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Old 23rd August 2011, 12:50   #286
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

I see you have taken reference pictures for the wiring too . I love your approach towards methodic as original restoration. And with Sircar da we see the same level of dedication. kudos to you and Sircar da. next time for sure I will take time to visit the workshop with you.
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Old 24th August 2011, 11:27   #287
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

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Originally Posted by manishalive View Post
I see you have taken reference pictures for the wiring too . I love your approach towards methodic as original restoration. And with Sircar da we see the same level of dedication. kudos to you and Sircar da. next time for sure I will take time to visit the workshop with you.
Hi Manish,

Actually the wiring was done much before we went to see this car.

My friends in the International Ponton Owners Group (IPOG) are very knowledgeable and when I ask for any sort of help, at least one if not more reply with pics clarifying everything. So I'm posting pics of the Pontons of those IPOG members who showed me the wiring harness route. One was a car being restored and one was a daily driver. Note that throughout the travel of the loom, cloth braiding was used. Hope these will help future Ponton owners doing a full wiring harness job.
Attached Thumbnails
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-wiring_8.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-underdash.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-gearhumpside.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-tunnelside.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-rearseathole.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-underrearseatintotrunk.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-entryintotrunk.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-trunkentry.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-wiring_2.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-wiring_3.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-wiring_5.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-wiring_7.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-wiring_6.jpg  


Last edited by mbz180 : 24th August 2011 at 11:39. Reason: Formatting pics
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Old 25th August 2011, 16:36   #288
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

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Hi Manish,

Actually the wiring was done much before we went to see this car.
Oh nice to hear that. I tried giving you a call yesterday, smsed you too. I was in kolkatta yesterday .
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Old 26th August 2011, 18:23   #289
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

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Oh nice to hear that. I tried giving you a call yesterday, smsed you too. I was in kolkatta yesterday .
Very strange! I am sure I never got a call or sms from you. Maybe something to do with connectivity. Wish you were here over the weekend as well. Tomorrow afternoon I'm going to the workshop to see my car.

Regards
Prithvi
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Old 19th September 2011, 11:54   #290
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

This past weekend, American and Canadian members of the International Ponton Owners Group (IPOG), held their annual East Coast Ponton Congress, of which this was the 3rd successful year of this annual event.

As one of the 2 IPOGers in India (the other being the Mole as far as I know), I thought it would be nice to share some pics of this event even though I wasn't actually there, especially since I am an active member of IPOG and am indebted to a lot of the members for parts and the knowledge that they have (most of them are past 60 and have a lot of practical knowhow on Pontons, since they have owned their cars for a really long time), which has helped me since I became a member over a decade back.

A few years back, I had the good fortune of actually meeting up with a member in Tennessee, (again 70 years +) from whom I bought a crate full of much needed trim parts at a very reasonable price.

Some members drove in their Pontons all the way from Canada while a few others drove a 1000 mile return road trip. None of the cars at the event faced any problems while on the road.

The pics are from a public website so it does not violate any copyrights.

A 190B Taxi which has still been kept as such
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-190b-taxi.jpg

The line up of Pontons, with the very desirable 220S Cabriolets
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-lineup-220scabs.jpg

190SL with the rare removable hardtop option
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-190sl.jpg

Optional fitted luggage from MB for this 220S Coupe
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-220scoupeluggage.jpg

A 190B Webasto with top option
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-190bwebasto.jpg

A pair of 220S cabriolets
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-220scouple.jpg

Very few classics have better craftsmanship than a 220S cabriolet interior
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-inside220scab.jpg

The line up of Pontons on beautiful stretches of road
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-roadlineup.jpg

Best Regards
Prithvi


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Old 1st October 2011, 11:26   #291
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

Friends,

Yesterday was one of the greatest since my association from 2000 with my 1958 180a.

Months back I had posted a message on the International Ponton Owners Group (IPOG) forum asking if anyone could sell me an intact webasto top. A renowned MB vintage/classic specialist from Massachusetts came back to me with detailed pics of a complete 190 Webasto roof (pillars et all).

The price was good, Henry ( the owner of Magno Restorations) was more than happy to help facilitate the packing and crating, and finally on the 27th of July it left New Jersey destined for Kolkata port.

Shipping is obviously quite fast nowadays, and though it was transshipped from Colombo, it reached Kolkata port in 1 month and 10 days.

It was then that I started to realize that bringing it to India was a mistake, since the CNF (Clearing & Forwarding) agent that was given charge by the shipper in New York to clear the consignment from customs, gave me a long list of requirements and licenses for clearance of imported goods, some of which were frankly impossible to obtain as I am not a regular import/export guy. I didn't even have an IEC (Import/Export code) no. which is a must to import containers. I was at a loss as to how the roof is going to be cleared since this agent only went by the book.

That is when I contacted a friend who put me in touch with his CNF agent. Loads of paperwork was required (20 documents atleast) and the festive season started from today with Durga Puja, so the idea was to clear it before today.

Everything was taken care of, things just clicked at the first attempt at all levels of Govt. revenue and Customs and Sales Tax departments and we were able to obtain the delivery order a few days back and a special one time IEC no.

Then things turned bad. I didn't know that second hand car parts (more so a full roof) are not allowed by law into India in a container and I told the agent that it's used. He came to my office 2 days back and then I showed him the pics of the roof that Henry had sent me. I could see that the instant he saw the first pic he turned pale. Physical examination of goods for clearance is a must and the guy told me that he was very worried about the inspection by the customs officials since it looked used from every angle.

Anyway, we both had a sleepless night, and the time of judgement (literally) was yesterday afternoon. I got a call from the CNF agent at 5 pm and he was so excited that he was incoherent. What he had managed to do and that too for the first time in the history of his company (50 years) was that a consignment was cleared by the officials without any physical examination whatsoever, based completely on goodwill! I rushed to the dockyard where the crate was loaded into a small truck and taken to a safe area where it was opened for the first time in front of thine eyes. It was exactly like it looked in the pics and finally was trucked late last night to my friend's place and stored carefully in his garage, till I find a date to truck it to Mr. Sircar's workshop.

One month of tension because of this needed to be released in a good way so my friends and I went to our local club and drank away late into the night to celebrate. It's another thing that I'm in office now nursing a bad hangover!


Best Regards
Prithvi
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Old 1st October 2011, 18:36   #292
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

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Originally Posted by mbz180 View Post
One month of tension because of this needed to be released in a good way so my friends and I went to our local club and drank away late into the night to celebrate. It's another thing that I'm in office now nursing a bad hangover!


Best Regards
Prithvi

Nice to hear of that good news. . Next month I will be in your part of the country. I wil sure meet you and your car.
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Old 7th October 2011, 13:06   #293
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

mbz180 - I'm back on this after a long time and I'm really shocked by the progress (in a good way). She is standing on her own feet and her vital organs are now showing signs of life. This is really great. And congratulations on the roof. Would love to see some pics pf the roof.
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Old 7th October 2011, 20:25   #294
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

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Originally Posted by mbz180 View Post
Friends,
One month of tension because of this needed to be released in a good way so my friends and I went to our local club and drank away late into the night to celebrate. It's another thing that I'm in office now nursing a bad hangover!
Best Regards
Prithvi
Prithvi, Nice to read the facts and the emergence of the imported hood from the hands of the inspectors and other people involved.
We hope to see pictures of the car in ship shape very soon from you.
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Old 8th October 2011, 11:16   #295
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

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mbz180 - I'm back on this after a long time and I'm really shocked by the progress (in a good way). She is standing on her own feet and her vital organs are now showing signs of life. This is really great. And congratulations on the roof. Would love to see some pics pf the roof.
I'm glad you think that she is slowly coming back to life; it would seem more apparent to you since, as you say, you have visited this thread after a long gap.

Since we quite often relate to our cars with human beings, how about some views on which car part/s can be compared best to ourselves? In my opinion it's the following:

Frame/Chassis-Bones

Sheet metal-?

Wiring/Relays/Fuses-Nerves/Brain

Mechanicals (excluding engine)-Ancillary organs

Engine/Fuel pump-Heart

Carb-Lungs

Upholstery-?

Cosmetic trim?

Prithvi

Last edited by mbz180 : 8th October 2011 at 11:18.
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Old 8th October 2011, 19:02   #296
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

Hi Prithvi,

Good things happen to nice people. Glad that your car with the trims of your dreams will come true. I cannot wait to see the pictures of car when it is completed.

Cheers

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Old 10th October 2011, 16:17   #297
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

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mbz180 - And congratulations on the roof. Would love to see some pics pf the roof.
I had posted pics of the roof when it was in the US, so no point in putting up pics now that it's here since it's exactly the same as on those pics and no damage in transit. However, I knew where to find the maker's mark (best way to confirm that it's an original Webasto) and was delighted when I found it. It's etched on the chrome locking plates on either front side of the roof so here are 2 pics I took.



Regards
Prithvi
Attached Thumbnails
My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-webasto_1.jpg  

My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton-webasto_2.jpg  

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Old 10th October 2011, 17:44   #298
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

Quote:
Originally Posted by mbz180 View Post
Frame/Chassis-Bones

Sheet metal-?

Wiring/Relays/Fuses-Nerves/Brain

Mechanicals (excluding engine)-Ancillary organs

Engine/Fuel pump-Heart

Carb-Lungs

Upholstery-?

Cosmetic trim?

Prithvi
Sheet metal-skin?
Cosmetic trim - make up
Upholstery- clothes?
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Old 10th October 2011, 17:54   #299
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

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Sheet metal-skin?
Cosmetic trim - make up
Upholstery- clothes?
Yes, that sounds right

Prithvi
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Old 17th November 2011, 18:38   #300
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Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton

Hi MBZ180,
What's the update on the Black beauty? Calling her that as Black is my favourite color for her
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