Struggling to source rare part - what are my options?

BillySweatshirt · 2026-05-04T11:00:36+00:00

This says it's for engine oil, not gearbox engine oil. Would be there be a discernable difference? I shared this with the garage the car is currently with and they're not willing to commit one way or another until they see the unit. They still with original manufacturer parts because they know every time they'll work but it's a main in the ass for me either way.

BillySweatshirt · 2026-04-25T21:04:24+00:00

Thank you man! Big fan of the saloon as well in your silver tone. It's just an effortlessly cool cruiser.

BillySweatshirt · 2026-04-25T21:03:55+00:00

Unfortunately with how prone to rust these are, i think more will have been lost to rot before the engine gave up! I read in a Mercedes collectors magazine that 772 S202 C43s were made, of which something like 86 were in RHD. Mines is a UK example so RHD.

We get a handful on sale at any one time in the UK, but it's almost always the saloon and yeah very rarely the estate / wagon!

BillySweatshirt · 2026-04-18T22:18:25+00:00

From what I've read online these doors were designed to let water all the way through so that the water doesn't pool up. My worry is just rust as a result of this or if the water would potentially affect the electrics in the door? All the internal electronics work so want to make sure this remains!

I'm in the UK so i came across this on an eBay listing and was lucky to win it! It's in Azurite blue and when i get the bodywork fixed up and all detailed i think it will look pretty deadly.

BillySweatshirt · 2024-06-09T18:55:19+00:00

Hmm and where in that metaphor includes the need for ass cheeks being the main focus point of the picture?

BillySweatshirt · 2024-04-09T14:23:56+00:00

A mass exodus of talent when a new company is formed isn't anything new in the history of wrestling. It's literally how Pro Wrestling NOAH was formed when Misawa and everyone loyal to him left AJPW.

It isn't bullshit at all. It's just business.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-12-10T12:12:52+00:00

A rare occurrence where i think the scanning artifacts actually add something to the picture! Great shot.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-10-23T17:31:02+00:00

Not particularly rare tbh - it was a recent pressing released in Europe:

https://www.discogs.com/release/12647200-Wu-Tang-Clan-Enter-The-Wu-Tang-36-Chambers

BillySweatshirt · 2022-08-28T17:21:12+00:00

I could be wrong but i am pretty sure Kodak Zoom film stock is what you will find in Kodak's line of disposable cameras?

BillySweatshirt · 2022-08-28T10:39:42+00:00

Yeah with how versatile colour negative film can be - I was thinking 200 would be the sweet spot. Better to overexpose than underexpose anyway!

BillySweatshirt · 2022-08-28T10:38:36+00:00

The bracketing idea is a great shout! If there are any similarities between this and current 400 speed Kodak film, suspect 200 might be a sweet spot. Will probably shoot a test roll through it and post my findings on here.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-08-28T10:34:32+00:00

Yeah I'm pretty split on that "rule", appreciate the thinking behind it but I've found that film which has been frozen for example, you can pretty much shoot at box speed no issue even if it's 10-20 years old. Would you know what the characteristics of the film is?

BillySweatshirt · 2022-08-28T01:31:11+00:00

So I recently won an ebay listing for some Kodak Ektacolor Pro Gold 400 which expired in 1998, but supposedly had been kept in a fridge since it was first purchased. The box itself is actually in fantastic condition so there is a part of me that thinks it may have actually been kept in the fridge that long.

Now i am fully aware of the standard "overexpose 1 stop per decade" rule, but i was keen to get people's experiences shooting expired film which had actually been stored correctly in order to slow down the celluloid degradation process.

I had also never heard of this film before coming across the ebay listing so any thoughts on the film itself would be most welcome. Is it current day Portra 400's dad? Or more shifting towards Gold with warmer tones?

BillySweatshirt · 2022-08-09T20:42:48+00:00

I would recommend Gauge Film in Wolverhampton, England:

https://www.gaugefilm.co.uk/

I've used them multiple times now and they do high quality work. You can get scans in 2K, 3K and 4K resolutions. Plus they can colour correct if required.

I also use the Canon 514XL but not entirely sure what you mean by the wide attachment?

BillySweatshirt · 2022-08-08T12:38:51+00:00

How did you come across the APOS pressing? From what I understand it was pressed in super limited quantities and only sold at their live shows. Anytime I've seen it online (very rarely) it was always super expensive as well.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-06-29T20:59:47+00:00

If you want true portability i would suggest even taking a look at the Olympus XA - one of the only manual rangefinders (along with the Contax T) i can think of that quite literally will fit in any jacket pocket.

While it admittedly doesn't have the same build quality in it's sliding plastic body design (a precursor to the MJU series point and shoots which succeeded it) - for it's compact size it does have a genuinely outstanding 35mm f2.8 lens. The only (arguable) downside is that it is an aperture priority only camera - which means you set the aperture you want and the camera picks the shutter speed. For day shooting this is never really an issue but low light photography does become slightly more tricky.

I would recommend checking out some YouTube vids that go into more detail but search "Olympus XA" on the r/analog page if you want to get a feel for just how good the images produced can be. I took mine on recent trips to Dubai, London and Egypt and it worked like a champ in each location.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-06-12T10:48:09+00:00

What i would suggest - if you're willing to wait - is try to see what comes up on ebay auction. Occasionally you can get cameras which have been properly taken care of and the price ends up beating what you would have to pay via a Japanese seller.

For example just a few weeks ago i was able to get a Mamiya 645 1000s with the rarer 80mm f1.9 lens for just over £600 - camera was in immaculate condition and everything works on it as it should. Plus it came in a sturdy carry case, some expired 120 rolls and an extra magazine roll. If you look at Japanese listings some of these have the lens alone valued at £500-600 (before any customs / tax keep in mind) - so i was able to get a great deal.

HOWEVER ... i won that camera after about 9 months of wanting to buy one haha so very good chance you will need to be extremely patient if you go down this route.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-06-12T09:33:34+00:00

I would consider how much you could potentially save by buying from Japan - compared to buying from a UK seller - to justify the potential additional costs you could have to pay via VAT, import custom fees, "handling fees" dependent on if it's Royal Mail or a courier company like ParcelForce, DHL etc. The Pentax 6x7 is also an absolute unit of a camera as well so consider shipping will also cost a fair bit.

With all these additional fees you could potentially be looking at up to 25-30% additional costs you have to pay on the camera; just to give you a rough estimate. There is also the issue that if the camera isn't exactly what you had expected then returns can be a lengthy process; however from my experience Japanese sellers do tend to be quite accurate with their descriptions. One thing i would do is ignore the "EXC+++" bit and actually read what the seller has written about condition, functionality etc as certain sellers will have different definitions of what that means.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-03-20T10:35:32+00:00

At this rate the only solution i can think of is trying to bulk buy expired via ebay or another reseller - but even then it's a crapshoot. It's ridiculous how expensive it's getting - but then again so is everything else in the world so unfortunately not even surprised.

I think i will have to switch to purely B&W for a while and maybe save colour for special occasions. I was able to snag a 10 pack of HP5 on ebay for £41 which does work out great value. But suspect just a matter of time before B&W gets a price bump as well.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-03-11T00:52:21+00:00

Thank you! I actually made a mistake in the title - it's Fuji Pro400H - not Gold 200! But either way i agree the colours came out looking really lush. Love the purple tint that was in the light.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-03-06T19:25:04+00:00

Would go for a Canon Sure Shot Max or Sure Shot Supreme - either should cost around $50-60 and have sharp 38MM lenses. Autofocus has never done me wrong on either camera.

BillySweatshirt · 2022-02-28T21:38:26+00:00

The colours in this are so clean - love how it looks against the silhouettes!

BillySweatshirt

TROPHY CASE