'82 343 DLS: beyond the arctic circle

[trabitom99]

Baby seats, in a 3 door, at the Nerburgring.
Tom is hardcore.

Some say she has no fear of cupboards, and that she once wrestled a duvet and won - all we know she's called Baby Stig!

They were a bit disappointed unfortunately ... Usually at "Brünnchen" there's an ice cream van parked next to the track - I should really have thought that on a Saturday morning in February, it might be shut. The kids wanted to go around the Ring too, it would have been OK in my daily (there were very few "tourist runs" that day, and the track was dry) but I don't really know this car well enough to feel comfortable about going round a 22,8 km race track in it, not with these two in the back anyway. Even if you take it easy, even one lap is still pretty hard on brakes, tyres, clutch etc.

Great news and great pics, especially the last one! Nice trim rings

GR8 NUMBERPL8.
There's a surprising amount of chrome on this car; it's just the front that's purely pov spec!

You're right actually There's an '82 Junior in the same colour on German Ebay ATM - and that has no chrome at all. Give the DLS a different grille, and different bumpers, and you'd couldn't tell the difference - from the outside anyway ... AFAIK, the only "S"-specific exterior difference on this one to a standard DL is the strip on the bootlid. Not counting Steve's chrome trim rings of course

Cheers

Tom

[JDT]

Sieht gut aus Tom!

Das musste Spass gemacht haben

PS The strip on the bootlid wasn't standard. The black panel between the rear lights is specifically "S", though.

[trabitom99]

Sieht gut aus Tom!
Das musste Spass gemacht haben

Es war geil

PS The strip on the bootlid wasn't standard.

I'm pretty sure it was on the S-versions. If you have a look at the 1982 brochures, the strip is called "Zierleiste an Hecktür" or "Sierlijst achterdeur". Only the S-cars got them, a "standard" B14 (even the GL) didn't.

Also, the previous owner of my car is a frugal man. I can't imagine him not ordering a radio, but choosing a random strip of plastic for his boot lid from the accessory lists

Cheers

Tom

[JDT]

Ah, that's new to me. Interesting to hear that it was standard on the S-models in Germany. In Holland it wasn't

In Holland, the GLS-models had a pin-stripe standard. In other countries they hadn't.

[trabitom99]

It was standard in Holland too, and in France (moulure arrière) ... Have a look at the '82 brochure, in the V3C members' section.

Odd, you'd have thought they'd fitted a spoiler or something.

Cheers

Tom

[trabitom99]

A steam clean, a tank brimmed with E5 Super Plus, and into hibernation for 9 months:




In Feb 2012 the car will be 30 years old: cheap tax, entrance to German city centres and a historic plate = image win

It's a great car, I've really enjoyed driving it the past few months. Torquey engine, throaty exhaust rasp (well, compared to the injected cars anyway ) and everything drives and works as it should. It needs a radio though, and a replacement heater valve - the car's a bit sweaty in the current temperatures

Tom

[lowvol]

I like it alot

[Speedy88]

Cool dude! But won't that petrol go a little stale?

[trabitom99]

It should be OK. E10 is reportedly less stable for cars getting laid up a long time, but I haven't had any trouble with the standard stuff so far. The brakes tend to be the first to complain after a few months of a car standing still.

Tom

[foggyjames]

300 series brakes are pretty good for not sticking, as they go. They tend to need to have been stood for years for you to have significant problems.

cheers

James

[trabitom99]

That's good to know. I resurrected my GLT after about 9-10 months of being garaged two weeks ago, and the brake pads on the rear drums were scraping for a few kms. That's all gone now ...

I guess "freshness of brake fluid" plays a role as well ...

Tom

[foggyjames]

Quite a few cars (including the big Volvos) will often need a brake strip-down after 6 months...

cheers

James

[SteveP]

Foggy should know, all of his 300's sit standing for great lengths of time

[Hell Driver]

My 340 was pretty seized (rear drums) after 7 years but that happened early on, after a year or so as I left the handbrake on for a while when it was outside Front wasn't too bad but scraping. Must say how well it's done after the overhaul. The initial brake binding problem which was thought to be something to do with the master cylinder/brake pedal area has now gone.

[foggyjames]

Foggy should know, all of his 300's sit standing for great lengths of time

You're talking yourself out of a drive in some mk1 hotness later in the year

cheers

James