17th October 2016, 19:32
| #376 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kolkata
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| Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton A few updates on my car’s progress till last week: Body being stripped of earlier primer etc. for fresh prep work and individual panels, starting with the roof, are being painted black to highlight all flaws prior to final prep/painting.   Underside of fenders, inner fenders have been painted in the actual colour – dark blue. The odd outer panel was also painted to see how the finished paint is likely to look.    Prop shaft, transmission, steering assembly and sub-frame was installed.  The previously procured steering damper turned out to be incorrect. Thankfully the OE manufacturer, 'Stabilus', still makes these dampers specific to Pontons and 190SL’s and the correct part has now been fitted (pictured).  After this, the engine was dropped in and it has currently been installed on older unused mountings. But after 2 decades of storage, these mountings can collapse under load without warning so I’ve ordered fresh mounts which should be here this week.   As I mentioned in my last update, we had the exhaust manifold sandblasted. Freshly sand blasted  I then experimented with the ‘High Temp’ paint from the US.  I think the manifold now looks pretty neat but I wonder how the paint will hold up during actual use.  Warning: After applying this paint you have to let it dry naturally for 24 hours and then cure it by either baking the item at 150 deg C for 15 minutes or else you can cure it direct with the exhaust heat once the manifold is fitted to the car. I would strongly suggest the latter route as heating this paint even after 24 hours of drying in a home oven stinks up the whole house real bad. As a bonus, you’ll probably have to get rid of the oven too as the fumes are definitely toxic. Trust me, I know this from personal experience  Though not shown in detail here, ancillaries such as the dynamo, starter motor, brake booster etc. are being rebuilt/serviced (face-plate of brake booster pictured).  Smaller parts required continue to stream in from tiny lock clips for gear shift linkages , nuts for the exhaust manifold to correct bolts for the engine area; just too many things to list here. Out of the larger parts to arrive recently, the new press stamped lower half ‘skins’ for the rear doors are the largest. Although yet to be installed, comparing the current panels (fabricated on the basis of photos some 10 years ago) against the new factory type stamped panels brings out visible differences in the crease lines. New door ‘skins’ should make a big difference to the final look of the car   Will update once I have more to! Regards, mbz180 |
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3rd June 2018, 12:58
| #377 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Bangalore
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19th July 2022, 11:25
| #378 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kolkata
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20th July 2022, 17:25
| #379 | |
| Senior - BHPian  | Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton Quote:
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21st July 2022, 08:09
| #380 | |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Kolkata/Delhi
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21st July 2022, 10:21
| #381 |
| BANNED Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore
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28th July 2022, 10:37
| #382 | |||
| BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kolkata
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| Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton Quote:
 Quote:
Quote:
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28th July 2022, 11:55
| #383 | |
| BANNED Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore
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Infractions: 0/2 (8) | Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton Quote:
Here is a screenshot of it. Im trying to get a scale model of it but so far no luck. I have managed to get this one though from the same era but one level higher. | |
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14th March 2023, 10:25
| #384 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kolkata
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| Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton In an effort to be as authentic as possible, I replaced all the floors with pressed floors from Germany, including the cabin & trunk floors. The longitudinal members, A pillar bases and reinforcements, front cross tube, front apron, rear lower apron, trunk partition etc etc were all replaced and mig welded. The wiring harness was imported complete from a specialist in Germany, factory colour coded and tagged, which made later assembly relatively simple. Every mechanical componnent was taken apart, inspected, rebuilt & perished rubber components replaced. These were then detailed. Once the floors were done, the underneath of the car was painted in the correct 'light stone grey'. Pontons originally came with a crinkled finish underneath the bonnet and we did that. Bonnet hinges had become weak, so an NOS pair was brought in. Bit by bit, the engine bay & ancillaries were put together. Painting was done with great care at home with efforts put in to avoid dust and insects etc. A few pics showing some of this.                     |
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14th March 2023, 11:13
| #385 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kolkata
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| Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton ...and finally, towards the end of January 2023, the Mercedes was ready! Winning awards here and there, getting accolades from several quarters etc.; I was honestly a bit overwhelmed. I've been driving him regularly; 3 out of town trips in the car without a hitch and between February & today I've covered 1200 kms in the Merc so far. I'm particularly proud of the engine bay; it's just the way it should be and how I imagine it to be. Some photos of the completed car. I thank everyone for following this saga over the years. One chapter in my life is now over                  |
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14th March 2023, 12:41
| #386 | |
| Distinguished - BHPian   | Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton Quote:
The car has come out very well, outstanding in fact. Amazing commitment to the car . Your father would have been very proud. Well done and congratulations again Cheers KPS Last edited by KPS : 14th March 2023 at 12:44. | |
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14th March 2023, 13:29
| #387 |
| Distinguished - BHPian | |
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14th March 2023, 15:08
| #388 | |
| Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Delhi-NCR
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| Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton Quote:
 That is a very attractive colour. You hard work and patience has resulted in a car that is handsome, regal and statuesque. Savour it. That mint condition of the engine is to die for! Can't help drooling over the photos. maybe, when time permits, you could share some photos of the interiors too.Last edited by V.Narayan : 14th March 2023 at 15:15. | |
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14th March 2023, 15:17
| #389 |
| BANNED Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Bhopal
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| Re: My 1958 Mercedes-Benz Type 180a Ponton Many Many congratulations. Your hard work and long patience has resulted into a fantabulous restoration. Fantastic choice of color too. Wish you a happy and trouble free mile munching. |
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15th March 2023, 13:01
| #390 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Pune
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