Thursday, April 24, 2008

Movement Forward

The responses I received from the online board I posted to last night were very helpful. Most people suggested that finding someone to replace the single-row chain would be the best course of action. Wouldn't you know it, I have an appointment to bring it on Wednesday to have the work done. The plan is to replace the chain, tensioners, guide rail liners, and probably change the oil and some belts too, as they'll be removed as part of the procedure. Getting to the rails and tensioner require the removal of the alternator, power steering pump and a couple of other critical components, so I'm happy not to be doing this one for my first big repair. The covers for the rails are essentially plastic, and it has been noted that they (and the tensioner itself) get brittle over time. With extended rest time, and not having oil pumped through that part of the engine for long periods, well, I can see how they may be a bit on the crusty side.

Interestingly, many people commented on the look of the car, and how a) The color (Golden Brown, MB code 476) is pretty uncommon and b) how strangely nice it looks - Brown is generally not the color that comes to mind when thinking of classic autos, but it seems to have struck a chord with others. Once it comes back from the timing work, I'm looking forward to tackling my own to-do list, with the peace of mind that the chain issue is dealt with and that there is fresh oil in the motor.

Been spending too much time on this lately - off to veg in front of the tube.

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