My daily driver 740iL

[Merc63]

Hello!

Since I'm new here, I'd like to introduce my most current rides, starting with my daily driver for the last 3 years, this 1998 740iL...

Bought it on eBay 3 years ago, sight unseen, from a wholesaler in Connecticut (5 hours and 4 states away from here) for $7500. It had 143k miles on it at the time (pics from the day I got it home):

Had 4 different tires on it, cracked lenses front and rear, and some sandblasting on the paint from having spent the first 6 years of it's existence in Maine. Carfax had checked out, but there was no record of when the last time any of the normal problem areas for these were dealt with. But, no CEL, and no warning arrows on the dash message center, and it ran great when I went to pick it up.

In the last three years, I've spent about $1500 in repairs/maintenance (some of it preventative, as I replaced the radiator, hoses, and expansion tank when I first got it just to be on the safe side). I've spent more than that on mods, like the 19" RPM R505 wheels, Pirelli P Zero Rosso tires, H&R Sport springs, and the replacement lighting (750 Chromeline trim and headlight buckets, LED taillights, angel eyes from a buddy in Europe), Magnaflow high flow cats and muffler delete, and varioius little things in and out.

It has 180k on it now, and will hopefully make it to 300k. On to the pics:

First up after replacing the cracked stock lighting was detailing:

Then came the wheels and tires:

Then after I joined the BMW Club of America (20% discount on parts at the BMW dealer!) I did the rest.

Ok, and since you guys require proof... I went out in the snow just now and wrote my screen name in the snow on the car:

You saw my Range Rover in the background of one of the pics. I don't have any recent pics of the MGB or the '62 Comet project, and they are kind of in the snow right now, under tarps...

 

[Merc63]

Let me see if I can string together pics of some of the other vehicles in a way that connects all of them to each other and me...

Me and the BMW:

I've connected the BMW to me already

Ok, the BMW and Range Rover together again:

The current Range Rover and the previous Range Rover (a '95 LWB) and the BMW in the background before the new wheels were on it:

The previous Range Rover, current one, and BMW again:

The previous Range Rover, BMW the day I brought it home and the Fiat 124 Spider I restored sitting in the garage:

The MGB right after it was painted, with the Fiat 124 and the first Range Rover (an '88 SWB) in the background:

The '88 Rangie with the Fiat in the background, as well as my old PT Cruiser:

The '95 Rangie, '88 Rangie and Fiat (and the '61 Falcon parts car for the Comet) when we were building the new garage on the house a few years back:

Ok, now the Fiat:

It's own page:

http://home.comcast.net/~cvetters3/fiat_spider.htm

Sitting next to my old Jag with the PT in the background:

Again, in front of the old garage (you'll note the house next door and the white minivan in one of the first pics of the BMW up in the OP):

Right after painting (but before reassembly) with the PT next to it:

The Jag, PT, and Fiat in primer waiting for paint:

With the previous Jag visible in the background, too.

My neighbor was dropping off some gravel for the side of the house in that pic...

Finally, on to the '63 Comet...

Here it is home in the old garage behind the Fiat. This is the day it was brought back from buying it in Illinois.

Here is a front view:

What it's going to look like with the '61 Falcon nose on it:

And the engine going into it:

A Lexus/Toyota 1UZ-FE 4.0 liter V8, that I'm adapting a Toyota Supra 5 speed behind it.

None of my other almost 100 cars over the last 30 years are connected in quite the same pictorial manner..

 

[BlaRo]

Awesome cars. I love the Fiat 124 Spider, lusted after one for a first car (no matter how bad of an idea it is).

And the Comet is just plain badass.

 

[argatoga]

The MGB right after it was painted, with the Fiat 124 and the first Range Rover (an '88 SWB) in the background:

The plastic bumper MGBs look surprising modern with the bumpers painted. Are you still using the B series engine or have you swapped in something that doesn't suck.

Oh and nice Series III XJ. Shame you sold it.

 

[Austere]

That's a very nice collection. You're putting all kinds of shame in my game.

I was wondering, though: Is that Range Rover a 4.0 or a 4.6?

EDIT: Nevermind, it says in your profile thingy, there, that it's a 4.6. Nice!

 

[thevictor390]

A Comet/fairlane hybrid with a modern Toyota V8? Now that's a unique combination!

Very nice collection.

 

[Merc63]

Thanks guys!

The MGB still has it's slow old stock engine in it, even though it has a Weber 2 bbl (but it's the sucky DGV downdraft). I had painted the car back in '06 for my buddy (which is why it's the color it is. A pearl version of the stock goldenrod color), be he decided he didn't want to continue with it and would rather concentrate on his '73 MGB GT (pictured below in my garage right now torn apart to resto-mod). He had bought a Buick 215 V8 for it that had been modded a bit, but is looking at building up the stock engine in the GT and selling off the V8. I may put it in the MGB just to sell, so I can get some capital for the Comet project.

 

[Smurfen]

oh god, gasp for air.... *dead*

 

[argatoga]

From what I've seen the B series are pretty limited power wise. Performance cams, heads, better carbs, and a supercharger will get you ~150hp reliably (and cost thousands). The best route is to throw a BOPR in it, as it seems he did. My father is in the process of putting one in from a 4.0L Discovery.

 

[Merc63]

I'm not really worried about ultimate power in the gold MG, as it's just a cruiser of an old sports car. If it were an only toy and ultimate power and handling was the goal, a Miata would be better to start with.

I'm trying to convince my buddy to go ahead and put the V8 in the GT, though, since it's already here.

 

[DanRoM]

Very nice rides you have there. But why in the world did you "Merc63" as your username?

 

[Merc63]

Very nice rides you have there. But why in the world did you "Merc63" as your username?

The '63 Mercury Comet. Thus Merc63. Plus, I was born in '63. And my first car was a Comet of this era.

The 7 series is the daily driver, but the '63 Comet is the primary project car, and the one I will have around long after the BMW or Range Rover are gone, so using it as teh basis for my screen name is logical.

 

[_HighVoltage_]

Awesome cars!!! I'm jealous.

 

[Pedrocas]

I lost count on how many cars you've gotten yourself already. It's like in every photo you post, there's a new car on the background.

Love that Bimmer. Such a classic design and the rims are awesome.

 

[CrzRsn]

Very nice collection. Love the BMW and the black Range Rover.

Out of curiosity, what are those BMW plates? I've never seen anything like those.

 

[Jupix]

... Magnaflow high flow cats and muffler delete ...

Hmmm... Needs videos.

 

[alexapi32]

Don't tell me you own that PT cruiser?

 

[thevictor390]

The '63 Mercury Comet. Thus Merc63. Plus, I was born in '63. And my first car was a Comet of this era.

The 7 series is the daily driver, but the '63 Comet is the primary project car, and the one I will have around long after the BMW or Range Rover are gone, so using it as teh basis for my screen name is logical.

Unfortunately, most of us here will associate "Merc" with "Mercedes-Benz" :lol:

 

[Merc63]

Very nice collection. Love the BMW and the black Range Rover.

Out of curiosity, what are those BMW plates? I've never seen anything like those.

They are BMW Club of America theme plates for the National Capitol Chapter. A lot of states have custom organizational themed license plates available.

Hmmm... Needs videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpYyNtiWk2Y&NR=1

That's mine going by at the start...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwl0lwgf-TI

Mid you, it's crappy from the camera's microphone, and i couldn't get a clean pass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uddWNRTBGf0

This one has the sound from inside the car:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhNPCq-Ohnw

Don't tell me you own that PT cruiser?

I did, for 5 years. One of the best little versatile cars I've ever had. I talked about it in another thread...

Unfortunately, most of us here will associate "Merc" with "Mercedes-Benz" :lol:

lol! yeah, especially since the newer 6.3s... But here Merc was the slang for custom Mercury since the '50s. I didn't see it being used for Mercedes until the late '80s. When I was a little kid back in the '60s, this was a Merc:

 

[McRae]

Apart from the fact that you've ruined your 740iL by removing the original tires, adding four big exhaust pipes and lowering it, I quite like your collection of cars!