Topic: New forum member attempts 6.9 resurrection

[1960mog]

Hi every one
My name is Thomas and I live around Las Vegas, Nevada.
I am from Germany and live in the US for 15 years.
I registered on 116.org because I just bought a 6.9, or what is left of it.
The car was offered on the local Craigslist and I thought I take a look.
The person that sold it to me stated that it was parked 10 years ago, in running condition.
The last registration sticker reads 4/98, that is more like 14 years ago.

It is not in the best of shapes to say at least. So far I found out:
The engine is stuck, I can’t get it to move by turning on the alternator.
The fan clutch itself is stuck, so is the water pump.
There is no water in the cooling system at all.
The starter doesn’t engage when I turn the key.
The fuel turned into a brown gue  inside the fuel distributor and the fuel return line.
Neat less to say that the piston in the fuel distributor is also stuck.
All the vacuum lines in the engine compartment brake on contact.
The window rubber is hard as a rock and full of cracks.
The interior is a mess, and the paint that is left is peeling off.
I didn’t get the car home yet, for lack of a truck and trailer, for closer inspection.
How much rust will I find underneath?  What is the condition of the suspension?

So far I prepped up the suspension with wooden blocks for transport on a trailer.
I also removed the fuel distributor and the air flow meter for cleaning.
Just in case. Can I use a 450 fuel distributor on a 6.9?

Next steps:
Fill all the cylinders with oil, let sit for a while and try to turn the engine over on the crankshaft nut.
If successful, fix all the stuff needed to get the engine running.
Unfortunately I don’t have much time to work on the car.
This will be a long time project, if it is worth fixing at all.

I will keep you posted, with pics.

Thanks
Tom


 











This is some of the "Old Fuel" that oozed out of the fuel distributor and the return line.

[karmann_20v]

Hi Thomas! You are a brave man, good luck with the project - keep us posted.

[ZCarFan]

Is it a Nevada car all those years?  Maybe you will have the good fortune to work with a rust-free car. 

[navigator]

Post some more - the interior looks very promising!

[1960mog]

Thanks for the reply's.

Is it a Nevada car all those years?  Maybe you will have the good fortune to work with a rust-free car.

The car came from southern Utah, same climate as Las Vegas.
I don't know where it actually began it's service live.


Post some more - the interior looks very promising!

Here some more pics of the interior. Not much of it can be reused.













Today I removed the spark plugs, they don't look bad at all.
I also took out the fan and fan shroud to have access to the crankshaft nut.
Some body put two bolts into the fan clutch, no wonder it's locked up.





The water pump is still turning. After removing the fan clutch, I was able to get it to rotate freely.



Is the fan clutch the same as a 450?
Or can I just use a 450 clutch?

No rust in the thermostat and upper radiator hose.
This is the top of the cooling system, all the crud will be in the bottom.





Here is a pic of the current state of the engine.



I still don't have the car at home, but I have access to it any time.

Next I will fill the cylinders with oil, on Monday I will try to turn the engine over by the crankshaft nut.
Wish me luck.

[Squiggle Dog]

I think I saw that one in the St. George, Utah craigslist a while back. Nice interior color. There was a 450SEL with a nearly mint condition (including front seats) parchment interior at the wrecking yard back in Washington, along with a 280SE with a nice interior of the same color. Too bad the timing wasn't better.

[polymathman]

If you are planning on doing every bit of the work yourself, I think you will be well into your next lifetime before you get it done. But doing it yourself is the fun part - it's what holds us together on this forum.
Even though it looks like a ton of work, if you approach it by systems, it goes much better and you don't find yourself going back and redoing things. I started on doors (group 72). Get all the factory manuals.
The biggest thing you have going for you is an intact body without rust. I'd look around up north for a parts car with good mechanics but poor body - very common.
You can email Mercedes (http://www.mbclassiccenter.com/) and get all the info for the VIN, and that will allow you to see if it still has the original engine and transmission.

[John Hubertz]

I agree with what everyone is saying.

I live in the "rust belt", and from time to time 6.9s in excellent running condition with good interiors pop up for only $1500 or $2000 because they have significant rust.



I would think your best bet would be to strip that car to the shell and begin hunting for a rusty donor to create a solid, running car.

[1960mog]

I think I saw that one in the St. George, Utah craigslist a while back. Nice interior color. There was a 450SEL with a nearly mint condition (including front seats) parchment interior at the wrecking yard back in Washington, along with a 280SE with a nice interior of the same color. Too bad the timing wasn't better.

I found it in the St. George craigslist, it was only listed as a 450SEL in the headline.
How long ago did you see the cars in the yard?
May be worth checking it out.

If you are planning on doing every bit of the work yourself, I think you will be well into your next lifetime before you get it done. But doing it yourself is the fun part - it's what holds us together on this forum.
Even though it looks like a ton of work, if you approach it by systems, it goes much better and you don't find yourself going back and redoing things. I started on doors (group 72). Get all the factory manuals.
The biggest thing you have going for you is an intact body without rust. I'd look around up north for a parts car with good mechanics but poor body - very common.
You can email Mercedes (http://www.mbclassiccenter.com/) and get all the info for the VIN, and that will allow you to see if it still has the original engine and transmission.

I can't do every thing my self.
I have two left hands when it comes to body and paint work.
First I have to find out the condition of the engine, if it is seized I have a major problem  and I still don't know if the car is rust free.
I also don't know the condition of the trans or the suspension.
Lets take it one step at the time, the engine is first.

[1960mog]

I would think your best bet would be to strip that car to the shell and begin hunting for a rusty donor to create a solid, running car.

I don't know that i will do a full resto on this car.
It depends on the condition of major components like engine, trans and suspension, basically the expansive parts that are unique to the 6.9.
Finding somebody to paint it should not be a problem, and as you say, good interiors are available in the more northern states.

[oversize]

Nice find; particularly if she's largely rust free!  It's really not hard to inspect and there's common areas to check that are listed in other threads here.

Personally I'd have the car completely inspected for rust before you start spending money.  I'd steam clean the engine and under the car, so you don't get filthy dirty every time you touch the car.  Make sure you prevent water getting into parts that must remain dry (ie cover the throttle plate and electricals).  I'd suggest you do it after the injection system is refitted so you don't get water into the fuel lines etc.

It'd be rare to find a seized engine or serious mechanical failure, but as you've found the fuel system will be the biggest headache.  Make sure it's clean from the tank to the injectors (in that order).

Then I'd then strip the interior of the car of items that are damaged and cannot be repaired.  Keep the pads attached to the underside of the carpets as they're apparently NLA and don't come with new carpet.  It's likely all the rubber bits will need to be replaced if it's been in the sun so long.  Windscreen seals will be cracked and leaking.

Suspension work will include new nitrogen cells x 5, reservoir flush, hydraulic fluid change and a new filter.  Inspect the ball joints and make sure the dust boots are in good condition

[TJ 450]

If you can get the engine running and it appears OK, and the body is fairly straight and rust free, and the car is mostly original, I think it's a good starting point for a project.

I picked mine up in a similar condition, and yes it required lots of work, but it was not that much of a problem overall.

It's going strong now and I happily drive it wherever.

My 6.9 is running a 450 fan clutch, which is different, but works fine.

Tim

[1960mog]

Thanks for all your advice.

So far the car looks almost rust free, straight and original.

I have no access to a water hose where she is parked right now, so I can't clean the engine compartment.
Once I get her home, this is the first thing I will do.

Yesterday I put oil in all the cylinders, Monday I will try to turn the engine over.
Keep your fingers crossed.

[1960mog]

Good news everyone

I was able to turn the engine over.
Didn't even put up much of a fight.
The oil did its job, or the fact that I used a 1" ratchet direct on the crank shaft in stet of a wrench on the alternator pulley, like on my first try.

I also was able to free up the pistons in the fuel distributor.
After running a fuel / fuel injector cleaner mix through the unit and using liberal amounts of carb cleaner, the main piston freed up.
Only the overpressure / pressure control piston in the side of the unit was hard to remove.
I was able to pull it out after I soaked the distributor in the fuel / fuel injector cleaner mix for a week.




I also cleaned up the air flow meter.
Using Acetone for the first stage, carb cleaner for the second and purple power for the last.






Why does this part remind me of Star Trek?




After the engine turns over, the question is, what to do next?
Some possibilities are:

Remove the valve covers to inspect the cams, rocker arms and chain.

Remove the intake manifold to clean it in and out, replace all vacuum lines and clean the top of the block.

Remove water pump and housing to flush the cooling system.

Or all of the above.

I am looking forward to other suggestions from the more experienced members of this forum.

Each of the choices above brings up an other question:

Where to buy parts for a 6.9 other then the dealer or the classic center?

Thanks
Tom

[Squiggle Dog]

I found it in the St. George craigslist, it was only listed as a 450SEL in the headline.
How long ago did you see the cars in the yard?
May be worth checking it out.

This was at least a year ago, and I know they are gone now. I would have pulled the entire interiors to resell if boxing and shipping and storage wasn't such a hassle.