A Crayford Revival

[EdCox]

Hi all,

I thought I should make a thread to share with everyone the (slow) progress with my W116 Crayford. I'm hoping to slowly get her back to health by installing an engine/trans and getting into some of the major rust (there is heaps). It really is in a bad way, but hopefully over the next few years I'll be able to make a respectable car out of it. The great thing is that almost every part I could need (except the wagon parts) can be found relatively easily. Finding a LH side window for the wagon part is probably going to be near on impossible - cross that bridge when it appears!

Previous owner/s seemed to have installed a Holden Red motor. As a result, the engine bay is a total mess and currently looks like this:


I have recently purchased a 1973 280SE for parts, and hope to put the motor in here after Christmas. Stay tuned!!

Sadly, the car suffers from a serious case of neglect - someone has installed power windows using an extension cord (?) and the rust is pretty (very) bad.

Some more photos:






















Stay tuned for more updates/photos/questions.

[T-Modell]

Ed,

I can only say it again: Hats off to what you're planning ... I hope in my next life I'd be born with so much patience! :occasion5: ... if I'd see a car like this, I'd buy a W123 estate and put the Crayford sticker on it

Good luck with it!
Thomas

[TheMadRacoon]

I don't know anything about Crayford, but I assume there is a brand following and hence your aim to save it...because (pardon me) it occured to me it might (?) be easier to salvage the unique Crayford (wagon) bits and fit to a W116 in good condition?

Sacrilege, perhaps....as I said I haven't read up on them. But just a thought.

[Chalda]

Could you please post or PM the VIN of your Crayford 116 to include it into my registry? Besides of that, I wish you best of luck but remember, you are not alone!

Christian
1972 220D Crayford
1973 250 Crayford
many others

[AMG]

http://www.mbspares.com.au/Registry/Cra ... ister.aspx :occasion5:

[John Green]

http://www.mbspares.com.au/Registry/Cra ... 16959.aspx

[EdCox]

Yes, that's him - old Rolfie.

I have seriously considered chopping the wagon part off and planting it on a sedan, but I just don't think it's worth it overall.

I'm not in any kind of rush with this, I am sure it will literally take me about 10 years to complete.

I'll try and get some better photos of it soon, sadly it really is in a bad way..

[TheMadRacoon]

Hmmm, I'm not sure which I like less - the C-pillar treatment (I think I'd like it more if it was wider) against the robust W116 lines, or the open sandals against the, um, robust lines of Rolf's cardigan :think:

[Chalda]

Hi,

and the rust is pretty (very) bad

Pretty bad?





As said before, you are not alone ;-).

The car in the pictures is one of two remaining W114/W115 Crayford estates from approx. 400 made. In fact, it is the only W115 (four-cylinder diesel) Crayford conversion ever made.

[MMWA]

I do wonder how obh feels about having Rolfs car now after all the recent news about his shady past.

It certainly will be now more so than ever a great conversation piece.

[olddog642]

I do wonder how obh feels about having Rolfs car now after all the recent news about his shady past.

It certainly will be now more so than ever a great conversation piece.

IMHO the past is the past good or bad we just live with it and get on with life
Hylton

[Mercmad]

Needs a plate with written on it.

i saw rolf when Gordo owned it. my advice at the time was to take the crayford parts of it and use a good 290/350/450/6.9 as a basis to cut and shut the whole deal. Kai McRaes Dad dwn in the mountains (Cooma) had it for a while,he bought it with a red motor ,and replaced that with a m110 .I was looking to buy it .The Silver one in WA was ebay at the same time but I ended up buying a ponton from Gordo instead .

[m48pro69]

Once I move to Canberra in a few months now I have closed everything over in Perth. Now waiting for settlement. I will attempt to light a fire under a certain Blue Crayford Wagon owner to assist in 6.9 conversion. :dance:

[EdCox]

Yes, it has had a pretty hard life.

I don't think I want to cut and shut the crayford parts over to another car. I'm going to go for totally original. Which will take me 10 years and probably about $30k, but it's a labour of love. I really want to get it to the point that I can drive it regularly.

I think one of the best features of this car is that it is totally ugly! There's literally nothing like it from that era. Refined, expensive ugliness. It's great!

A pretty big update on the way!

[Mercmad]

Redoing the crayford parts will be easy, it was mostly filler anyway...ha ha . They were known for using buckets of the stuff . Finding a side window might be hard but up here,theres Moran glass who could make you one . I wonder if they were Ford granada ,the same as the rear door? . Granadas are hard to find now,having all rusted away or been turned into banger racers.
it shouldn't take so long to tidy up all that rubbish engine mount stuff in the front ,hire a plasma and chop it all out ,then it is just a matter of cleaning up the front body work.

[EdCox]

Yeah, a lot of that crap is gone. The engine bay is starting to look good again.

From what I know, the side glass is totally custom. I have the drivers side, and i'm doing my best not to break it! I always knew i'd need to get some made, so it will be interesting to see how that turns out. I might get a heap made and keep them as insurance spares or to sell to other crayforders.

[AMG]

I cannot remember where I read it, but the entire rear extension section is from the Granada and the glass is standard granada on the sides and rear. it was only minor sheetmetal mods and about 50kg of bog that held it all in place.

There is the 450 crayford wagon down in canberra which needs a new home I believe. I think the owner is open to offers, at least he was when i last spoke to him. I just don't have the room or time for it.

[EdCox]

It really does look like Granada side glass! I had always thought that it was unobtanium. Maybe there is hope!

[EdCox]

So I've been doing a little bit of work lately, here and there where there is time.

I made the trip to wagga to get my rust free doors, and have since installed 2 of them:





As you can see, there is a fair amount of rust present!!





I am really only dealing with major things at this stage, as I am trying to consolidate a few things. As you can see - things are pretty busy at home!





Next on the list is to get the blue car running nicely so I can swap the engine into the Crayford. It will be a fairly big job as some fabrication will be required to convert the engine bay back to suiting a M110. All in good time!! One of the main problems I've been having with the blue parts car is with the fuel pump. It leaks a fair bit and I have been looking to replace it. I haven't pulled the trigger on a new one yet, as I have discovered that a pump from a late 80's nissan 280ZX is identical (in appearance) to the Bosch OEM one. I need to check out flow rates and pressures before committing, but if they work, they're about $70 from a wreckers, so I could buy 2 and keep one spare. It's amazing how much difference the fuel pump can make on a D-Jet though, so I just want to make 100% sure it will work well. I'll let everyone know how it goes because it would be a good insurance spare for D-Jet owners.



After the engine is in, the blue car will be scrapped. It's already fairly stripped, so if anyone needs any W116 parts let me know. About the only good thing left on the car is the rust free sunroof. The front doors and panels are OK but I think it's been in a pile up at some stage as both the front and rear appear to have been repaired.

I also have a decent stock of window sets (about 3 full sets) and heaps of headlights/taillights. And 2 of these hubcaps.



Stay tuned!!

[leyphip]

wiggles4.jpg

[EdCox]

Wow! Thanks for posting those photos!

It's in far worse shape now than it looks in those photos. Do you have any recollection of dodgy rust repairs having occurred before your ownership? There's some seriously shoddy patches in the passenger side wheel arch area (literally corrugated iron flattened out and riveted over a hole!).

It's actually really useful to know the old registration number too! You don't happen to have any parts from it still by chance do you?

Thanks again!

[leyphip]

I'll see if I can fiddle with the pic of it's rear and see if I can get the number plate details and if successful, will post them up.

[leyphip]

I did no rust repairs on it...the windows were manual when I had it. There was a manual switch next to the gearstick which activated the cooling radiator fan. I had to always have it on whenever I used the A/C or if the weather was hot. It did not turn on automatically.
I'm pretty sure it had another switch where a siunroof switch would be....but it activated the rear wiper and washer.
It had a Holden 3.8 engine and gearbox in it as the guy who sold it to me, used it to tow his boat and the 280 merc engine was not strong enough he said.
I bought the car off the guy who lived in Windsor, NSW.
I bought it for 6k.
I transported a friends cuckatoo in the rear cargo area in its cage....but the cage was close up to the back of the rear seat..the cockie chewed the top of the seat....hence the chewed look of the seat top.

[T-Modell]

....
I transported a friends cuckatoo in the rear cargo area in its cage....but the cage was close up to the back of the rear seat..the cockie chewed the top of the seat....hence the chewed look of the seat top.

That's a great story!
Thomas

[leyphip]

I just noticed the gold kangaroo pin stuck in the dash near the air vent.....on the dash...Cant believe it....my son was 6 when he stuck it there.....well it is confirmation it is our old wagon..he is 25 this year. I think he got it from his school when they were promoting the Sydney 2000 Olympics...
Its good to see the pin survived...LOL

[EdCox]

Ha! It's amazing how things can survive. As they say, nothing preserves better than neglect.

It's still there. Next time I'm at the car (currently in storage) I can grab it and post it to you if it has any kind of significance?

I can already read the number plate from the photo you've posted, so no need to check it up, thanks though.

What a story!

[leyphip]

No..Its OK....The kangaroo can stay with the car
I think I got OPM193 as number plate rego.