I have been half-heartedly looking for a factory hardtop for the Six, and this summer I lucked out and found one within an hour drive. It was a bare top but included all windows – in excellent shape – and some but not all of the rubber. The paint looks like rattle-can flat black and there are a couple very slight dents front and center, hardly noticeable now but which would need fixing prior to painting. I had to make the mounting brackets at the B-pillar, and I added insulation and headliner, as shown in the photos.
First, I made the B post brackets, which were either unavailable or crazy expensive.
B post brackets were unobtaniumSketchUp to visualize what I needed to makeTime to cut some metal, 3/16th steelAngle iron, internally threaded tube, and the 3/16th platesWelds are a bit rough because I didn’t use our gas shielded rig at the barn, but good enoughTest fittingGetting the top level for the next stepPlumb bobbing, there are two angles to deal with… just trying to get close.The B-post leans toward center of the car and leans toward the rear, so we are plumbobbulating. Your new word for the day.Eye-ballingDrawing lines and eye-balling againA little black paint, a couple washers, and we’re doneFinished B-post bracket, not perfectly aligned, but the top is easy to install and it’s not going to fly off
Although I’m not finishing the top at this time, I did want to experience enclosed driving through the winter, and decided to try and make it quiet with insulation and headliner.
Adhesive backed 3/4 inch foamNice soft suede, 1/4 inch foam, also adhesive backedTest fitting the insulationGetting set to cut the headliner to fit the 3/4 insulationThe suede headliner I selected required a two-piece approachAll stuck togetherMetal rib covers the seamNot a bad result, with a total of an inch insulation, around $100 for the materials
The final steps included installation of the seals, the glass, and the chrome trim. I chose to have the glass done by Grace Auto Glass, as I had used them previously when assembling the windshield a few years ago.
It seemed to me there were some conflicting and incorrect comments re installing the seal between the hardtop and the windshield. So, quoting the official Fitting Instructions for Item 11, the Hardtop to Windshield seal, this is the process I followed…
Place the rubber with flat side facing upwards and apply adhesive to the complete area of the flat surface. Insert distance tubes through the inner holes of the rubber. Screw a 5/16 inch “slave” stud finger tight to each of the two weld nuts in the header panel of the Hard Top, in order to locate the exact position of the rubber. Position the rubber to header rail and press down firmly to ensure satisfactory bond. Remove “slave” studs.
HT to WS seal, studs finger tight into captive nuts, distance pieces inserted through the rubber seal, ready to apply adhesive5/16 – 18 studsGlued, but I did not apply adhesive across the entire seal, just from a few inches inboard of the distance pieces and out to the endsGlued down, and ready to unscrew the “slave” studsThis seal was a bit tricky, but after cleaning up the channel, and slightly opening up the channel around the sweeping 90 degree turn, it slid in pretty easily. I then tightened the channel up a bit with pliersTrip to Ace Hardware for these stoppers that I drilled through to use as the buffers between HT and rear deckInstalled, with glass and chrome!I could not get the long chrome piece to stay on the rivets, so I got creative. Oh wellSince I am holding off on painting the top (and the entire car) I applied Sweet Patina on the top to offer a little protection against the elements this winter.
The Six actually seems like a real car now rather than a toy, but I’m pretty sure that come next spring the hardtop will be coming back off. For now, I will experience cozy comfort through the San Diego “winter.”
My 2001 Mercedes CLK coupe went into “limp home” mode on a couple recent drives, fortunately just a couple blocks from home each time, stuck in third gear. After the first instance, the car stayed parked in the garage for a day. Full of optimism I took it for another drive, but it limped home again. I was fairly certain that the problem was in the transmission conductor plate, but to be sure I wanted to scan the TCM module.
Youcanic scanner with the 38 pin Mercedes accessory
For many Mercedes cars from 1994 to 2002 this meant hooking up to the 38 pin connector. After checking with a local independent Euro car shop and being quoted $200 to have all the modules read, I decided to purchase the Youcanic UCAN-II-C, plus their 38 pin Mercedes adapter. I purchased an “open box” unit directly from Youcanic for $370, plus $30 for the adapter.
UCAN with adapter at topThe 38 pin plugLocated here on the CLKThe green light means it is communicating with the UCAN
The scanner is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capable, which has worked flawlessly, allowing access to my home network which facilitated printing or emailing reports directly from the UCAN. After I added the Mercedes by entering the VIN, I scanned all the modules and the UCAN confirmed what was suspected… very likely the conductor plate sitting atop the valve body was the culprit. That same independent repair shop estimated $2,000 for the fix. NOPE. I can do this.
UCAN main screenHere is the key piece of the puzzle, allowing me to confirm the diagnosisP2101 was the DTC and this was ChatGPT about it
It is possible that simply replacing the connector that plugs into the 722.6 Tiptronic transmission would have fixed my problems, for a fraction of what I paid for the conductor plate kit and fluid. And ChatGPT provided a detailed method for testing it. However, with all those miles on my CLK I decided to purchase the kit. I went to AutohausAZ for the Febi kit and seven liters of Fuchs Titan 4134 ATF, which set me back $355 and change.
Out with the old ATFPan cleaned up, magnet in lower right.Remove the connector’s 7 mm bolt, using a wobbly extension.The oil covering the connector tells the story… leaking o-ring equals faulty electrical connection to the transmissionThe valve body and conductor plate on the bench
The Barn has a two post lift, which made the job much more comfortable. It is not a difficult job, just a bit messy with the fluid. Have your bag of kitty litter handy to soak it all up. I recommend letting the car cool down before diving into the job, since the exhaust and the transmission itself can be uncomfortably hot. If I had to do the job a second time, with the advantage of the lift and the experience, I’m guessing I could do it inside 90 minutes once the car is positioned.
Arrow indicates front of vehicle, the blue marks show the ten bolts that fasten the valve body to the transmissionSince I was solo on this job, I used our trans jack to hoist the valve body. The box was used to support the valve body while I started a couple bolts Not only is the valve body assembly a bit heavy, using the transmission jack let me make sure that the shifter linkage was positioned correctly.
WARNINGS:
The torque spec for the pan attaching bolts was something like 71 inch/pounds. I proceeded to do it in stages and when I torqued to 40 inch/pounds one of the bolts stripped! Fortunately I found a slightly longer bolt of the same spec and was able to put a nut on it, as the holes go all the way through the transmission flange.
When I finished the job and lowered the car, a warning light began blinking – in my brain. At the start of the job I opened the trunk and disconnected the ground from the battery. THEN I SHUT THE TRUNK… don’t do that! Panic set in because the last time I was in this situation (dead battery, trunk closed, utterly useless physical key in the fob) I had to crawl into the trunk and disassemble the latch. This time, being a couple years older and smarter, I hooked a battery charger up to the charging connections under the hood, set the charger on something like 45 amp/start setting and my key fob trunk button worked! Phew.
Last caveat… when I refilled the transmission, I added 4 liters of ATF per instructions. I thought I had a reading on the dipstick – yes that long snaky one – that indicated fluid level was fine. However, on the following day it did the limp home mode, stuck in 2nd gear. After letting the car sit for an hour while I visited my doctor, I made it home with the transmission working like it should. I investigated.
Under the passenger footwell carpetThe TCM is on the right.The CLK55 AMG transmission control module
There was advice out there suggesting that perhaps the fluid leaking past the failed o-ring on the connector at the transmission had wicked up to the connector at the TCM. But it was dry as a bone.
I decided to check the fluid level again. Warmed up to 80 degrees C, shifted through the gears while idling in the garage, then a short drive around the neighborhood, and back to the garage to measure again. I was at least 1.5 liters low. With great(er) care I filled to the mark. Took it for a long drive and then I hooked up the UCAN scanner, cleared the codes, read the transmission module again and success!
Since then the CLK has been flawless. It’s showing 185,000 miles on the odometer, short of my quarter million milestone, and with my limited driving these days, maybe the “next guy” will get there. It is such a great car… gentleman’s hotrod from an era when the technology was just about right, for me.
At job conclusion, this is what I was hoping to see!On the road again
After declining to rebuild my neighbor Wendy’s Triumph TR6 for a few years because I was too busy building these old trucks, she finally approached me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. “Give me $250 and send another $250 to my favorite charity, and it’s yours.” Thus began a two year rebuild… not at the Barn but in my garage at home.
My plan for this narrative is just to post pictures of the process, with captions. I’m sure that there will be posts dedicated to specific problems and solutions, but this build story will be heavy on photos.
Here is the current state of the TR6 as of Fall 2021…
Next guy can paint it… I have grandkids, and they don’t use the doorsCalifornia Special… no heater or topNow it’s a “fuelie”… Patton TBI system
Short drive in the TR6 on a nearby twisty road.
Enjoy the (mostly) photographic narrative of the two year journey. Click on the Triumph link in the table of contents at the top or left side of the page for a complete archive of posts. There is a list of vendors we used on this project in the Stuff We Like post.
Finally done, here is the After gallery. Click a picture to view the carousel…
Dashboard nearly complete.
Headliner, dome light, gun rack… check!
This was the “farm truck” in January 2017, the Before gallery…
The damaged fender and the old fix, lurking under the body filler that was blasted off.
Testing it out, with blankets and towels draped on the line to dampen the snap if the line should break.
LIft off!
Ready for disassembly.
And lastly, this gallery shows some of our work. There is no question that the paint job (and prep and finish) was by far the most time consuming and at times disheartening part of the restoration. The mechanical jobs were mostly straightforward, with just a handful that caused trouble. We got pretty good at rebuilding doors and windows but a broken – yeah, we broke it – passenger side window just as we were finishing the truck gave us some grief… nobody likes to backtrack. All in all, we enjoyed the project and we’re pleased with the result.
More importantly, Lewie is happy to have the truck just as he remembered back in the sixties, but made more enjoyable with the addition of power steering, power brakes, and the overdrive transmission.
Jim Tronier at work on the frame.
Back in the barn before the next rain. Bare metal will rust if you just drop a bead of sweat on it.
Sorting out the wiring for the dash… easy.
Dash lights spliced into blade connectors.
Fuse box above driver-side kick panel. Accessible but out of the way.
What to do when you have a big old barn with a cement floor and electricity? Go find an old truck, of course. In this case, we jumped in with both feet and ended up with a somewhat sorry 1959 Chevrolet 3100 Apache, short bed, step side, small window.
A few words about the “patient.” The truck would barely run as the carb was spewing fuel through the throttle shaft. During the test drive the previous owner almost slid the thing through a stop sign into cross traffic because only one of the drum brakes seemed to be doing its job. And the god awful bench seats smelled like an open sewer. On top of that, the left front corner of the cab was low due to a rust problem where it mounted to the frame.
The Apache is finally back on the road with a fresh coat of satin black paint, a freshened 350 engine, and a long list of fixes and improvements. There is still plenty to do, but it is now a fun driver (and work truck – this Apache can haul!)
Heart of the 1959 Apache, the fresh 350 engine… check the rebuild article posted previously.
We shored up the front cab corners with 1/4 inch steel, rebuilt the drum brake system, added new shocks all around, installed a drop axle at the front, and lowered the rear to match it by re-curving the main leaf spring and removing the supplementary extra stack of leaf springs. We replaced the rear cab corners and then spent weeks cleaning up the body and chassis and prepping for paint.
Using string and tape to line up the bed with the cab prior to mounting on the frame.
The colors lurking under that old black paint.
Checking out the fender emblem and Boyd’s 17 inch rims against the light gray primer. Next truck might be light gray!
At this stage, we have stuck with manual 4-speed Saginaw transmission, manual steering, and the drum brakes sans power assist. However, having just added CPP’s easily installed power steering and power assist brake kits to the ’56 “Farm Truck,” these improvements might soon appear on the Apache.
The rear end is a bit noisy, but we’re living with it for now, until the Farm Truck is finished and on the road. At this point, it’s just time to enjoy driving the big hunk of steel. The rake of the chassis, with the front end low, and the 3.90 ratio rear end make it feel sporty on the twisty roads between home and shop.
The ’59 Apache looks like a compact truck next to bro’s GMC hauler… it does haul with 900+ lbs of torque.
New tailgate and a little bright stuff at the rear.
The Apache ready for a cruise.
The Barn’s “first truck” isn’t a show stopper, nor is it completed to our satisfaction yet. On the other hand, our key phrase for the Apache during the build was “next guy.” So maybe it will just change hands as is, to add a little to the budget for our next project… the ’58 GMC seen behind the Apache in the title picture.
The Apache hauls… new 17.5 radials for the ’56 Farm Truck.
When my friend and fellow barn junkie, Lance, asked if we could get his recovered ’48 half-ton running again, I agreed. Little did we know it would take a fifteen month bite out of our schedule for the Apache. But after his truck – in his family for decades – was mistakenly sold from the private property where it was being stored, it took him quite a while to find it and reclaim it, and to convince the DMV that he wasn’t an axe-murderer. So what’s a few months in the grand scheme of things.
The reclaimed truck was minus its engine and transmission, and what remained of it was in a sorry state. Things were not looking good for this budget build until Lance found a restored ’48 chassis with a 327 small block and TH 350 transmission. The previous owner had thrown in the towel on a project started a decade earlier. The rest is history.
