What’s this blog all about?
It’s about creation, recycling and lots of coffee.
I’m blogging on my efforts to make a fantastic antique piece of machinery working again but with newer and more environmental friendly technical solutions. More specific, this is about making a old Mercedes Benz automobile running on vegetable oil (for you tech nuts: it’s a W111 chassis 1966 vintage 230S, also known as the fintail model).
Who is Fat Franz?
When I bought this car in october, 2001, it found a new home in a garage at my workplace. Immediately it amused my co-workers purely by its old-fashioned looks and a few asked me if it had a name. No, I said and put up a naming contest. To put it mildly, the results were not too exciting. Most of the contestants suggested very feminine nicknames. This car smells bad, uses ugly oils, is made of 1.400 kilograms of steel and has four rubber feet. Nothing of this is very feminine to me, so I chose the last contestants suggestion: Franz. It sound like a mildly overweight german man in the middle of his life, maybe not taking care of his hygiene as people around would wish he did and eating a lot of greasy food. Just like this car. The Fat in Fat Franz comes from the projects nature, the automobiles future as a waste vegetable oil cooker.
Who are you?
I’m a 29-year old child boy man from southern Sweden working as a computer technician. Apart from crawling under greasy old cars I enjoy repairing old radios or other electronics, listening to quite a lot of music, drinking beer, strolling around in the nature, finding cool old furniture in thrift stores and .. oh well. Surrounding all this I have thoughts about trying to live sustainable to the extent that is possible and for the most part of time, making environmentally sound choices in my everyday life. So this stinker project fits me quite well, being both technical and environmental at the same time.
Anything else?
Being a European-built car and living in Europe, I try to keep all measurements mentioned in metric units. For readers from the States, there are a number of free online unit converting services on the net.
English is not my native language, so please feel free to correct any spelling errors.
One more thing: comments to my posts are most welcome, I do not enjoy monologues, but more so dialogues.
December 30, 2006 at 3:14 am |
I have bookmarked your blog, and will keep an eye on your progression with Franz. I live in the Dallas, Texas area, so needless to say I am quite far across the pond. Keep the details and the pics coming, and visit us often at Mercedesshop.com. I am JimmyL on the forum.
Jimmy
May 31, 2007 at 6:55 am |
Nice… good luck with the conversion… veg oil is the shit…
June 6, 2007 at 3:23 am |
Well, I haven’t checked in since December, and it looks like you are almost there! Was nice to hear it run. Very smooth, and sounds as it should. Very little vibration also.
It is funny, in the US, everybody wants to find a car that is manual shift, and you sound very fired up to have an automatic. I guess we all want what we don’t have.
Keep it up, and I won’t wait so long to check back in…….
Jimmy
June 15, 2007 at 3:03 am |
This is exactly what I want to do. I’m going to buy a MB diesel for WVO too. I love the old 60’s and 70’s bodies, but the engines are just too slow for me. I love all the problems you describe and detailed instructions on how you solved them. That will make it so much easier for me to do it. Your car is beautiful, and sounded great in that video. Can’t wait to see the final product.
Peace.
October 7, 2007 at 3:28 am |
I am really enjoying your blog! I own a 1967 230S fintail, and have been wanting to install a 5 cylinder 617 turbo diesel. I have wondered what would be involved. If I install a diesel engine in mine as you have, I will eventually run it on biodiesel or WVO.
February 27, 2008 at 4:38 pm |
Have a nice day !
November 24, 2008 at 12:20 am |
I was looking at OM617 engines today on google and lown behold you are doing the exact same thing I want to do!
Im in Alabama in the states so this is really awesome to find this. I will be printing out parts of your blog to help me get my 220 Heckflosse up and running again, the 2200cc engine is worn out and I want to get the 120PS 300SD OM617 in there with and want to get it good and reliable
thanks for this blog
~Brent
March 26, 2009 at 4:56 am |
Great blog! I am especially interested in your W108 diesel. I’ve got a 72′ 280se and would love to do such a conversion but have little time, perhaps not enough experience and not much support (my family thinks I should get rid of the W108). This blog is very inspirational to me. Maybe eventually I will go for it! So if you have any new info on your W108, please post!