My Custom 1980 W116 300SD Project - Page 17 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Squiggle Dog · #**241** 07-10-2012, 06:07 PM

Once I got to Phoenix, I hired professional movers--and to my amazement, they pushed my station wagon into the driveway and unloaded the entire 26' truck in only 5 hours! They even got the 900lb piano out of the truck, even though it almost broke the loading ramp. I'll probably have to use them again, since I had to leave most of my possessions (my bicycle, all of my tools, all of my spare car parts) back at the old house since there wasn't room in the truck for them. I'm thinking of flying back up there, renting another truck, hiring movers to help me load the truck, then driving back down, and hiring movers to unload the truck.

The transporter dropped off our cars at a local storage lot (since they arrived way too early). Our cars were covered in oil like someone had dumped a barrel all over them (even though our cars were loaded on the top of the transporter truck). My 300SD was so bad that I couldn't see through any of the windows and had to have the owner of the lot clean the glass so I could see to drive it. The rear license plate of one of my roommate's cars was ripped off and I had to pay the owner of the lot $300 of my own money for storing them for a couple of days. Also, the transporter dropped off a vintage Jaguar that was destined for Beverly Hills, but the transporter abandoned it at the Phoenix lot and the owner of the lot said he didn't know who owned the car and was trying to give it away to us. Someone in Beverly Hills is going to be very upset!

I'm loving the hot weather (it was 114 Fahrenheit when I got here, and has been well over 100 every day), but my roommate's car (the newest one, and the only one with air conditioning) is dead, so we haven't had AC in our cars as we've driven around during the day. I had over $2,000 saved away so that I could install air conditioning in the 300SD, but since I injured my foot and all of these other costs are adding up, I'm going to be back in debt thousands of dollars very soon.

I went to the doctor and the X-rays show my foot is broken in four places. Now it's infected, so I'm on antibiotics and am hoping I don't lose my foot. The doctor is going to try to set the 4th toe (which was badly displaced) in a week if the infection goes away, since I can't afford surgery and have no insurance (no job, either). I'll probably have to get a desk job since I can no longer work in a warehouse and will be off of my foot for at least two months.

At least my 300SD is here safely (after a run through the car wash).

dude99 · #**242** 07-10-2012, 06:21 PM

wow, what an ordeal... Hope the foot heals well for you.

Stretch · #**243** 07-11-2012, 03:49 AM

Indeed what an ordeal...

...I too hope the foot gets better soon.

Aquaticedge · #**244** 07-11-2012, 12:38 PM

I am Quite sorry to see your foot, I hope that it heals well for you, I dont envy the pain you are in with it. It sounds like the transit truck was wet stacking and your cars got the brunt of it :/ atleast hopefully it came off well. complain about it to the transit company. maybe you can get a little of your money back from that ordeal

Zacharias · #**245** 07-11-2012, 01:24 PM

Congrats on that move. Even a move across town can be stressful, so I can't imagine what you've been through -- with a badly injured foot to top it all off.

I've had similar nightmares with transport companies. When I moved my CD from Cali it ended up parked in NY somewhere for three weeks.

Unless you pay huge money for the high-end, enclosed carriers, the run of the mill operators are only concerned with keeping the rigs moving, which = $$$$. They get freaked over even a delay of an hour or two.

The last time I moved a car, my 300d from Jersey, the driver called me to say he would be picking it up at 11 or midnight. I said, uh no, the lady is elderly, I don't think she will want you banging on the door at midnight (and I had specified the pickup-window times in the original agreement).

Fast forward through several terse calls between him and the dispatcher and they reluctantly moved the job to another company.

Oh yes and my CD was covered in oil as well when it got here.

mercmad6.3 · #**246** 07-11-2012, 07:18 PM

My God, I hope you have good medical insurance!!

. if not a few of us should get together and donate something to gettting it fixed. You should have had it raised and ice packed as soon as it happened.!.
I learned years ago that steel caps boots must be of a set standard so the toes are not crushed if the cap is placed under load . Check the standard of your boots..!!!!!
you may have a reason to investigate a claim of negligence on the part of the manufacturer and because so much crap is made in china to boost companies profits a lot shoddy stuff is being sold world wide to maximinse those

profits. If the boots are substandard and being sold as protective items you should take aim at those profits.!
Good luck with your medicals becuase i know that getting broken toes etc fixed can become a lifetime thing with the real effects hitting you in later life.

mercmad6.3 · #**247** 07-11-2012, 07:22 PM

PS ,never run a Mercedes through a car wash!! the strong alkalied chemicals they use to wash cars WILL Ruin the anodised trim . it taskes the shine off all of it. It's better to get a bucket of warm water with a mild household dish washing liquid and soap it on to get most of the oil off. ( or simply clean the glass and leave the rest as rust treatment )

Squiggle Dog · #**248** 07-13-2012, 03:34 PM

Thanks for the replies. I don't have medical insurance or even a job. At least I have a line of credit I can use, though the sad thing is that I just finished paying off $12,000 in debt from years ago, and now it looks like I'll be back in the same situation.

I'll take a look at my steel toe boots when I find them, though what happened is that the trailer came down directly behind the cap and onto my toes (even though the boots were the proper size, the cap doesn't cover the 4th or 5th toes at all).

I was reluctant to use the car wash, but my roommate surprised me by paying for it in advance and gave me a stern look when I questioned using it.

mercmad6.3 · #**249** 07-13-2012, 07:16 PM

i guess i could comment on how good it is here in OZ because of almost free medicals and insurance is for those who want it ,not for those who need it. (obamacare is almost a copy of ours) but I wont in case I inflame sensitivities .

Theres plenty of work down under for keen young people who want to make a lot of money by working hard in some real ****holes and who can demonstrate an ability such as earth moving machinery operation.

Squiggle Dog · #**250** 08-11-2012, 09:38 PM

I have been very busy lately! I had to go to the emergency room for an infection in my foot and an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. After the visit I still had a rash all over my body and extremely puffy eyes. I had my relatives come over to give me a blessing of wellness.

A couple days later I flew back to Washington and picked up a 16' rental truck to get my bicycle, tools, and car parts. The house had no electricity or water, but I camped out there with some friends who loaded the moving truck. I also hired two professional movers to help them get it loaded. Well, they got the truck loaded in one day, but it turned out that my roommate still had a lot of stuff there that he wanted brought back, so after loading his things there was almost no room left for my stuff. I got my bicycle, tools, and a few of my car parts on, but had to leave the majority of my car parts behind once again.

I drove the moving truck to Utah to attend my sister's wedding. It was a good experience and I got to see many people I hadn't seen in years. I was also able to sneak away for my 10 year high school class reunion. It was a small turnout, but it was nice to see some people that I hadn't seen in years.

My roommate called to tell me that someone had gotten into my 300SD and threw the papers in the glovebox all over. Fortunately, it seems nothing was stolen and even the radio was still in it. He proceeded to lecture me on locking my doors, though I physically cannot lock them since something is wrong with the vacuum system and my keys don't even fit the door locks.

I drove from Utah to Arizona and I had movers scheduled to unload the truck at 8 AM the next morning by the same moving company that had unloaded the truck the last time and done a great job. I waited around for the movers, and at 9 AM I called to ask if they were on their way. The owner told me that he was on vacation and forgot about the appointment. He apologized and said he would come out personally with a couple of workers and today I would get "great service".

Three hours later two lazy-looking guys in a beat-up car with no front end rolled up. One of them asked me if I had a computer and could get him the number for Check Into Cash. I did so and he proceeded to call them and talk to them about paying off a loan. When they started working they weren't very careful with things and broke my roommate's large decorative pot. After working for two hours they got really antsy about wanting to get out of here and were constantly asking if their boss had called me yet. It took them four hours to do what should have been a two hour job.

When they were done I called the owner about the broken pot and then he had me give them the phone so he could speak with them privately. The owner said he would make it right with me if I gave him a value, so I told him I would ask my roommate what he thought it was worth and would call him back. When the movers drove off, they left a large run-over soft drink cup in the road that I had to pick up.

When I called back the owner and told him my roommate valued the pot at $50, he proceeded to tell me that he was only liable for 60 cents a pound, etc. and that he wouldn't pay because his guys said that my roommate and I were helping them unload the truck, which caused the load to shift and the pot to break. I told him that wasn't possible, because my roommate was not even there at the time (he was at an unemployment meeting) and I was on crutches and not able to lift anything (the movers were obviously lying to protect themselves).

So, I sent him pictures of the broken pot and am trying to get him to make things right with my roommate. The first time they were so good, but this last time they gave horrible service. I actually expected a discount, or at least for the owner to show up to help and "give great service" like he had said since they "forgot" about the appointment.

After the moving fiasco was over, I went to the podiatrist's office to see how my foot was doing. The doctor said that three of the broken toes were nearly healed and he was even bending them. The bones in the worst of the toes were still too far apart to heal, but had moved closer since the last time I was there. The infection is nearly gone as well. The doctor said I could start walking short distances in my walking boot, so now I can walk a little and carry light objects.

The 300SD now has a place in the garage next to my roommate's car.

When I was at my mother's house, I picked up a package that I had delivered there from w116.org forum member sclass. I had it delivered there because I didn't know where I would be living at the time it was shipped. It took the postal service three months to deliver it from South Africa, but it was well worth the wait. Inside was a long-searched-for oil pan skid plate for my 300SD along with a spare set of manual window regulators (including a couple window crank pads that match my interior). Not only did sclass make me a great deal on the parts, but he even went so far as to have the skid plate powdercoated for me! It arrived looking like a brand new part. I am so happy with my purchase and it has helped take my mind off of the difficulties in my life. I am glad that there are people in my life that care.

Zacharias · #**251** 08-11-2012, 10:31 PM

Man oh man I thought I had had some twists and turns this year.

Glad things seem to be on track for you now....

300D85 · #**252** 08-12-2012, 01:48 AM

years ago, my neighbor and friend was leveling a newly bought fair sized camper trailer in his driveway alone

had an engineering background,

he was under it, mostly, legs sticking out ..when something happened and it was all over for him

mercmad6.3 · #**253** 08-12-2012, 02:40 AM

Oh man, when the relatives turned up for a prayer meeting i would be worried that they had come to administer the last rites...
I have to aggree,S class is the man when it comes to finding odd parts for W116's etc. I got some lower ball joints for a W126 SLS Struts from him. a part even Mercedes has no record of..ha ha
South Africa manufactures cars for daimler and as result there are lot of parts there . The guy who does my injection pumps was based in Pretoria and years ago ,bosch asked him if he wanted the remaining stocks of MFI parts to suit 220SE,250,280 3.0 and 6.3 engines. He said OK and several pallets of parts, test benches,specialized tooling arrived. But because he was coming to Australia nad didn't think anyone would ever need that stuff here,left it in Pretoria.

katja · #**254** 08-30-2012, 12:27 AM

Wow Scott....what a nightmare you've been through this year! I hope your foot is healing well now and things have settled down.

I'm sorry we never met up again before you moved...and I still have a glow plug reamer for you (though you probably don't need glow plugs at 112 degrees). I think I'll be visiting my cousin in Phoenix next year so perhaps we can meet up then.

I was thinking of you at the MBCA Show & Shine this year...besides my car, we only had one other diesel there. Yours would have gotten some attention for sure....there was a lot of reminiscing about diesels going on, from those members who have moved on to newer MBs. There was a 450SE that reminded me of your car. You just need a paint job now and that car will look just about perfect. At least you won't have to worry about rust, mold, congealed biodiesel or working outside in the rain now. Though air conditioning might be a necessary option! I'm still really impressed at what a unique SD you have created.

Squiggle Dog · #**255** 08-31-2012, 02:19 PM

Katja,

The foot is getting better. Next week I go in to see if the worst of the toes has started to heal. The medical expenses sure have wiped me out, but at least everyone has been willing to take payment plans.

It's been really hot, but the temperatures are starting to get down in the low 100s and 90s, so it's getting a lot more pleasant. Send me a message if you are in the area.

I went to the MBCA Show & Shine last year. I got to see that 450SE. The owner put a 6.9 engine and parts on it, making a short wheelbase 6.9. I would have parked my car on the grass instead of the parking lot if it wasn't for my horrible paint. I still had some people asking about my car, so that was nice. I don't know when I'll be able to get a decent paint job, but I plan to own the car for many, many years, so I'm sure at some point I'll have some extra money to get a nice paint job. I still have some nagging things like aging axle boots that I want to replace before they tear.