51 Reply by squidbreath (edited by squidbreath 2010-03-01 07:50 AM)

  • Registered: 2009-12-26
  • Posts: 443

Re: Mercedes 280?

Yeah.  It would've been cool and saved money too.  Mine needed a bottom end rebuilt.  Even with that, I got $850 for the engine and trans which covered most of my engine swap.

That octagonal device (ac compressor) to the left of the heads can get you over $100 on ebay.  Low rider guys use them to operate their air bags.

These old cars are amazing.  I got $50 for the tool kit alone.

If that car has a good rear bumper I have a guy in Turkey who'll buy it and my front bumper.  But he doesn't want my front bumper unless he can get a rear one too.  He's buying my steering column, seat covers, headlights and taillights.  He doesn't seem to care that the shipping costs more than the part.  They must not have many of these in Turkey.

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

squidbreath's Website

  • From: Corona, CA.
  • Registered: 2009-08-03
  • Posts: 359

Re: Mercedes 280?

squidbreath wrote:

This car has a very strange front suspension geometry.

In reference to the driver's side: At 5" droop the instant center(IC) is about 40 inches outside the car on the driver's side.  At normal ride height, the IC is about 23 feet outside the car on the driver's side.  At 5" of compression the IC is about 38" outside the car on the passenger side.

The roll center is below ground at both droop and compression but about 12" above ground at normal ride height.

The axis of the lower control arm attachments is 21 degrees different from the axis of the upper control arm attachments.  There is little castor at full droop and full compression and quite a bit at normal ride height.

I'm guessing that you have slight positive camber at ride height, more positive camber at droop and negative camber in compression.  If so, then your camber compensation (for body roll) is pretty good.  I suppose that the upper and lower control arms travel in different planes to provide anti-dive.  I didn't realize that doing so would have such an odd effect on caster.  How much caster do you have at normal ride height?  Greater than 10 degrees?  How low does the caster go in jounce and rebound?

Team Co-Craptain, Los Cerdos Voladores
Plymouth Neon
Yeah, we're horrible...but we're LEAST Horrible
  • Registered: 2009-12-26
  • Posts: 443

Re: Mercedes 280?

widgetsltd

The control arms are at different angles from the side view.  Their planes would intersect near the center of gravity.  I suspect this is for anti-dive reasons.

The puzzling thing is that they are also different angles from an overhead view.  The pivot axis at the bottom points out and at the top points in.  This is the 21 degree difference I was speaking of.

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

squidbreath's Website

  • X-args
  • X-args
  • May Have Raced Your Car
  • Offline
  • From: East Bay, CA
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 736

Re: Mercedes 280?

That 21 degree thing is for good freeway manners coupled with good anti-dive and anti-roll behavior without huge anti-roll bars, IIRC. A complicated way to address the problem, but it worked well.

2x Volvo PV544 (RIP '63) B20 power!
2007/2012/2013 Driver's Championship (what was I thinking!?) 143 races and counting.
2/25/24
  • From: sacramento ca
  • Registered: 2009-11-25
  • Posts: 266

Re: Mercedes 280?

the car in the yard had a good bumper too. sans the seats it was almost complete

  • Registered: 2009-12-26
  • Posts: 443

Re: Mercedes 280?

what yard was it?

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

squidbreath's Website

  • Registered: 2009-05-11
  • Posts: 122

Re: Mercedes 280?

X-args wrote:

A complicated way to address the problem, but it worked well.

You know, even if I didn't have the context of that remark, I probably would have guessed that you were talking about some sort of Mercedes.

  • From: Frederick, MD
  • Registered: 2011-01-03
  • Posts: 119

Re: Mercedes 280?

love. this. thread.
http://www.nast-sonderfahrzeuge.de/MB-Exotenforum/img/uploaded/image12040.jpg

I still want to see a W108/9 car though...  before the 190 we had actually settled on a W115 coupe, but the 190 came for free so the 190 it was.

Now happily part of Speedycop.

formerly:
Ziegel Scheißhaus Racing & ReVolvolution Racing

59 Reply by DC Doug (edited by DC Doug 2011-01-08 05:01 PM)

  • DC Doug
  • DC Doug
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
  • Offline
  • From: Washington DC / SF Bay area
  • Registered: 2010-09-27
  • Posts: 2,856

Re: Mercedes 280?

Agree, so much win here.

Squidbreath, ever since I became aware of Lemons I've wanted to do what you guys did with the red car and now the Group 5 silver car.... OMG!  I think I'd not only race it, but I'd probably make it my DD!

Well done, sir!  Well done.

(btw, please update your blog!!!)

Speedycop/NSF Racing /Pinewood Dirtbags
'10 Summit, CMP3, Autobahn, '11 CMP1, NJMP, CMP2, Summit, G'man, Stafford, Charlotte, Autobahn, ECR '12 CMP1, NJMP, G'man, NHMS1, Summit, CMP2, NHMS2, ECR, '13 CMP1, ECR, Summit, NJMP, THill, CMP2, MSR, NHMS, Sears '14 Barber, Sears1, ECR, CMP1, NJMP1, BWillow, Sebring, CMP2, THill, Sears2, '15 Sears1, Barber, Ridge, THill, '16 Sears1