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77 6.9 Restoration

Started by jbrasile, 20 February 2011, 09:46 PM

jbrasile

Hello everyone,

As I mentioned on another post, we restored a 77 6.9 for a client and he has authorized us to share some details of the project for our members to enjoy so here it goes...

A little bit of history on S/N 2456:


Originally imported by the Spanish Consulate in Sao Paulo and then sold to a wealthy businessman owner of one of the largest dairy companies in the country, the car went on to a Spanish (coincidentally) gentlemen in the mid 80's. My client was actually looking for an SEC "WITHOUT" self leveling rear suspension but we were not able to find a good example so I told him about this particular 6.9. When we arrived at the previous owner's place of business the car was sitting there with its belly on the ground, all dirty, a big For Sale sign poorly written on a piece of paper hanging from the windshield... he saw it and the rest as they say is history!!! We went from "NO" rear SLS to "FULL" Hydro-pneumatic, hehehe....

During the test drive the car went 100meters and died.... A quick change of the distributor rotor for a used one had in on its way again. Suspension shot, huge play in the steering, an original but very tired interior, bad paint on the roof, well you get the picture.

We set on a "light" restoration that ended up lasting  2 1/2 years divided into two phases, and initial 18 months and then an additional 12 months to completely strip the car, have it re-painted, etc....

Mechanically every single suspension component front and rear except for the leveling valves was replaced, 4 new struts, 5 new accumulators, new bushings, tie, rods, etc... a fully rebuilt steering box with all new internals (brand new worm and sector) was accompanied by a new correct steering wheel that gives the car a showroom fresh feel.

Every available chrome piece was replaced including the long strips under the doors that were damaged.

The interior was all original and kept that way but the seats were correctly re-stuffed and stitched, the front ones were also died. A new parcel shelf was made using carpet from GAHH. All of the wood was re-finished and all the a/c controls replaced.

The transmission seemed fine at first but after a few spirited acceleration trials it start to slip badly. It was completely rebuilt by the best specialist in the country.

New injectors, fuel distributor and all ignition components replaced including the coil.

New headlights, tail lights and trunk liner also included.

All in all it was a very satisfying project for both the owner and myself and the results speak from themselves.

Here are some pictures, enjoy!!!

This is how it all began, the first major mechanical check-up, transmission removed to replace leaky seal and mount, front strut replacement, etc...







A/c work, dash removed, heater box and cmpressor overhauled, new rec drier fitted. Complete vacuum system check-up and repair









First phase of bodywork, re-doing roof paint and replacing front and rear window seals













Seat and wood restoration











First phase completed, car back to Rio for 6 months, everything working perfectly.











Start of phase II

Lots of rust in the trunk and rear panel.























Painted body







Assembly begins









Finally done....




















koan

Another superb job.

Not sure I want to see anymore, think I'll go and have a quiet cry...

koan
Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Amen!

calvin streeting

Wish you lived in the UK as i would certianly let you loss on my car :)

P.S You said you had the seats repaded, did you do the rear seat?

Big_Richard

#3
Amazing work - Are you sure you don't want to immigrate to western Australia and show these local clowns how to do a proper job ? ;)

KenM

You reckon you've got the best job in the world Joe?

flutes

Matt
1977 450SEL

carl888

Beautiful colour combination.  Congratulations!

Curious to know why it has the 4.5 liter 1/2 gear max speed indicators on the speedo, yet a 260 km/h 6.9 calibration.  Is it possible that someone at VDO placed the marks in the wrong place and a batch passed QC, as I think I've seen one other 6.9 with them like this. 

Regards,

Carl.


TJ 450

Another wonderful product.

Carl, I checked my spare 6.9 speedo and it has the max gear speed marks in the same spot... I'm not sure that this could be an error?

Tim
1976 450SEL 6.9 1432
1969 300SEL 6.3 1394
2003 ML500

foss

Amazing job, well done. Love the color of the interior, makes me want to go outside and start cleaning mine ;)
1979 450sel 6.9 SOLD BACK TO ROBERT D.
2002 745i
1978 450sel 148,000kms SOLD
2004 S430
2019 S350D AMG line

ocgm

Hello
I admire the deep job,
just tyres are not the original ones in 215/70 VR14
Helas the price for one MICHELIN is around 400euros
they are still made in France, on the contrary to many other Michelin from Spain, etc.
-and at hand they say!
Olivier

oscar

I saw the photos of the roof being stripped and cringed.  What a stunning result though.  Awsome colour and finish.  8)
1973 350SE, my first & fave

jbrasile

Tks guys,

Calvin - the rear seat was re-pleated and re-padded but not re-died, it responded well to a deep cleaning. The interior has its imperfections but we are leaving it alone for now. The owner intends to have it completely redone in the future but it still looks quite good even 2 years after we worked on it.

Major Tom 6.9 - Believe me, we have our share of clowns here too... they are everywhere...the secret is to have the best in each field do the different jobs and stay after them!!!. Having a very patient owner helps too because some  tasks take a long time to complete and being as picky as I am it takes even longer. After the car came back from the shop completely assembled I still spent a few days cleaning, adjusting, detailing and making sure everything was as perfect as possible.

Foss - this interior color is very hard to clean, once dirt gets into the grain of the leather it is almost impossible to get it out, we did the best we could.

Ken M - well, it has its moments....

Good call on the speedo markings, I had not noticed that.

ocgm - 215/70-14's not available locally from any brand and XWX's are correct but have a very poor durability vs price ratio (the car is driven almost daily)  so we decided to go with 205/70-14 Michelin XT-AS's, a tire very similar to the XM1 available in Australia and other countries or the Harmony available in the States. Good compromise between looks, handling, ride and  durability. Other than a 15in bundt upgrade, this is what I always suggest as an alternative for 6.9's and 6.3's

Tks again everyone.

Joe


ocgm

Yes I agree 205/70 VR14 are a good solution for everyday use!

Another one is to
"mount 215/65 VR 15 with diameter 660,5 mm
and Tacho 0,59 % lower than
215/70 VR 14 with diameter : 656,6 mm"

see (in German)
http://www.m-100.de/link.html

About Michelin XWX longevity, I will tell you in 2-3 years!
It seems that originally Dunlop had this size 215/70 VR 14 (?)

jbrasile

ocgm, the 205/70-14's we used are T rated. No one makes 14in VR tires anymore except for Michelin with the XWX's

Tks,

Joe

s class

Carl, the early 6.9's have a lower red-line than later ones.  My euro #1670 is marked the same as this one. 


[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL