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New member, new to me 450sel 6.9

Started by Ub2693v, 25 March 2018, 11:07 AM

Ub2693v

Hello everyone,

I'm the proud new owner of a 77' 450sel 6.9, I was really in the market for a w126 but I just couldn't pass this car up.
42000 miles backed by service records, rust free body (from what I can tell so far) thoroughly dry rotted Michelin wxw tires, 100% complete and the price was right so against my better judgment I decided to buy it.
Pretty much pulled it out of the woods where is has been sitting the past 2 years.
I disconnected the harness to the fuel pump to keep any old fuel from making it's way to the distributor while I played around.
After about 5 seconds of cranking the oil pressure gauge came to life and after a spray of fuel into the intake the car fired right up for a brief second.
More to come as I find time to work on it but I'm pretty excited to get this car back into shape!!!
Jesse

1977 450SEL 6.9  2760

daantjie

Nice one!
Welcome to the machine. This is hands down the best 116 forum in the galaxy ;D
Also not to temper your enthusiasm too much but there is no such thing as a rust free 116 in "as found" condition 8)
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

Ub2693v

Thanks for the welcome!!

I'm sure I'll find rust as with any car that has spent life in the north east.

I flushed the tank today, put a few gallons of fresh gas in and it roared to life!!!! Sounds pretty healthy, throttle sticks a bit I'll take apart the linkage and lube it up, I drove it about a quarter mile before I realized the rubber isolators were still on, quickly turned around and put it back in the garage for the night plus the alternator wasn't charging so the battery was dead pretty quick.
Hopefully I can find some time this week to see if the hydraulic system is functioning.
What oil is best for this system?
Jesse

1977 450SEL 6.9  2760

daantjie

20W-50 is a good choice. I like Castrol GTX.
Also a lot of guys run 15W-40 in cooler climates. Stick to either Chevron Delo or Shell Rotella for the 15W-40.
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

TJ 450

Nice find by the sound of things, well done. I also use Castrol GTX 20W-50, although I change it every 5,000km in the 6.9s.

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

daantjie

Another general tip which has served me well.  I try and always tackle repairs to one system or part at time and spread my jobs out.  You will soon find out that "the list" is endless and it really is an ultra - marathon and not a 100 metre dash ;D
This way, for me at least, it does not get overwhelming on both the body, mind and wallet.  I also get great satisfaction when I sort out one system completely and I cannot quite "move on" to the next project mentally or physically if I am not happy with how it turned out.  It always bugs me when I get lazy and end up cutting corners, and thus I try and plan out my jobs time wise and part wise so I have a full day ahead with all parts needed in hand, then I find I can bomb out a job and feel good about it.  Of course you get thrown curve balls here and there (rusty parts not wanting to come off is top of my list >:() and that is part of the "fun" 8)
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

daantjie

Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

Ub2693v

Good advice indeed, step 1 is to make sure the fuel delivery system is in order, hoses/filter/pump then on to the electrical system, alt not working, condenser fan runs full blast as soon as key is switched on and many other gremlins.
That thud though when the doors close, nothing quite like it!!!
Jesse

1977 450SEL 6.9  2760

Ub2693v

Few more pics
Jesse

1977 450SEL 6.9  2760

Ub2693v

Finally had a chance to work on the car today, I ran it Sunday to pump up the suspension and today it was still at the same height as I left so I guess that's promising.
Ordered fuel hoses/pump/accumulator, and fixed the alternator, had to clean up the contact on the voltage regulator.
Are these the correct headlights? They look like the European lights but it definitely has the American bumpers.
The Becker radio works well, only speakers on the rear deck?
Jesse

1977 450SEL 6.9  2760

daantjie

#10
Looks like you have a hybrid going on there as the US cars only ever had leather installed to my knowledge, and the velour was for Euro cars.  But then you have the Burlwoord dash which again points to US spec, and then you have the Euro lights with US bumpers, so you have a 6.9 with a bit of an identity crisis going on there ;D  Most 6.9's have some sort of crossover going on as most folks want the Euro look so you have a US spec car with Euro lights and bumpers usually.
You should have front speakers too and the fader wheel in the shifter surround wood controls the fader front/back function.
Good sign that your suspension stays up, though the real test is for it to stay up for months at a time.  Also plan of replacing all 5 suspension spheres (accumulators).  Not cheap but pretty much mandatory if you want the "magic carpet ride".  Also dump out all the (surely nasty black) hydro fluid out of the reservoir and flush the lines with fresh ZH-M fluid, then refill the tank with fresh fluid.  Then of course also change the paper filter in the tank under the pressure regulator.  You will need to bleed the pump if you open the system.  Remove high pressure line from the pressure regulator, then point the open end into the filler hole for the hydro fluid tank.  Start car and let it run for approx 30 sec.  Then reconnect and start back up.  You need good flare wrenches to work on the hydraulic hard lines as they are usually hella tight and rusty after all these years.  Use counter cold where you can, and sometimes you need to apply heat to break them loose, they really can be super tight!
And take a power washer to that thing, it is hurting my eyes 8)
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

robertd

Great project
In regards to the speakers only in the rear. Try moving the dial that sits just to the right side of the gear stick. That controls the balance between front and rear speakers.
Good luck
116   1978 450SEL 6.9 #  4848
116   1979 450SEL  6.9 # 5884
116   1979 450SEL  6.9 # 6225  SOLD
116   1978 450SEL  6.9 # 5128  SOLD
116   1979 450SEL  6.9 # 5884  SOLD
116   1974 450SEL  DJet

Ub2693v

Haha, I power washed it this afternoon, it was absolutely disgusting, still not great but it's at least clean, will for sure need a respray.
That blue velour is not my favorite but believe it or not the thing that drives me crazy the most are the cracks on the dash.
The hydraulic oil is clear but all of the hoses seem to be weaping, I have plans to rebuild the hoses and replace the 5 accumulators.
One step at a time I guess, I did drive it about a mile today, trans shifts nice and no strange noises.
Jesse

1977 450SEL 6.9  2760

Squiggle Dog

I believe that velour was always an option in the USA, but at extra cost, putting it at the same price as leather (so I hear), so it was an option box that was rarely checked off here.

The Euro headlights were probably added by an owner that preferred them. I've seen a lot of US model 6.9s have them added.
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1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

Ub2693v

Finally got it cleaned up!!
Jesse

1977 450SEL 6.9  2760