R63 AMG The Unicorn of my Destruction

m4ff3w wrote: https://batonrouge.craigslist.org/cto/6152798315.html

Image 1 of 5: "Ooooohhh!!!"

Image 3 of 5: "Ohhhhhhh..."

revengineer wrote:

m4ff3w wrote: https://batonrouge.craigslist.org/cto/6152798315.html

Image 1 of 5: "Ooooohhh!!!" Image 3 of 5: "Ohhhhhhh..."

Side note: Whenever I see your name pop up I can't help but think it implies you'd be a great person to help get back at an ex-girlfriend.

revengineer wrote:

m4ff3w wrote: https://batonrouge.craigslist.org/cto/6152798315.html

Image 1 of 5: "Ooooohhh!!!" Image 3 of 5: "Ohhhhhhh..."

Looks like they took the pictures through a screen door too as if it would hide the extent of the damage.

In reply to The0retical:

Looks more like they were taking pictures of pictures on a computer/TV screen.

I also like how the text of the ad says 2004 Ferrari Mondial.

Right before I left for summer I talked to Mark at fuelcurve.com. We had a great chat and he turned it into
this article.
I'm pretty sure this winds down the coverage of the thread on the internet. I'll be very happy to go back to drinking my coffee and thinking about what to do next.

In reply to mazdeuce:

Seth, I must say that the picture of the R up in the air, with wires and hoses hanging off, the motor on the floor in the corner, with tools and stuff all around is awesome! I hope you have a framed one hanging in the grosh. Have a wonderful vacation with your family!!

I just read through the whole thread (up to page 100 anyway). Great work and I'm sure it was very rewarding.

Did you get compensated in any way for the story being posted all over the internet?

I saw a GL63 AMG and got excited because I thought it was this kind.

In reply to honda1:

Thanks. There will be some automotive art that comes out of the leftovers from the teardown. I've picked up the bolt head a couple hundred times now trying to decide exactly how to display it.

As a ring on your finger......kinda kinectic gear ring thingyish.

solfly wrote: I just read through the whole thread (up to page 100 anyway). Great work and I'm sure it was very rewarding. Did you get compensated in any way for the story being posted all over the internet?

The whole process has been great. I'm a happy man.

There isn't any money to be made creating content on forums. The writing on a forum becomes public the second it is made. Just as a racer doesn't get paid for the story they create with a good win (the journalists covering the race do) simply creating content isn't enough.

As far as I can tell money is made in the modern age through advertisers and eyes on a particular page. You need to own the portal that gets the clicks, and I'm not interested in creating that infrastructure right now. I hope that GRM had enough new eyes that it helped pay the costs of running the forum for a while, and any additional money made by the other people who wrote about it earned it.
Maybe someday I can figure out how to make a few dollars (anyone want to hang a sponsor banner in the Grosh? ) by writing about projects in real time, but It's more likely that I'll keep doing what I'm doing until I can dedicate time to writing properly.

mazdeuce wrote: In reply to honda1: Thanks. There will be some automotive art that comes out of the leftovers from the teardown. I've picked up the bolt head a couple hundred times now trying to decide exactly how to display it.

Sink the pieces in a paperweight-size block of Lucite and send it to your Mercedes regional rep as a, er, token of your appreciation.

Well Mazdeuce, it has been an amazing journey and I am glad to see you with the van back together and moving under it's own power. Doing proper vehicular family duties at least briefly before being stored. I look forward to the cabover. You have a great outlook and attitude that I believe people need to experience.

Though there were weeks sometimes months lapsing in my reading I am happy to have read every page and now finally having caught up after our own summer ventures to the Marshall islands. What an amazing read and experience and I am greatly appreciative you have brought so many gearheads and the like along for the ride.

I tip my hat to you and if you ever find yourself in northern Minnesota dinner and beverages are my pleasure.

Truly, thank you.

Just to add another car to the list, this may not be an extremely unique unicorn mostly from as it's coming of the GM showroom, but a quite rare and pretty difficult to find G8 gxp would fit the bill. For a someday car of course. The 1 year gxp and now death of Pontiac makes it more unique than the cts-v which I suppose would be the equivalent GM, MT sports sedan

The gxp was a one year factory 6.2L variant I believe? (a little rusty on specifics) and offered with the MT? Opposed to the v6 and 6.0v8's AT only.

It's no wagon nor an Aerowagen but it's something just a little different.

mazdeuce wrote: In reply to honda1: Thanks. There will be some automotive art that comes out of the leftovers from the teardown. I've picked up the bolt head a couple hundred times now trying to decide exactly how to display it.

A shadow box with the broken bolt is the classic approach to display.

rslifkin wrote: In reply to Knurled: Interesting. The early years of the 4.7 used basically the same JTEC PCM I've got. They're pretty well potted internally, so I doubt you'd get enough oil inside the thing to hurt it. I'm not sure about the later NGC PCMs though. Realistically, that problem sounds like it could be fixed by replacing the switch, the O2 sensors and maybe the last few feet of the O2 sensor harness to get the oil away from the sensors. A full harness / computer replacement seems like overkill.

To be fair, we've never replaced the wiring harness, although we did have one computer that was failed (and it died before the O2s did). We used to joke that only Chrysler could figure out how to make a computer leak oil.

As far as I know, it's everything with a 4.7 and 3.7 ever. Easy to spot before it gets terminal, the switch is right near the top of the power steering pressure line.

/end threadjack

In reply to Nash:

Thanks for reading along. I'm a bit bummed to have parked the van for the summer, but I'm eager to get back to school runs in the fall.
The G8 GXP is a neat car. I've only seen a couple and they are all owned by rabid fans. I'm not sure I could ever find one for reasonable money, but I do keep my eyes open.

In reply to mazdeuce:

And that is all it takes, having a few things in mind with a "right price" and a willingness to go through any project, head on and one step at a time.

There are many gems out there. Albeit a neglected Ferrari, a 30 year old Porsche, the van, the list goes on and on. Drop tops, v12s, and manual transmissions, I am a sucker for any of the above. But finding a unique car that puts a smile on your face is something truly special.

I look forward to the cab over through to completion. You have proven the ability to captivate an audience through months of text and photographs, life lessons and a positive attitude, and I do hope that you find success and a proper sense of purpose in the next writing.

This van build as drawn a lot of unnecessary attention because of the appeal of getting one over on "the man". And showing the absurdity that Mercedes can bring. You humanized the experience of being an every day guy that just can't take the hits of dealership markups and labor, regardless of manufacturer and breaking down the process into something any guy could just do. Given his time has no momentary value of course. 30 years ago this never would have been the case but in today's world even with the vast amount of knowledge available at our fingertips intimidation factors rein high in the world of automobiles. The human factor of maintenance and wrenching on a car is becoming a lost art.

You have done a wonderful job with all of this and done a great justice to the community. I hope to see the next to the finale and I would love to hear the next generations introduction and growth of interest someday. That I truly look forward to.

In the meantime I apologize for the long winded comments and I hope that you have a wonderful summer in the UP. And come back with lots of juicy ideas for the COE. Or even better have it narrowed down to "the one".

2007 R63 for sale

wonder if the head bolts have ever been a problem?

As someone who has thoroughly enjoyed following along, I've somehow become attuned to seeing R-series everywhere. What should pop up when I launched Jalopnik this morning?

JalopLink

No mention of updated head bolts in the article or accompanying ad by the seller, although the first comment in Jalopnik linked back directly to this thread.

In reply to Rotaryracer:

They are good looking, aren't they.

In reply to Rotaryracer: And no R63 badge on the back. I see R's all the time now in Dallas, I had noticed them before and thought they were kinda weird. After I found this thread I have wanted one. If this one for sale was near Dallas I would be taking my wife to look at it. She knows all about mazdeuce's van. I have been telling her I want one and she says I'm not giving up my Pilot, silly wife, not for you.

mazdeuce wrote: In reply to Rotaryracer: They are good looking, aren't they.

Like you said on One Lap, the R is the supermodel CLS's fat brother. You clearly see the family resemblance but it just isn't the same.

....Wow... I'm here.. the most recent page... almost surreal.

I came across this thread (and forum) from a link someone posted in the comments of an oppo post. aaaand now I've spent the last 2 days reading from page one. This has been fantastic! You all seem like my kinda folks, and this adventure has been incredible. I'm so happy the R63 went together and runs. This has been like watching a suspense movie and the ending kicked ass. Reminds me of my first Mercedes project back when I was 22-ish? except not nearly as intense. Bought a 1995 S500 Coupe for $500 that had a seized engine from a guy that had bought it from a guy and had already half dissembled the engine along with most of the interior and bumpers/fenders (no labels or zip ties or bags). I basically brought the car home in boxes. Very long story short I got it back together and swapped the engine. It may have only been an engine swap (and of course some minor setbacks and odds and ends) but I was pretty happy when it ran. I've had a few other Mercedes' since. I love them, and as intimidated as I was working on that first one, once I got into it, it was just like everything else. Maybe even a little easier. I should probably get back to work now.. we're mocking up the drivetrain/suspension/subframe on the '70 Camaro Z06 project and I've been less than helpfull because of this page. The other threads people have linked to through-out my reading are saved in my favorites for later. I cannot believe I didn't find this forum sooner.

Thanks for the fantastic write-up! I look forward to seeing more.