Question
Timing Chain 1 
Timing Chain 2
Hi Ron
Hope all is well with you.
I have been reading about the timing chain and the risk of catastrophic engine failure. I took of the right valve cover to inspect and the chain is very tight but I have no idea of what to look for.. the guide rails looks old and brown. I have attached some pictures If you have an opinion based on that it would be a big help. I have no service history on the car but it has done 98.500 miles and I have not had any significant problems with it for 4 years only done ordinary maintenance.
If you are still looking for euro headlights it might be able to get some from a breaker here in Denmark - its from a 1976 SLC but they should fit if you are interested.
Thanks a lot in advance for your opinion.
Best regards
Kasper
Answerhello!
I did find some euros so no worries there
On the chain , here is what you do
To properly measure timing chain stretch, using the 27mm socket and the 5" worth of extensions on a ½" drive socket, turn the engine over until the notch on the camshaft's indicator lines up with the marking on the tower . You will see these two straight lines , they are raised . Then, simply read the crankshaft timing indicator markings - the spot where it lines up with the pointer is approximatley how much stretch your chain has. However, this can be off by up to 3°. Therefore, if you are reading 5° of stretch, you may actually have up to 8° . Generally speaking , anything over 8 is a candidate for change, anything over 12 is a must.
If you are not having any metal clanking start up noises , you are probably OK, most of the time they give warning. Always at start up. You can also take a stethascope and listen over the valve cover to listen for metal clanging at startup and running. Mine has 144K on the clock and I only have about 5-7 degrees of stretch. Your pictures look normal
