I'm wanting to tidy the yard up a bit and make a bit more space because I'm looking at buying a boat and/or motorhome and there's been too much crap in the yard for years anyway.
So first off I scrapped an old Merc ML 3.2 7 seater I've owned for around 5 years. I bought this ML in a rush when I needed a tow car to pull my caravan to Cornwall, bought it one day and used it for the tow the next day. New iridium plugs in it (12), new tyres on the back but a bit tatty, AC didn't work (compressor), PAS reservoir to pump seal issue so it leaked PAS fluid out over a couple of days, osr bumper needed a bracket fabricating. One previous owner car, I could have fixed it up but it wouldn't be worth much so I scrapped it and got paid £250 scrap value. No problems there, it was a runner and the local bloke who picked it up made short work of getting it on the back of his truck, just drove it on.
Different story getting rid of the Jeep. Flat battery but it wouldn't crank on turn of the key from a good jump start. I got it started by removing the starter relay and jumping the switched connection.. Jump starting from my car it started straight up after maybe 3 years since it was last started but it would only run for 3 seconds before cutting out... some sort of immobiliser issue. Brakes were binding and I only had a normal car to pull it with if I were to use a rope, so I rigged a longer wire from the relay connections to the cabin so I could touch the wires together and start it from inside then move a few feet during the 3 seconds the engine would run whilst trying to avoid crashing into my car that I was jump starting it from. Took around an hour to do a total of around 80 yards including a 5 point turn for the Jeep and the jump start vehicle having to be constantly repositioned around the Jeep in a kind of vehicle dance but I managed to manoeuvre it in the yard to get it nicely lined up with the entrance for when the scrapman came with his truck to collect it. Phoned the scrapman I used for the ML... "I'm in Tenerife mate, back Tuesday". So I told him "I want it gone before then really but if it's still here on Tuesday I'll call you again". Phoned the driver of another scrap firm I've used in the past, not so close but still only 10 miles away. He said "Phone our office mate, I'm just a driver". I phoned the office they said "We'll be sending a different driver and she's a lot better looking". My mate was with me, he was hurt badly in a car crash in his 20's and doesn't work but we've known each other all our lives and he comes to see me at work and 'help me' a few times a week. He says "Heh I might come tomorrow then if there's a bird coming"'. The scrapyard office hear him so they're all laughing. Next day the driver turns up to collect the Jeep, looks a bit young and giddy but manages to reverse the truck down the drive OK. I don't want to make it seem I'm looking over her shoulder so I don't watch her attach the tow line from the truck to the Jeep. Goes to winch the Jeep onto the truck, the Jeep doesn't move but it's front wheels turn inwards because she'd attached the line to the steering arm instead of to the axle and the truck moves backwards. At this point I release the line and attach it to the axle. What should have been an easy job winching the Jeep onto the truck turns into half an hour of faff because of the front wheel tow-in so not being able to steer it very well and because the tow-in pushes the ramps inwards during the climb. At last it's on the truck, spend half hour talking about her horses with her taking pics of my old boat because her mate might want to buy it, then she says goodbye without giving me the cheque for £340. All good in the end though.
Had a Merc ML55AMG in the yard for around 7 years, not mine, it belonged to a customer whom had me convert his newer Merc ML63AMG to LPG around 7 years ago. When coming to collect the freshly LPG converted 63AMG he asked me if he could come in his 55AMG, drive home in the 63, have me LPG service the 55 and come back to collect the 55 next week. It turns out that in that week his then missus discovered he was having an affair with his secretary, he ran off with the secretary, the 55 was the missus daily driver.. The car was left with me for 7 years and the owner was very difficult to get hold of. But I managed to get in touch with him last week and he agreed to give me the car to compensate for the storage, a logbook in my name for it arrived today. I'm not sure what to do with the 55AMG now, it has a 'special' LPG system because it's previous owner was an LPG installer and went to town fitting multiple LPG tanks to maximise range, I quite enjoyed driving it when it was roadworthy. quick for a small 4x4 SUV type thing and could be a 'street sleeper' if de-badged to shock boy racers from the lights, or pull a boat when I buy one (or existing caravan). But it's obviously deteriorated in 7 years, brake pedal goes to the floor but I haven't had a good look around it and ML's do have a common problem of rusted rear brake lines so the brakes might be an easy fix. Got it started but it was running on 6 cylinders at first, it turned out rats had eaten some engine bay wiring! But I've fixed that and the V8 now runs nicely. Maybe if it seems structurally good I'll fix it, maybe then keep it myself or sell it, if it seems it'll cost too much to put back on the road I'll sell it as is. Maybe regret scrapping the other ML because the door sills were better on that one than this and same colour.
Wonder if boat exhaust manifold/risers and mating plate to an Alpha/Bravo boat leg are available for the Merc 5.5? If so it might be an idea to buy a boat with a knacked engine and stick the 350/400hp Merc 5.5 in a boat designed for a 4.3/5.0/5.7 Mercruiser/Volvo setup.