[PAVAN KADAM]

Well, i would start this thread by thanking T-BHP for being the perfect medium for allowing me to get in touch with Mr Ravi Poll ( A maharashtrian like me )

A couple of months ago, Mr Ravi called me and invited me over to his house on the pretext of checking out his Prized possession, His Mercedes Benz. A few weeks passed and somehow i could not make it to his house. finally i planned and went over expecting to see a Broken down Merc in dilapidated condition.

The moment i saw the car, My jaws Dropped. What a DROP DEAD GORGEOUS car, Its standing Right In Front of ME. I was rejoiced. Not able to utter a word, like a little boy in front of the candy store and admiring the most delicious candy. It was an amazing feeling ( sorry Mr Ravi - u might have got cheesed off with me on the first meet ) I was fidgeting around unawares of the owners presence LOL

I was utterly over excited, regained my lost senses and began my conversation with him, while conversing we discussed the plan of action on the Restoration process. My First words i uttered "" DONT EVER THINK OF SENDING THIS CAR OVER TO ANY WORKSHOP"" it was immaterial weather i do help in restoring this car or not, but certainly its going out of the gates of his house on its own power and not to any workshop. His thoughts co-incided and he smiled.

We chalked out the process, and Mr Ravi was very particular in getting spares for the same, I decided its best to get my Mechanic over to his place to inspect the car and finally took leave with a heavy heart.

[nirmaljusdoit]

Its has landed in good hands now

What all do you have planned for this car ? The front looks familiar, Is this a Fintail ? Has it not been started from 2 decades ? What was the reason it was kept standing for so long ! Awesome build quality, it hardly looks like it was standing still from ages !

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

Its has landed in good hands now

What all do you have planned for this car ? The front looks familiar, Is this a Fintail ? Has it not been started from 2 decades ? What was the reason it was kept standing for so long ! Awesome build quality, it hardly looks like it was standing still from ages !

Hi Nirmal,

I will let Ravi answer that

Have quoted him from a different thread.

Originally Posted by Ravipoll

Yes Sir, this car was imported to the US from Stuttgart as a custom RHD order in June 1967, from where it was brought to India in 1969. All original documents (including invoice) exist. Been maintained with lots of TLC since.
Just can't wait to see it back on the road.

The Wait is Over anyways.

[PAVAN KADAM]

So much for the history and originality of the said car, after the coming months time permitted and i was able to get some free time off work and my regular restorations, i decided its time to get the sleeping beauty off its slumber. I reached Ravi's place with my mechanic, the first thing he did was, turn the engine belt to free the engine, Luckily the engine turned loose, next he did was fit a battery and cranked the engine, The engine rotated and a little movement made after so many years. He wrote down a list of spares and returned back to resume work once the spares issue are sorted out.

The D-Day arrived in a few weeks, and off went the mechanic to Ravi's house to start work on the Merc.

Work planned and executed on Day 1

1) Remove fuel tank and flush it : - My my, half a bucket full of muck, grime and old fuel stinking. Fuel tank removed, flushed. New Fuel poured in and again the cleaning process went on. The fuel line and the return line was flushed with fresh fuel, the fuel filter removed and cleaned. New hoses replaced. Now the fuel lines were clean and ready to go. This took the mechanic half a day and it was done.

2) Clean the Brake lines : - All the brake cylinders and fuel pipes were first flushed off, new brake fluid added, fuel lines flushed again. Few of the brake pipes had clogged, one of them needed replacement and Ravi had them in stock. Brake cylinders cleaned, few of the kits needed replacement, which were duly replaced, the brake pipes were now free and the brakes finally working good. There is a little scouring inside the Power brake unit, maybe after a few months the mechanic might look at replacing that with the new one, but currently its working just fine.

Work planned and executed on Day 2

1) Replace Wheel bearings : - Though the car was perched on horses, the wheel bearings had gone bad, and since wheel bearings are not a matter of issue, we could easily source SKF / NRB bearings locally, and they were duly replaced. With this work, all the four wheels were back on the car.

2) Radiator & Radiator fan overhaul : - The Original BEHR radiator had a small leak, it was removed and sent over for a quick overhaul, the radiator fan too was the original clutch type, that too was opened up and serviced to work the way it has to. Both the things ready, Ravi did a small DIY himself by spraying the radiator with Black spray tube.

3) Engine oil and Gearbox oil Flush : Day 2 he opened out the flush out bolt and let the oil drip out overnight, that oil was old but still viscous enough to flow freely.

Work planned and executed on Day 3

1) Overhaul the Solex Twin Carbs : - This was one of the toughest jobs ever. Both the carbs were in their worst conditions than thought. I too lent a helping hand to my mech by opening out one carb and splitting it for cleaning. This took him almost ONE FULL DAY. There was so much dirt inside, all the jets and the lines inside were clogged. Even the jets were difficult to open out. Finally by the time i reached his house to check the progress, it was 2 pm. I was amazed by his presence of mind, the Power Valve diaphragms had gone brittle, he quickly replaced them with the one's from a Maruti Omni ( Maruti Genuine Spare ) and it suited Perfectly, also the carb packing was hand cut and it was cut to Precision. I realized he is not going to the car as this work will consume all his day.

On day 3 we had 3 of my friends visiting . Pradeep Sekar ( Beetle Club member & owner of few un-heard of Super Cars in Bangalore) and Pankaj ( Bullet_Boy - T-bhp ) & Ryan ( brat001). ( Beetle Club member) While Ryan rued his 110 that could not be restored, and Pradeep was amazed at the car, and Pankaj could only keep looking at the car, discovering the car in amazement.

[Ravipoll]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Hi Nirmal,

I will let Ravi answer that

Have quoted him from a different thread.



The Wait is Over anyways.

Thank you Pavan. You've been a God send for the car. We'll keep to the plan and , hopefully, achieve a perfect job.

Hi, Nirmal,
Yes, the car was on jack for 18 years. Reason : the car was my dad's car & after he passed away in 1988 it was hardly being used. My mother used to drive it but she too stopped in 1994, but continued to drive her Maruti 800 (1984 model). Being involved with my career I did not have time for the car and decided to put it on jack temporarily....time flew and it was 2012. I decided to slow down careerwise and fate (rather the cars fate) connected me to Pavan via Team BHP.
BTW, the car has been on the Sholavaram race track in the 70's...,unbelievable , but true. That, however, is another story.

[the mole]

This is truly a superb car, and the originality is to die for can you please post some older photos from your family album if you can, would love to see them . i am sure Pawan is doing a great job to put the car back on the road. regards to you and kudos to bangalore weather

[thebulletboy]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Pankaj could only keep looking at the car, discovering the car in amazement.

When did you take this photo ?! Quite frankly the car is more photogenic than I am !

Originally Posted by Ravipoll

I did not have time for the car and decided to put it on jack temporarily....time flew and it was 2012.

Thank you for showing us the car, Sir. What an absolute delight she is !
Amazingly well preserved ! I have never seen a Benz with so many factory-installed, original parts !! I'm sure she'll be on the road again soon, and with your permission I would like to visit again to take some more pics for my records.

It was a rather contrasting day for me. I spent the morning tracking down the parts of a similar car that had been scrapped recently. And then to see this beauty in the evening !!

Originally Posted by Ravipoll

BTW, the car has been on the Sholavaram race track in the 70's...,unbelievable , but true. That, however, is another story.

I'm sure everyone on the forum would like to hear more !
And we would also love to see more period photos of your wonderful machine, when possible.

[thumpingheart]

Wow man! The Merc looks beautiful! Do post more photos from different angles!

And i'm gonna be stuck to this thread like glue! Keep us posted! Cheers!

[ganesc]

Wow, The car looks superb! for its age. Congrats to the owner of this beauty!

We have the same in white but not in this good condition. Hoping to restore it to mint condition one day.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by Ravipoll

Thank you Pavan. You've been a God send for the car. We'll keep to the plan and , hopefully, achieve a perfect job.
.time flew and it was 2012. I decided to slow down careerwise and fate (rather the cars fate) connected me to Pavan via Team BHP.
BTW, the car has been on the Sholavaram race track in the 70's...,unbelievable , but true. That, however, is another story.

Sir, No formalities, We are Enthusiasts alike. Also, This Merc on the Sholavaram Track! Now you need to tell us the full story in detail.

Originally Posted by thebulletboy

When did you take this photo ?! Quite frankly the car is more photogenic than I am !

Thank you for showing us the car, Sir. What an absolute delight she is !
Amazingly well preserved ! I have never seen a Benz with so many factory-installed, original parts !! I'm sure she'll be on the road again soon, and with your permission I would like to visit again to take some more pics for my records.

It was a rather contrasting day for me. I spent the morning tracking down the parts of a similar car that had been scrapped recently. And then to see this beauty in the evening !!

I'm sure everyone on the forum would like to hear more !
And we would also love to see more period photos of your wonderful machine, when possible.

Ha ha ha... Pankaj, i clicked it when u were busy exploring the car, I know, the car was indeed a great treat for guys like us, Will call u when we go for a drive in it.

Now coming back to the topic.

Work Planned and Executed on Day 4

START THE CAR

Morning started with the mech fitting up the carburetors, adjusting the linkages, the balancer pipes, cleaning up the points & Condencer. Crimping the fuel lines and the Radiator hoses, Added new Engine oil, Checking the coolant and distill water level, secure the new battery etc., etc.,

With everything CHECK & now all set for the crank and the excitement grows. We had Ravi's Mom for company, There is a very interesting story about this car and Ravi's Mom, and i will leave it to Ravi to add that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTtkdhzIAtk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dCZbUyJfj8

[GTO]

Pavan, I'm replying to this thread right now but believe me, I've visited it every day since Saturday.

I am honestly at a loss for words. What a car, what a story!! Seeing these pictures, I find it hard to believe that she was dormant for 2 decades. I mean that in a good way, not doubting the claim at all.

This is such a majestic automobile. Just feel happy knowing that she's under the care of the right owner who has presumably resisted the temptation of selling her off.

A "real" Mercedes Benz (unlike the junk they sell today) and a textbook case of an "original car". Real glad to see her running on the roads again.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by GTO

Pavan, I'm replying to this thread right now but believe me, I've visited it every day since Saturday.

I am honestly at a loss for words. What a car, what a story!! Seeing these pictures, I find it hard to believe that she was dormant for 2 decades. I mean that in a good way, not doubting the claim at all.

This is such a majestic automobile. Just feel happy knowing that she's under the care of the right owner who has presumably resisted the temptation of selling her off.

A "real" Mercedes Benz (unlike the junk they sell today) and a textbook case of an "original car". Real glad to see her running on the roads again.

Finally i see GTO replying on my threads, i've wondered why u still have'nt visited the Topolino Thread, Anyways, let me not deviate. Thanx

I am happy that you are Glad, just imagine the pride i carry whenever this car runs on road. I really cannot thank Ravi enough to this wonderful experience.

FURTHER PLAN OF ACTION

1) Get the electrician going on the car from tomorrow.

2) Do a big loooong drive on the car along with the mechanic to sort out any run-time issues, IF ANY.

3) Get the detailing guy to REFRESH the interiors.

4) Get the Painter to touch up few dents on the car ( Not needed, but i certainly feel that This car needs to go One Level up to become The Best Merc in the country )

5) Find replacement for that cracked front windshield.


Will keep this thread updated.

[KPS]

Glad to see this car back in action. Ravi's uncle the late Ganesh Rao was one of the greats of the vintage movement in Bangalore.

By the way do they still have the SS80 with them?

Well done Pavan

Cheers

KPS

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Finally i see GTO replying on my threads, i've wondered why u still have'nt visited the Topolino Thread, Anyways, let me not deviate. Thanx

.

He's a sucker for old Mercs!!!

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by KPS

Glad to see this car back in action. Ravi's uncle the late Ganesh Rao was one of the greats of the vintage movement in Bangalore.

By the way do they still have the SS80 with them?

Well done Pavan

Cheers

KPS

Yes sir, They still own the SS80, It is Car No. 3 sold in the country, i will surely put some pics of it in the coming days.

Originally Posted by ajmat

He's a sucker for old Mercs!!!

He's in for some more visual treat in the coming days...