09 August 2025:
The plan had been to take a short break from this build, as there were some other priorities, and there were a number of items I wanted to spend time on with the M113K Crossfire. One of those other priorities was my youngest son's project car. Each of the boys received a small budget when they were 15 to go buy a car. There are rules: 1. Small budget (~3k) 2. Car you buy cannot run - it has to be repaired 3. Except for the cost of tires, the car has to be drivable and safe on your budget - anything else is on you. With that in mind, we picked up a 2003 SLK320 that was _ok_. It fit the budget (including all of the new parts we knew it would need). It didn't run. It could be made safe for the budget + a set of tires. So spending time with Wesley, he changed out all the same sort of things that you would on a Crossfire, as they are pretty well identical in the mechanical department. All front control arms, steering linkage, damper, flex discs, driveshaft center bearing, motor mounts, shocks, brakes on all corners, all the fluids/filters, spark plugs, wires, valve cover gaskets.... you get the idea. This car had leaked oil everywhere, and was generally a mess. Wesley got it running with little time to spare before it needed to be loaded on a trailer to make it to an alignment appointment. No cleanup, greasy handprints everywhere. We get to the appointment, car aligns just fine.
Wesley's 2003 SLK320 project. Yes, the shop is a total mess.
OK, Neil, we get it! Where is this going? Well, after the alignment, the tech, who is a trusted friend and a former MB certified tech calls me out. It has an oil leak. OK. No, a bad one! With the engine running, oil is pumping out of the left side of the block - through the casting! The block has a crack in it!!! Oh no! We go home, plans already in motion. We know the engine is trash, even though it runs well, and is clean as a whistle inside. I have an M112 and 722.6 transmission I am planning to junk later this year, as it turns out. So the CF63 gets pushed out of the garage, and to the shop to go under the engine removal knife.
Time for the M112 to go!
And since so much is apart already, we replace the lower control arms, ball joints, steering linkage (and the bushing), add the Koni shocks, Eibach springs, and CamberKing upper control arms. Brakes and rear suspension we will do later.
No engine removal is complete without a good washing of the engine bay.
Taming that rat's nest of wires is next!
We had the SLK320 running again less than a day later, and it wound up much cleaner under the hood than it had been. He made it to drive to school (for the 1st time) the next morning. With that, the CF63 project car got pushed back to the garage again. Until next time!