From owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Sun Mar 22 20:41:12 2009 From: diesel-benz-digest diesel-benz-digest Monday, March 23 2009 Volume 01 : Number 3029 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles Derick Amburgey Digest Coordinator Contents: [db] a new look for the tug [db] Monster Garage East - Update Diesel Benz Digest Home Page: http://www.digest.net/diesel-benz/ Send submissions to diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Send administrative requests to diesel-benz-digest-request-at-digest.net To unsubscribe, include the word unsubscribe by itself in the body of the message, unless you are sending the request from a different address than the one that appears on the list. Include the word help in a message to stag-digest-request to get a list of other majordomo commands. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:58:03 -0700 (PDT) From: diesel john Subject: [db] a new look for the tug http://wagoneers.com/FSJ/rigs/1986-CJ10A/2009_Mar_20_new-bumper/ john ----- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://AMSOIL.com/redirect.cgi?zo=283461 http://creationwiki.org http://johnmeister.com http://wagoneers.com http://fotomeister.us - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 23:29:20 -0400 From: "FParker" Subject: [db] Monster Garage East - Update In case you though that John should get the award for list member with the most car/truck projects going at once, I though it would be a good idea if I gave you a little glimpse of the monster garage on the east coast. Over the past few years, a I have bought and sold a number of interesting cars and boats, however the number of purchases have out numbered the sales. Sometimes I get attached to the cars and can't bring myself to say good-bye - I am sure that most of you can relate. The current list is as follows: 1975 Dodge Power Wagon - Cummins transplant 1989 Shelby CSX-VNT 1990 Audi V8 Quattro 1991 Mercedes 300D - Smoked Silver 1991 Mercedes 300D - Maroon 1991 BMW M5 1998 BMW 540i Sport 1971 Bertram 25 Sportfisher I bought the Power Wagon in Oregon about ten years ago. I had always wanted a Dodge from that era, but they are hard to find on the east coast without trees growing through the floorboards. This one is a rust free north western truck - mold and all. After driving it for three or four years I decided to repower it with a '92 Cummins 6BTA and fit it with a 1 ton suspension. Definitely a keeper. I have owned the Shelby for about twelve years. It is a almost perfect condition 60K mile example of a limited production (#293 of 500) car that came from the Shelby Whittier, CA plant and sold through the Dodge dealers. The car is one of three that I have owned, one of the others was a daily driver for six years. Probably the funest cars I have ever owned (at least through the eyes of a twenty something year old). I have smoked many high dollar cars just to be asked "what the heck is that?" The Audi V8 is a trusted steed that has had my heart since it had 275 miles on it. While home for break during my senior year at college in 1990, a close friend of the family who lived across the street came over with a brand new black on black Audi V8. I had to pick my girlfriend up at the train station that night and he tossed me the keys and said "have a great evening". I bought the car from him in 1996 with 71K on it. It currently has 155K but you would think it was close to new if you saw it. I have often said that it will sink in the mud behind my garage before I sell it. The Smoked Silver Benz was love at first sight for me - at least according to my friend Catherine. Her impulsive personality noticed it in front of Inskip Mercedes while she was driving her Jeep down the automile back in 1996 - an hour later she was driving it home. I saw it parked in front of her place the next morning and thought that it was a great looking car - and why does it have those vents on the passenger side fender? Hmmm - Diesel? Little did I know that it would join my fleet years later. She bought it with 70K on it. I took over at 170K. It's up to 235K and still going strong. Probably the best car I have ever owned. The Maroon Benz has been a great car - however I have never felt the love. As the Smoked Silver car started to age, I thought adding a lower mileage diesel Benz to the fleet would provide a few more years of easy service. It did that - without a hitch... I just couldn't get myself to that happy place with this car. Great car, wrong owner. I have been driving the smoked silver car lately and just love it.... weird. The M5 has "been in the family" for a while too - about 6 years. My close friend Jack had his heart set on a E34 M5 and we set out to find a diamond in the ruff and we found this car. It was owned by an ultra anal guy up in Massachusetts. Jack pulled the trigger that day. He drove it sparingly until I bought it from him last fall. The E34 is the last of the hand built M5's - the quality, fit, and finish is like nothing I have ever seen. This car is white with a black gut, full Dinan suspension, exhaust, chip, etc. Handles like it is on rails and the brakes will put you into the seatbelts. Really, really fun car to drive. The 540 Sport is a recent addition that was a fantastic find. It is in phenomenal condition, triple black, six speed manual, V8. I haven't registered it yet, but this spring I plan to make it a daily driver. Although the 1971 Bertram is not a car, I feel it is worthy of mention. The Bertram legacy is unmatched sea keeping ability - even in a hull that is a 40 year old design. This 25 foot boat will easily take on seas that would scare the occupants of modern 30 footers. Weighing in fully outfitted at almost 7000 pounds, it has a fiberglass hull that was hand laid to a solid thickness of almost three quarters of an inch. I have been out in some pretty sloppy stuff, and this boat just plows along happily as other captains are heading for port. The only boat I would consider as a suitable replacement would be a 31' Bertram. Each one of these vehicles means something different to me and it will be hard to say goodbye to my trusted friends. But I just need to make room for other things. It think at this point, the Maroon Benz is on the chopping block. As much as I love it the Shelby should probably go, mainly because the M5 can do everything that it does and then some. The Smoked Silver Benz shouldn't be far behind. That would get me down to a more reasonable four cars in the fleet - the 540 as a daily driver, the M5 as a toy, the truck as an ongoing project and utility vehicle, and the Audi as the old faithful. So the question is: what do you guys think? Do you care? Did you read all of this gibberish? :-) Fasten your seatbelt and get out the popcorn - the Monster Garage of the East is open for business! Fred ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #3029 **********************************