, no one can even tell about the peeling paint. Good luck with restoring her

Originally Posted by the mole

Here is one that never left the factory.

Thanks for sharing this pic of a showroom piece specimen, saving it for reference in-case someone were to need it. Btw, this one looks like it belongs to a museum. Where did you click this photograph?

[the mole]

Originally Posted by Kartik Krishnan

Thanks for sharing this pic of a showroom piece specimen, saving it for reference in-case someone were to need it. Btw, this one looks like it belongs to a museum. Where did you click this photograph?

Museum indeed! she is displayed at the Mercedes Benz museum in Stuttgart Germany. Apparently with almost zero mileage. I had a opportunity to see her in the skin in 2009.

[mbz180]

Hello Friends,

I recently came to know through a fellow bhpian and friend, that certain members were not happy with the floor board restoration on my car, as they thought that the finished sheet metal was wavy, and would sink in and out when some one stepped on it.

I am not trying at all to defend it, but everyone interested should know that the reason why there seems to be many waves is because the paint is a glossy one and that makes the waves stand out even more. On the other hand, I have seen the inner side of the floor boards and there seems to be very little waviness.

But I do agree, that there are some waves. So I have asked the tinkerer to sort this out completely and make it as flat and as unwavy as possible.

I would also request any member who wishes to bring something to my attention regarding this restoration, directly to me through this great forum as I have no issues at all if there is any criticism or suggestion. After all that is what this wonderful forum is meant for, to learn from each other.

Also, temporary bushes for the front stabilizer bar have arrived, though these are not genuine Mercedes. They will be replaced as and when my parts supplier gets the originals. Pics below:






Best Regards
Prithvi Nath Tagore

[asdfvinay]

Hey Prithvi,
How are you managing to source the parts from abroad? My interest is in the customs part. Do you have to go in with any customs procedures? Whenever there is a new shipment arriving, do you get a call from customs office and you have to pay and complete some formalities or how is it? I read some where that small value items(under $100 or so) are ok, but it is a problem importing high value items. I've bought some low value items of around 10$ or so(phone accessories), but interested in knowing the procedure for higher valued stuff.

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by asdfvinay

Hey Prithvi,
How are you managing to source the parts from abroad? My interest is in the customs part. Do you have to go in with any customs procedures? Whenever there is a new shipment arriving, do you get a call from customs office and you have to pay and complete some formalities or how is it? I read some where that small value items(under $100 or so) are ok, but it is a problem importing high value items. I've bought some low value items of around 10$ or so(phone accessories), but interested in knowing the procedure for higher valued stuff.

Hi Vinay,

You're right, under $100 there is no cutoms duty levied. $100 and above there is. In my experience, I have never received any call from customs asking me to fill forms and then paying the money and getting the item cleared. The courier or postal service will deliver the goods to your designated address and you have to clear the duty amount, which is 33..33% to receive the item/s. If you don't pay then you don't get the good/s

Best Regards
Prithvi Tagore

[asdfvinay]

Thanks for the info Prithvi. The process looks fairly simple in that case. I was always under the impression that we will get a call and a long procedure after that. 33.33% also looks sweet to me, . I was thinking upward of 100% for car spares, .

After reading your and couple of other mercedes threads, I've been bitten by Merc-bug. So my next car is probably going to be a W123 or W124, hopefully this year and then I'll use this import information,

[IndrojitSircar]

Originally Posted by mbz180

I recently came to know through a fellow bhpian and friend, that certain members were not happy with the floor board restoration on my car, as they thought that the finished sheet metal was wavy, and would sink in and out when some one stepped on it.

I am not trying at all to defend it, but everyone interested should know that the reason why there seems to be many waves is because the paint is a glossy one and that makes the waves stand out even more. On the other hand, I have seen the inner side of the floor boards and there seems to be very little waviness.

But I do agree, that there are some waves. So I have asked the tinkerer to sort this out completely and make it as flat and as unwavy as possible.

I would also request any member who wishes to bring something to my attention regarding this restoration, directly to me through this great forum as I have no issues at all if there is any criticism or suggestion. After all that is what this wonderful forum is meant for, to learn from each other.

The person who said that the floor might sink the moment someone steps on is free to come to Our workshop and step and see if the floor goes through the shell or not. Also to add to this, once the flooring was completed we had two of our mechs sitting inside the shell and cleaning the floor boards using a wire brush and after the cleaning process the Expoxy Primer was sprayed on. My father has worked old cars for longer than your friend has probably and has much more experience of working on many more variety of cars.

For a fact, Prithvi, you had seen the condition of the flooring of the Mercury which is in my workshop when it had come and also the present condition of the flooring. To remind you, that car is a much bigger and heavier car than your car. If you like, For your and your friend's reference i can put up the pics right here of it was and what it is now.

[wbd8779]

Well the floorboard looks to be okay. I would not expect even a novice to put a floorboard that would buckle under the weight of a passenger let alone Rahul Sircar"s workshop. While i appreciate you attitude for seeking feedback and being okay about criticism with regards to the build , it should also be kept in mind that the "critics " have first hand knowledge about the subject and should be individuals who have done similar projects themselves.