News:

Please add your location to your profile. It will help others to help you!

Main Menu

Just secured a 450 SEL 6.9 after bit of a chase (years)

Started by andrewk, 18 October 2022, 07:38 AM

andrewk

Quote from: daantjie on 15 February 2023, 11:33 AMPro tip for races.  You can use a punch to drive them out from the back and then use the old race to drive in the new one.  Mostly this is for shade tree techs like myself ;D
I gave that a try. Lots of noise, not much movement. Bigger hammer did not make them budge at al;l.

I have the dial gauge ready to go, just need to find the magnetic stand. 2k paint and etch primer arrived today so i'm going to get the hubs painted and baked. Happy days :D
 
1979 450 SEL 6.9 (#5532) - silbergrün metallic

andrewk

After some time occupied with work and other tasks, I have stripped and repainted the front wheel hub and guard.

The paint type was a 1k etch primer in black followed by a 2k upol satin black can and baking for 24 hours at 50*C. The results are impressive. I could definitely do a better job but I couldn't quite see the amount of paint I was applying in one or two areas and didn't really make much effort to improve the lighting in my "paint booth" (chemical fume cupboard with busted fluoro lamp).

New grease-packed bearings will be pressed into the hubs on Monday and i'll get these parts back on the car with fresh discs. Everything else is assembled after quite a bit of frustration and delays. Fortunately it has not cost much more money, just a load more time.



1979 450 SEL 6.9 (#5532) - silbergrün metallic

Jan S

Quote from: andrewk on 26 January 2023, 06:18 PMYesterday was a public holiday here. As I don't participate in that day, I decided to work on the 6.9.

Unfortunately it was ~35*C so the work was strenuous (see picture) and many of the parts refused to budge, caked on with mud, rust and general old age. Far less work than expected was completed.

I did however manage to get the driver's side rear brakes installed - new parking brake shoes were extraordinarily tedious to install.
The brake discs were also really hard to remove as they were completely rusted to the wheel hub.

The rear left brake disc is stuck due to a jammed parking brake shoe - i'll have to disconnect the cable or use a puller on the brake disc.

In addition, I received a huge box of parts from MB Classic Center in the USA after it was stuck with FedEx for the best part of a week. New water pump, loads of plastic and rubber pieces, some bolts, a master cylinder, the correct clear hose for the headlight and windscreen washer system, loads of vacuum tubing and various other items.

I'm away for a few days so i'll try get some work in on Monday night, replacing some of the vacuum hoses and other pieces which connect to the fuel / injection system.



Hi Andrewk, did you see the pm I sent you?
1975-mod W116 450 SE with 6.9 engine

andrewk

Hi Jan,

I just checked and have responded to your message.

For all others interested, I bought a water pump and housing (assembled) from MB Classic Center. Cost was $896.75 USD and I had send a pump to Classic Center as a core ahead of time, so the core charge was not added to the invoice.

The part number is: 100-200-32-01-88
1979 450 SEL 6.9 (#5532) - silbergrün metallic

andrewk

I finally had the bearings pressed in and packed with the correct MB grease by a local shop - ready to go back on the car this weekend.

Work on the car has slowed a little due to (real) work commitments but progress is still being made.

I am curious to know if anyone had some front suspension blocks available for purchase - and the zip cases for the front and rear? I have the rear blocks but the front ones are long gone, along with the cases.



1979 450 SEL 6.9 (#5532) - silbergrün metallic

rumb

I sell the cables for the blocks. $100 a pair. Pm me.

Ive never heard of a case or bag for the blocks. Thats sounds like a good idea as otherwise ypu have to just set them in the trunk wheel well.
'68 250S
'77 6.9 Euro
'91 300SE,
'98 SL500
'14 CLS550,
'16 AMG GTS
'21 E450 Cabrio

daantjie

I've seen those bags for the blocks but they are even rarer to find than the blocks themselves.

Not really sure why you would even need them in a bag to be honest.   Perhaps just another typical example of German overengineering ;D
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

raueda1

Quote from: daantjie on 04 March 2023, 11:39 AMI've seen those bags for the blocks but they are even rarer to find than the blocks themselves.

Not really sure why you would even need them in a bag to be honest.   Perhaps just another typical example of German overengineering ;D
Yeah, I've seen them too.  But it's not clear to me how well they could possibly work.  The blocks don't nest neatly in the side well anyway.
-Dave
Now:  1976 6.9 Euro, 2015 GL550
Before that:  1966 230S, 1964 220SE coupe, 1977 Carrera 3.0

nathan

There are no factory cases for the emergency blocks, the ones you have seen in the YouTube video were made by myfather in law who was a furniture trimmer.  I just wanted something to store the blocks in so they looked a bit tidier, and asked my father in law to make something up.  The cables was a ridiculous inflationary tale.  I bought mine from MB for (I kid you not) $15 each about 2005.  1-2 years later when I went to get a set for dad, they were about $250 each for some wild reason.  I have no idea what they are worth now but imagine they aren't cheap.
1979 116 6.9 #6436
2018 213 e63
2011 212 e63
2011 463 g55
2007 211 e500 wagen
1995 124 e320 cabriolet
1983 460 300gd
1981 123 280te

andrewk

Quote from: nathan on 06 March 2023, 03:49 PMThere are no factory cases for the emergency blocks, the ones you have seen in the YouTube video were made by myfather in law who was a furniture trimmer.  I just wanted something to store the blocks in so they looked a bit tidier, and asked my father in law to make something up.  The cables was a ridiculous inflationary tale.  I bought mine from MB for (I kid you not) $15 each about 2005.  1-2 years later when I went to get a set for dad, they were about $250 each for some wild reason.  I have no idea what they are worth now but imagine they aren't cheap.
Good to know. I might have the leather trimmer who is going to rebuild the seats make me a case for the rear blocks. I don't have the front blocks but will need a set for emergencies.

It seems I am much deeper into this car than expected - both time and money wise. However, I am not concerned as the car will be in very good shape following the myriad of parts and work completed. I have found a shop to do the registration work and other items required to get the car running properly (CMR Automotive in Marrickville NSW, around the corner from my workshop) as I am out of time and really need to concentrate on some other projects (i.e. my business and day to day activities) for a while.
1979 450 SEL 6.9 (#5532) - silbergrün metallic

nathan

Andrew, my father in law actually made one extra bag for the rear I still have, ill look for it and put it aside for you as a gift. 
1979 116 6.9 #6436
2018 213 e63
2011 212 e63
2011 463 g55
2007 211 e500 wagen
1995 124 e320 cabriolet
1983 460 300gd
1981 123 280te

andrewk

Quote from: nathan on 15 March 2023, 02:36 AMAndrew, my father in law actually made one extra bag for the rear I still have, ill look for it and put it aside for you as a gift. 

Thank you very much Nathan!

to everyone; thank you for your advice and assistance with this (substantial) undertaking. I would not have been able to complete this work without the vast amount of information provided by the community members in this forum.

I now have 6.9 #5532 running and almost fully operational. A few leaks, a lot of smoke and oil burned off the exhaust, a fair bit of fuel consumed - as well as a load of parts.

Here's a short video of the glorious engine sound, all gauges working.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zu0iNamrCU

I am missing the pins from the brake calipers and a few other things misplaced during rebuild. So, not quite ready for the road, but very near to its first adventure with very happy owner/custodian on board.




1979 450 SEL 6.9 (#5532) - silbergrün metallic

Gpapaniko

Quote from: andrewk on 17 May 2023, 12:51 AM
Quote from: nathan on 15 March 2023, 02:36 AMAndrew, my father in law actually made one extra bag for the rear I still have, ill look for it and put it aside for you as a gift. 

Thank you very much Nathan!

to everyone; thank you for your advice and assistance with this (substantial) undertaking. I would not have been able to complete this work without the vast amount of information provided by the community members in this forum.

I now have 6.9 #5532 running and almost fully operational. A few leaks, a lot of smoke and oil burned off the exhaust, a fair bit of fuel consumed - as well as a load of parts.

Here's a short video of the glorious engine sound, all gauges working.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zu0iNamrCU

I am missing the pins from the brake calipers and a few other things misplaced during rebuild. So, not quite ready for the road, but very near to its first adventure with very happy owner/custodian on board.






Congratulations Andrew
Never stop loving
1980 280SEL

andrewk

A friend and I took the 6.9 for its first drive yesterday. Thanks to Nathan for helping me with the front brake pad pins which I couldn't find elsewhere in a reasonable timeframe. The engine is running well, transmission smooth, steering perfect. Tyres... not so much. It is now in our workshop, ready for the rebuild of rear subframe and replacement of the suspension struts, hoses, mounts and sphere which have been rebuilt by Martin Werminghausen using cores from Nathan and others.


Next step however is to give it a really good wash, degrease underneath, replace the tyres then get it registered.

1979 450 SEL 6.9 (#5532) - silbergrün metallic

andrewk

First wash, the paint has come up nicely - some scratching/crazing on the boot lid but i'm quite surprised that there's no significant damage or problems. Only small surface rust spots.

I have taken the car for a few more short drives to see if I can find any bugs or items to fix, but the car is actually running well.

I have changed the oil and filter, there was quite a lot of sludge in the sump, filter and bottom of the tank. Will keep an eye on the oil and change it again after some time.

I also had to replace the front axle valve as it was visibly leaking through the face. It looks like it was rebuilt at some point in the past and there is a lot of lateral play. Car would lose hydraulic pressure overnight. Wow, what a mess that made - the oil was really foamed up and even after depressurising the system carefully, a gigantic amount of foamy brown oil leaked out of the frontmost fitting. I topped up the system, started the car and it quickly came back up to height.

A small tip for the replacement of the front valve; there is a small piece of L shaped bent hydraulic line for the "Z" port which goes to a T piece, mounted with the fitting facing towards the ground, it is helpful to remove that section in order to get a better undoing angle for a flare wrench. I do not think I would be able to remove the valve without the removal of that piece. That section is replaced once the  "R" line is reinstalled. Max 11 Nm using a torque wrench and crow's foot attachment (which would be 10 Nm if you could measure the torque without an offset). I also cleaned the fitting threads so that I could install the lines by hand, using drops of hydraulic oil to lubricate the threads on the way in. That way it is possible to avoid stripping the thread (as I did on the first attempt on the rear valve).



1979 450 SEL 6.9 (#5532) - silbergrün metallic