[MBZ] Nationwide tour

[archer]

Many thanks to everyone for their suggestions, and special thanks to those 
who have invited me to stop by.
Johnny B., I hope you are fortunate enough to have many, many good years 
with your wife as I was.  We celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary in 
June of last year.
Gerry Archer
'83 300D and 240D
----------------------------------------------


From:  Thomas Koschmieder
>> A few odds and ends.
>> 1.) Funnel for oil.
>> 2.) Paper towels and cloth rags.
>> 3.) Small medical kit. Frequently available at the outdoor places like
>> REI,   Cabelas, Whole Earth Provision Company, etc. Available also
>> online. Of course   the modern equivalent of a medical kit is a
>> cellphone. But I prefer to have  the  kit anyway. You can take it with
>> you when you go hiking.
>> 4.) Trash bags, big strong ones. Make great "emergency" store boxes.
>> Form  fitting too.
>> 5.) Duct tape.
>> Thomas Koschmieder
>> Not a Benz owner, yet.
>
> From: Craig McCluskey:
> Welcome, Thomas! Glad to have you on the list, after all my prodding!
> (Thomas and I worked for the same professor at UT Austin, he as a postdoc
> and me as a graduate student, so we go back a ways. He even showed up at
> my house in Austin to help me install the OM617 in my ex-240D.)


> From: "George Gregory" <EmiSte at sbcglobal.net>
> Ask George Murphy


From: "Jim Cathey" <jimc at dogear.com>
> I'd suggest a complete PM before the trip, replacing any and all
> wear items, especially rubber, before you go.  Full fluid transplants.
> New fuses, etc.  Then all you should bring is a good basic set of tools,
> duct tape, baling wire, fuses and fuel filters.  Maybe tubes of Shoe Goo
> and JB Weld.  Everything else is either attainable on the road,
> unnecessary (as in not vital), or too damned bulky to worry about
> dragging
> along to begin with.  (Snapped-off radiator neck?  Won't be carrying a
> spare for that!)  You only need to be able to somehow limp to the next
> big town, in space and time, so you don't need everything you might to
> retain full functionality.
> And don't forget the credit card and cell phone.  A lockbox with a
> .357 in it wouldn't be amiss either, IMHO, to go along with your
> other insurance policies.


From: "David Brodbeck" <gull at gull.us>
> I'm not saying that's a bad idea (the .357 magnum), but I'd be sure of the 
> legality of it in every state you'll be going through before packing 
> something like that on a cross-country trip.  Same goes for Tazers, pepper 
> spray, etc. That's exactly the sort of thing that can turn a routine 
> police stop into a trip-ending legal nightmare.


Before you leave, take a printout of all of us clowns on Chuck's frapper
thing. I'm sure none of us would be opposed to getting a ring when you pass
through if you need a place to recharge/cleanup/car upkeep/homecooked meal
etc.
Bob Rentfro
Outside Phoenix


From: "L. Mark Finch" <mfinch at katzenfinch.com>
> Absolutely do that! I'm on what's called the Warm Showers List for
> touring bicyclists, and it's been a great way to meet people and
> vicariously participate in their journeys. If you're in our neck of
> the woods, by all means consider us as a stopover.


From: "John W. Reames III" <jwreames at comcast.net>
> When I drove my 84 300SD back and forth 200mi/day,
> I kept a .50 cal ammo can with: (in addition to the MB tool pouch)
> -spare fuel filter
> -2x spare fuel prefilters
> -glow plug fuse
> -other fuses
> -spare (silver) relay
> -spare glow plug relay (winter)
> -Spare stop/turn/backup/side marker lamp bulbs (1 or 2 of each bulb type)
> -Spare voltage regulator
> -replacement wiper inserts
> -4 pr nitrile gloves
> -20-25 zip-ties, 11" long, minimum 30lb capacity
> -purple bottle castrol hand cleaner (waterless,towel-less)
> -"click" knife with new blade
> -6" crescent wrench
> -9" regular curved-jaw vise grips
> -10" crescent wrench
> -6" long-nose vise-grips
> -small (1/4" drive) metric socket set- deep sockets 7mm-12 or 13mm, 3"
> -extension, 6" extension, ratchet, spinner handle
> -4 or 6 way screwdriver
> -2aa cell mini maglite
> -spare batteries as needed
> -flares (4x)
> -compact safety vest
> -cheap multimeter (a la harbor freight $5 deals)
>
> You might want a pair of double open end wrenches 17mm x 19mm, a 13mm
> combination wrench or two, and  a 3/8" ratchet with 13,15,17,19mm sockets
> and an extension or two or three, as well as a wonderbar or other small
> pry bar
>
> Outside of the box,
> - Spare air filter
> - 3-6 qts M-1 15W50 oil.
> - Small bottle of anti-gel
> - Wood jack "pad" made of three layers of 3 pcs each 1x6 pressure treated
> boards 18" long fastened together with spiral or ring nails
> - rubber truck mudflap (to lay/kneel on etc)
> - Coat hangar(wire)
> - gallon of MB antifreeze
> - 2 gallons washer fluid
> - safety triangle
> - Jumper cables
>
>
> - 3 D-Cell "people-beater" mag-lite (kept laying between the driver seat
> and the door, within easy reach)
>
> -AAA Plus membership card (I have been towed from alexandria to white
> marsh (jeep, not benz) with a failed alternator
>
> You might also want part of a scott "box of rags" (from depot), I kept
> about 20 or so of them rolled up in a bag
>
> I've mainly needed the bulbs, fuses (once!), the GP relay, fuel filters,
> anti-gel, oil, and wiper inserts (and the requisite tools).
>
> The long nose vise-grips are a good hose-pinch off tool.  The zip ties are
> multi-use, ie holding up mufflers with busted donuts, etc
>
> I think that would probably cover most anything up to and including an
> alternator...
>
> Of course I've caught grief about how much "junk" was in my trunk from
> swmbo.



Good luck Gerry. I wish you many more years of happiness and good
health. I can't help but feel some sadness for you losing your wife.
I often ponder what life would be like without my beloved Cathy. For
now I cherish every moment we are together.
Johnny B.
I Mac Therefore I am


From: "Sunil Hari" <sunilhari at gmail.com>
> fuel filters, air filter, some oil, coolant, and coolant hoses.  In your
> car, change the belts  and hoses before you leave.  Make sure the A/C is
> charged and doesn't leak.  if it leaks and you're ok with that, just roll.
> stop by in columbus if you're coming this way (and if i'm actually here).


> Yes, I have one.  If you get down to Florida stop by for a visit.  Sounds
> like you know what you are doing as far as the trip.  As a bonus for me 
> you
> can check out EM while you are here.
> BillR
> Jacksonville FL
> 1981 300SD  EM  276k, and starting to have some overheating problems.  I
> think she caught them from this list.


> -----Original Message-----
From: Gerry Archer
> Since nearly everyones MB seems to be running perfectly with no problems
> that need our expert advice, it might be interesting to make a list of 
> parts
> and supplies that an MB owner should have in his trunk if he were going to
> make a nationwide tour and wanted to do his own repairs on the road.  A
> useful addition to the list might be the locations and telephone numbers 
> of
> mechanics and of junkyards that have MBs; Kalebs, for example.
>
> I am converting my '83 300D into a mini-housecar for just such a journey.
> I've taken out all the seats but the drivers seat, built a platform for a
> mattress on the right side, and had a custom shaped mattress and cover 
> made
> by a company in Knoxville.  There will be a 12 volt ice chest on a shelf
> behind the drivers seat along with storage space for drinking water, food,
> personal items, and clothes in a clothes bag.  The bare metal which the 
> back
> seat hid will be covered by a piece of matching carpet attached at the 
> top.
>
> I made such a journey to the Western states in a similarly converted Dodge
> during the late '80s which was great fun.  I would sleep in busy, 
> carefully
> chosen rest areas which were quite safe; take showers at truck stops, and
> then check into motels periodically to catch up on laundry, sleep, etc.
>
> The cost of the Western tour was very reasonable.  The cost of fuel 
> nowadays
> will naturally be more, but the other expenses should still be relatively
> less.
>
> All suggestions are welcome.
>
> Note:  I'm a widower as of last December and this trip will be sort of a
> "getaway" trip to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my 
> life.
>
> Gerry Archer--Age 77
> '83 300D and 240D