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Zak325 "build" thread

Started by zak325, 18 January 2016, 09:34 PM

UTn_boy

Thanks for the insight on the radio aux input guys.  Very helpful.

Casey, the aluminum alloys were available as an option from 1969 forward.  They were originally designed for the W109 300sel 6.3, but were for all models if so desired.  Sometime in the mid 1970's they became standard on U.S. W116 and R107 cars, but I don't know exactly when that was.  For the most part, though, any dealer stock order would have had hub caps.  Alloys were more prevalent in and around areas that had more money.  LA, Atlanta, NYC, DC, etc.  Most other areas at that time, and even now, are far too conservative to opt for an expensive option like the alloys, that's why most had hub caps.  Even when a buyer ordered a car to their specifications, most had no idea that alloys were an option.  The salesmen weren't usually any more knowledgeable than the buyer was, either, at least along the lines of options.  In addition, one could also opt for the 15" alloys or steel wheels with the correct 15" hub caps.  Again, very uncommon here in the U.S., as the need for 15" wheels wasn't there.  The 15" wheels did offer some additional cosmetic completeness of filling in the gaps in the wheel well openings.  To this day, I still think that the 6 cylinder and diesel models used tires that were too small.  The smaller wheels function and purpose was there, but it just didn't look right. 

Zak, any more discoveries or surprises? 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

zak325

Hey guys, thanks for the replies. I'll and address everything

@ Beastie - yes the dash will probably stay untouched. Don't really care enough about it to put in the effort. only 2 small cracks if i remember right, but the carpet dash is a good idea. if i DO do anything ill end up wrapping it or coating it or something of that nature. the pentas are decent, i still dont have any idea of what im going to run but i have plenty of time to decide. and yes I figured it was mostly older guys that are wise enough to modify them properly and keep them oem and simple yet luxurious... if that makes any sense, more so functional builds. i'll take a 2nd look at the firewall, i was quick to rule it out due to the fact that the water (on the floor) was sitting on top of the rubber sound deadening material, or whatever that is used for, and if it leaked through the firewall (unless the leak is very high up) i assumed the water couldnt soak through it. Tough to explain but i will take a very in depth look at that due to the decently high amount of rust on the rest of the car. I assume theres some there also. Thanks for the tip on the hubcaps, i wouldnt have ever guessed that. maybe ill let them  go one day. plenty of pics when i actually get to work


@ UTn_boy
already addressed some of your response above, however im hoping the tank isnt as bad as you described. on the exterior it looked to be in great shape, the only downside ive seen was the rust in the filler neck when i took the fuel cap off. The previous owner unhooked the fuel pump and the stuff on the underbody of the car, i havent even peeked down there i havent gotten the car up in the air yet to be honest. he just told me when he bought it he drained it and alot of rust was there so he recommended me getting it redone. I'm going to get it pulled and then further inspect it to see what i'll end up doing, and if it's repairable or not. Also, the radio - i have the europa II so it should be an easy process. thank you for providing the link.


@gavin116 thanks for the input but seeing the link posted by UTn_boy ill probably opt for the oem option

@rumb hmmm that would be unfortunate if it were the case... anyone else have any input on that? how would you fix it otherwise? pour chemicals in there and flush the rust out and then fill it up with gas till it gets rusty again? and just flush it every so often when it gets bad? regardless hopefully its repairable. dont really feel like sourcing another tank but we'll see. ill check out your thread, thanks for the heads up.

@casey seats are leather... worn, but not ripped or cracked. gonna try and hit it with some leather restorer/cleaner and see if i cant get them shining again. the rubber is what scared me also, i havent gotten to inspecting the seals yet or the engine rubber but i know age hits rubber hard. I will make sure that i am very thorough when checking that out. wheres the best place to get those seals? dont need to be oem from mercedes but something good quality that would last. i was thinking of flipping the car just cause i can't see myself driving it honestly but ill prob keep it for awhile. thanks for the tips


@revilla Thank you, exactly what i was looking for. a quick sum up of the common bad seal areas of this car. I will check them all out and get the car worked out

@harv northeast PA. hazelton/wilkes barre area. Where are you at? pgh= pittsburgh?


havent gotten any updates. its cold as hell out and i dont have money to fix it right now so motivation is at an all time low. just doing the research i can so i know what to watch out for when i actually get to work

UTn_boy

I'm happy to see that we can be of some assistance, Zak.  However, not all of us on here are old.....I joined when I was in my 20's.  There are others on here that are my age or younger, too!  :)  Anyway, "old" is for when you reach 100.  Anything under 100 is young.  ;) 

Glad you liked the links.  The Becker aux cord is literally plug and play.  All you have to do is decide where you want the cord and jack.  (after you install it, that is)  FYI, when you do this, you'll need to look for a white or black plastic plug on the back of the radio.  You'll pull it out and that is where you'll plug in your aux cable.

And yeah, the potential rust in the firewall is just under the bottom of the windshield, so it's pretty high up.  That rubber insulation pad you spoke of.....pull it up too.  There's probably a pleasant surprise under it, too. ;)
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

floyd111


UTn_boy

I had no idea that you were a centurion, Stan.  ;)
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

floyd111

""The demand for these cars isn't very high but most of the people who buy them are older gentlemen who remember them from when they were young. They couldn't afford one back then (or maybe weren't even quite old enough to drive them yet) but they can afford to buy one now and take it on as a project. Typically, based on my experience, they're the kind of guys who really like originality; the original paint, books, the original spare wheel still in the boot, all of that sort of stuff. ""

Ahum..I second that..

Casey

Quote from: zak325 on 19 January 2016, 10:11 PM
@casey seats are leather... worn, but not ripped or cracked. gonna try and hit it with some leather restorer/cleaner and see if i cant get them shining again. the rubber is what scared me also, i havent gotten to inspecting the seals yet or the engine rubber but i know age hits rubber hard. I will make sure that i am very thorough when checking that out. wheres the best place to get those seals? dont need to be oem from mercedes but something good quality that would last. i was thinking of flipping the car just cause i can't see myself driving it honestly but ill prob keep it for awhile. thanks for the tips

I'd love to see those seats!  Do post some pictures when you can...  My 1973 has red vinyl instead.

If you are planning to flip the car, don't invest in dodgy parts.  I hate to say it, but there is a stark quality difference between OEM rubber gaskets and aftermarket.  The aftermarket stuff is 1/3 of the price but will need replaced again in very short order, so what's the point?  Replacing them is often a difficult job so better to do it once and be happy for many years to come.  Due to the current demand for the 450's being at an incredible low, this isn't a car to invest much into unless your goal is to keep it for yourself.  It will never be worth what you put into it, and anybody really interested in it will prefer it to not be modified away from stock condition with aftermarket parts or other things.  If your goal is to flip it, I would leave it alone aside from cosmetic cleanups and just post it for sale at a price you want, lowering gradually until it sells.  That's a decision of course that only you can make, but repairs can get costly and it's really hard to make that back in a sale.

zak325

So upon further review I've seen that it does seem to be moist around the steering column (inside cabin) so there is a good chance you guys are right about where the leak is coming from. Is this primarily a drivers side thing? My pass floor is dry and fine. I'm gonna pull the fuse box and everything up there soon and report back as well as some pics of the car and interior

daantjie

Brace yourself it's probably going to be roached out...
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

UTn_boy

At least peel the firewall insulation pad back from the firewall to confirm there is rust there first.  The fuse box will unbolt from the firewall, but it'll only move away about 6-8 inches unless you take loose the whole wiring harness from the dash and everything it's attached to.  I'd hate to see you go through all of that trouble if it's just the windshield seal leaking. 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

revilla

I bet it's coming from grommet(s) in water box for wipers cable etc  pass through firewall.  yes, it's mainly a driver side thing but pass side is not exempt

zak325



havent been doing much lately. cold and broke and we got 2 ft of snow (almost gone now).
working on getting a job (i work seasonal at a farm so currently unemployed) so i can get started on this but in the meantime i put it up for sale/trade.

I figured whatever happens happens. i dont have a ton of motivation to keep it but dont have a ton of motivation to sell it either. so if it sells by the time i get a job then maybe thats whats meant to be, if it doesnt sell then ill get to work.

in case anyone is interested

2500 obo or trade for e36 or miata or 240sx or something like that (foreign, manual, rwd)

located in pennsylvania

http://scranton.craigslist.org/cto/5418337650.html

zak325

finally got around to getting the tank out... it must have been full because it drained for about an hour, but the bottom plug, fuel pump, and the level sender are all pulled and im just waiting for it to completely drain gas to pull it out ... then off to get it redone. question though, (and i believe it was partially answered here already) the filter in the bottom of the tank: whats the best thing to do with that? clean it up? or is getting a new one completely necessary? also im trying to figure out the best way to get these springs out. it seems as if im going to have to detatch the lower control arm to get them out. or could i just remove the strut and push downward on the suspension (taking stress off the spring) and i can remove the spring that way?

zak325

also im looking to get some smoothie type rims. similar to http://www.vipmodular.com/vr17-1

need them in 17 or 18 and want a lip. 3 piece if possible. anyone know of any secret 5x112 wheels with those requirements that i dont know of?

UTn_boy

The filter screen in the bottom of the tank is cheap.  Just buy a new one. 

Regarding the rear springs, in order to remove them. you'll have to remove the back seat, remove the shocks, and use an internal type spring compressor to remove the springs. This type of spring compressor inserts into where the shocks go and compresses the spring that way.   The lower control arms cannot be removed without completely removing the rear sub frame, or at least lowering it to the control arm bolts will clear the frame.  There is a "stop" on the rear control arms that disallow the control arm from lowering all of the way down enough to take tension off of the spring.  That's why you have to use the spring compressor. 

I can't help you with wheels.  Though, I can say that going to 17-18 inch diameter wheels combined with lowering the car will cause at least the front wheels to rub the inner fenders.  If the offset isn't correct, the wheels will also rub on the front tie rods.  In the rear, the rear sway bar links could possibly rub the wheel, too. 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo