Zsolt just picked up an CL500. We went to Ace afterwords to snag a few tools for him to use since he didn't bring any of his over. While there decided to grab a few "Bear necessities". Most important are the two cans of R134a, and the little re-charger doo-dad I found (a cheapo to get me by. All my stuff is still floating across the ocean). The rest is just car cleaning stuff.
Wall-e wrote:759NRNG wrote: This sled kinda has an obscure diplomatic air about it, especially with three onboardI was thinking the same thing. When I picture driving around a hot dusty country it's usually with a proper Benz sedan. What would it take to send a set of front fender flags to our good ambassador in Kuwait?
Could we get this on a flag?
Dude, these would be a HOOT if we got an autocross club started out here
So you buy a case of ice and the beers get thrown in?
Woah now, I just said they didn't sell beer... I'd heard of that process over there. Back to the regalia while traversing the desert plains.... would sporting shriner Fez's be totally in appropriate?
Should probably look at the laws about impersonating officials and try to avoid an international incident.
However, "Hungary Bill" on a flag...
Weeeeeeelll, the shopping has begun.
$566 to Pelican Auto Parts for basic maintenance items (plugs, points, cap, rotor, etc) plus a set of bilsteins
$60 to Amazon for a K&N filter. I tried to snag some water wetter and a K&N cleaning kit but it wouldnt ship to the APO box. (oh yeah, the Air Force here lets use the APO box as long as we keep things "reasonable". I plan on putting that term to the test...)
and $15 to Ebay.co.uk for a Manual on CD from Australia.
Good times
759NRNG wrote: Woah now, I just said they didn't sell beer... I'd heard of that process over there. Back to the regalia while traversing the desert plains.... would sporting shriner Fez's be totally in appropriate?
I think that might toss me in the "James Bond Baddie" bin.
It also turns out that this is the second vehicle I've owned that's appeared in OctoBob Costas. The first being an Alfa GTV 
Hungary Bill wrote: < OctoBob Costas. />
Best filter catch ever.
Anyhoo, try as I might I cant help but tinker with something whilst I'm in the hotel. The radio dial thingie was found under the arm rest in melted condition so I thought that'd be something "Hotel safe" I could do.
I figured I'd need a non-flame heat source and something heavy. I'd also need superglue from the store. Here's what I found:
Just like new! 
Good times
Awesome. That's a beautiful car!
Genius use of what you have on hand!
Nice! I'm not sure MacGyver could have done a better job.
OctoBobCostas wins all internets
Somebody needs to get bills screen name changed to octoBob Costas.
Actually the car from OctoMeows is a W108, not a /8. Minor detail unless you see them parked side by side.
This car is fantastic. I can practically smell that interior baking in the heat. West German glues and horsehair seats. Delicious.
Side note, I had a pair of crocs melt to the sidewalk in Dubai so I understand A/C and Cooling system is #1 priority there.
The car looks awesome Bill! Hopefully you can get the AC up to snuff.
BoxheadTim wrote: Actually the car from OctoMeows is a W108, not a /8. Minor detail unless you see them parked side by side.
D'oh! Well in all fairness, the other car I claim to own is a GTV where as I have the GTV6...
But hey, that's probably as close as I'll come to owning any vehicles with celebrity fame
crankwalk wrote: This car is fantastic. I can practically smell that interior baking in the heat. West German glues and horsehair seats. Delicious. Side note, I had a pair of crocs melt to the sidewalk in Dubai so I understand A/C and Cooling system is #1 priority there.
Dude, this thing has a smell of its own (a good one). I've come to miss it if I dont visit it about once a day at least!
2002maniac wrote: The car looks awesome Bill! Hopefully you can get the AC up to snuff.
Thanks! (actually: thanks to everyone who's show appreciation for the ol' girl )
I have an AC thread going in the General Discussion but figured I could elaborate on it a bit more here.
So I bought a cheap-o recharge kit and a couple cans of R134a from Ace a while back (see grocery bag picture). Unfortunately when I went to recharge my AC I found that I don't have the quick disconnect that most R134 systems have. Instead I have two ports on my compressor (pictured below)
In the AC thread we were able to figure out that this system MAY have R134 in it, but it still uses R12 ports as it hasnt been converted. So my recharge kit is useless.
Furthermore, I was advised in the thread to get a set of gauges because who in their right mind would pressurize a pressurized system without knowing how much is in there, etc. That lead to the hunt for R12 gauges. How hard could it be?
Well, that brings us to Thursday night (Thursday is the last day of our work week as Muslims observe Friday as their holy day). On the way home, my coworker mentions a hardware store called "AGO" or "APO" or something to that effect in my immediate (walk-able) area. Google maps doesnt turn up a thing, so I run a grid pattern through the city on Friday morning and come up with absolutely nothing.
I'm back in my room about 11am, and it's already getting hot.
I decide I'm not going to get beat, so instead of giving up I'm going to hit up this "Friday Market" I've been hearing so much about. Apparently you can find ANYTHING there. Short story long, Neil (previously pictured) and I snag a cab.
We get to the end of the first building (about 250 yards long, and maybe 75 yards wide. Chock full of stands chock full of stuff) and look down what seems to be an endless row of equally sized buildings...
We're overwhelmed.
We look and look and look and NO ONE has a set of AC servicing gauges.
"I just think it's 'too special' of a tool for them to have here" Neil says
"dude, we're in the desert. EVERYONE has AC, there HAS to be at least ONE set of gauges SOMEWHERE in here" I reply.
But we look and look and look and I'm showing people pictures on my cell phone, they point me left, so I walk left, stand after stand after stand, until the next guy I show a picture to points me right, ... We're officially striking out. We're both getting a bit tired and heat fried so we call it a day.
Here's a few pictures I snapped.
I get back to my room and I'm just stumped. I mean, how can you go through a place like that and NOT find what you're looking for!?! This place had migs, tigs, pigs, stigs, air compressors, generators, washers, dryers, radio fliers, and town criers... You name it and I saw it in there somewhere!
But no AC gauges.
So I got a plan. I open up google maps and snag a satellite image of the place.
(see that spot marked "saveco"? that's full on grocery store. Compare the size of that place to one roof of the Friday Market )
And that gives me my backup plan... I think the biggest Ace Hardware in the country is walking distance, so I snag it's location as well:
I figure if I cant find what I need (again) at the Friday Market, then maybe we can GRM our way into this through that huge hardware store. I fill my take out coffee cup, put 6-bottles of water in a backpack with some snacks, and again I find myself in a cab...
Ok, short and sweet (because the full monty has killed my computer and the hotel interwebz twice).
It was in the second or third to last building I went to, but I found em:
That last picture is the total haul:
Gauge set 5kd ($16.50)
Case 6kd ($19.80)
Lightsabers 2kd ($6.60)
hose clamps 8ea 1/2kd ($1.50)
For a while there, I was getting REALLY worried that big bertha here is all I'd find:
Not a bad way to spend the day
Quick note: I still need a can tapper in order to service my car's AC. I'll probably order that through Amazon or Fleabay.
For now I'll try to get the rest of these pictures loaded without killing the internet (again)
Good times
Dude, if you run the pressure too high on the one gauge, it calls you names.
Dusterbd13 wrote: Dude, if you run the pressure too high on the one gauge, it calls you names.
That took me a minute
Well played, sir.
Everybody knows you never go full retard
So here goes. You can TLDR this and not miss a beat, but:
This is Kuwait's "Friday Market"!
(Really I just stuck my phone in the air every once in a while and snapped a shot)
And here are some closer up shots of things I thought were interesting at some of the stands. Going back over these, I don't always know what I was trying to capture but if you've got the time, give them a good going over. There's some interesting stuff to be found for sure
^ Hey! you spelled "Makita" wrong!<img
^ Lunch
Woo hoo! Third time's a charm! (for the pictures, I mean). You could really title these last few posts: "Kids! Get in here and sit down. See this? This is how we found stuff before the internet". The pictures were originally intended to show you guys what I WAS able to find around the market, because for a while there it was really looking like I was going to strike out with this darn gauge hunt.
I even had an analogy lined up for the failure: I was going to say, "it's like going to a proper old-school swap meet and not being able to find an oil filter wrench!"
... and then I realized I hadn't seen an oil filter wrench. (I eventually found one. That's it. Just one. It was the type that looks like a chainsaw blade.)
Full disclosure: This is a very dangerous place...
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...to go without your wife. I mean I dont know HOW I made it out of there with any cash left in my wallet, but I did 
Good times
Ps
I couldn't strike a deal on that Atari. (I know, I know...). The dude wanted 15kd, I was closer to 5kd ($50 vs $15). He came down 1kd, but we were just two far apart on price. 
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