Raptelan's 1980 300SD

[Squiggle Dog]

Wow, I wish I could afford all of that nice new rubber! Your car is going to be so nice when you have all of that replaced. It seems that people either spend a fortune on a new car or buy an older car and try to keep it running on a shoestring budget. It's nice to see someone buy an old car and give it the attention it needs.

Good job on finding the aluminum steel-look wheels, as well.

[Casey]

Wow, I wish I could afford all of that nice new rubber! Your car is going to be so nice when you have all of that replaced. It seems that people either spend a fortune on a new car or buy an older car and try to keep it running on a shoestring budget. It's nice to see someone buy an old car and give it the attention it needs.

I've never bought a new car.  In 12 years of driving - from a '91 Geo Metro to a '91 Toyota Corolla to the first 4 Mercedes I owned, I believe I spent less than $10k total for purchase and maintenance (I've been the shoestring budget type).  But the W116 300SD was the absolute car of my dreams and I felt that it would be less expensive to buy a good condition one and invest into restoring it than it would be to buy a brand new cheap car within the same budget, and it would provide a lot more comfort, enjoyability, safety, longetivity...you name it...  It's a bit slow going because I'm not made of money, but I live pretty cheap and save up and this is the priority in my life right now.  It's just hard sometimes to pick between what I want to put money towards for the car each paycheck.

Good job on finding the aluminum steel-look wheels, as well.

Actually, that was all you.  You pointed me to a thread someplace on another forum, and I commented on it, and somebody else responded saying they actually had some for sale.  If not for the link you shared, I probably wouldn't have found them.  So, thank you.

[1980sdga]

We need pictures to look at    I wanna see the rubbers!

I believe my first big fix of that type will be new pads for my back seat. The droopyness really bothers me.  Yea, it's gonna be expensive...

[Casey]

We need pictures to look at    I wanna see the rubbers!

I believe my first big fix of that type will be new pads for my back seat. The droopyness really bothers me.  Yea, it's gonna be expensive...

I'll take some pictures once my car is back from MB on Tuesday.

I also need to do my back seat, but I'm putting off interior work until I've addressed everything mechanical and external.

[Casey]

Got my car back yesterday finally.  Man, it was sure nice to see it again after several days in the courtesy vehicle.  When I opened the doors and saw the lovely brown interior it was just like when I first saw the car and fell in love with it.   Took some getting used to since the handling and acceleration and braking properties are different than newer cars - not in a bad way just took a little adjusting because I'd acclimated to the loaner.  I've gotta admit even though I don't have any special speakers I really prefer the audio playing on them - it just sounds "classic" like the car is...hard to explain.   Total bill for changing the transmission seal and replacing the fluid + filter was just under $400.

Ordered a whole bunch more parts from the Classic Center for the outstanding mechanical issues on the car.  It should be in really good shape once I get all that installed (see the first post of this thread if you're curious about what exactly I got, or wait until I get and I'll take pictures).

Got home last night to two speed camera tickets in the mail - from the same camera on different days!  Bummer.   On the bright side, I'm pretty sure 60mph in a 30mph zone (oops!) usually garners a worse ticket than $40, so I guess I can't complain too much.  Now I know where it is to watch out for.

The aluminum steel-look rims should be here by the weekend.  I have yet to buy hubcaps, figure out how to get them painted nicely, and I might also get new tires before installing them on the vehicle rather than paying to transfer my existing ones.  So they're just going to be sitting for a little while.

[jbrasile]

Hi Casey,

Nice you got the car back, not too bad of a bill for the transmission work! Those speeding cameras are infuriating, we have them all over Sao Paulo as well as most highways, Big Brother always looking to get some of our hard earned cash....

I have some news regarding the windshield gasket, you can use p/n 116 671 00 20 instead of 01 20, same exact seal except 01 20 is DOT approved for the US and 00 20 is used for the rest of the world. They are available in Germany so I have asked the CC to get one shipped over, same price, etc... I will let you know as soon as it's on the way.

Tks,

Joe

[1980sdga]

Glad you got your car back and all is in order     I also like the speakers for some reason as well. Just gives a cool vibe...  Mine are intact but they really don't sound that hot at any volume but down low they are pretty mellow 

[Casey]

Nice you got the car back, not too bad of a bill for the transmission work!

Yeah.  It would be cool if I could have done the work myself but I'm really not at that level.

Those speeding cameras are infuriating, we have them all over Sao Paulo as well as most highways, Big Brother always looking to get some of our hard earned cash....

What ever happened to the good old days when it was just a matter of avoiding cops (or running from them if your car was fast enough...hehehe...)?  I'm pretty good at watching for cops and being friendly if I do get pulled over so as to not get tickets usually.  I must admit that I liked how gangsters used to be able to get away with all kinds of stuff because the police force was so much more primitive and really more "human versus human" rather than a question of who has the most advanced technology.

I have some news regarding the windshield gasket, you can use p/n 116 671 00 20 instead of 01 20, same exact seal except 01 20 is DOT approved for the US and 00 20 is used for the rest of the world. They are available in Germany so I have asked the CC to get one shipped over, same price, etc... I will let you know as soon as it's on the way.

Thanks Joe for this and all the other parts - it's saved me a boatload of work trying to figure out all  the P/N's I need and getting orders together, etc.  You're a great resource for those of us wanting decent prices on replacement parts for our W116's!  Not only because you can find the parts and get discounts on them, but because you have a lot of intimate familiarity with these cars as well.  Definitely appreciate all your help and will surely be ordering more through you in the future!

It might be a little while as I may try to get new tires and get the new wheels put on my car, although even for that, I'll need the special hubcap clips that I talked to you about before.  I still don't have hubcaps though, and tires are a bigger expense anyways.  I'm thinking I'll wait until I have the new tires/wheels on the car before replacing tie rods and getting an alignment, just to be sure it's aligned as best as possible.


By the way, do you have any recommendations for tire brands besides Michelin?  I'm looking for tires that will offer the utmost in driving comfort and traction when cornering/braking, and from my limited understanding of these things, I think that means I need the largest tire size possible that will fit on a 14"x6" rim.  I've heard that there are larger ones than Michelin offers, although I don't know if the brand is worth getting.  I could really use some advice on what tires anyone feels work best on these cars.  My current ones seem to actually have very good traction, but will squeal readily when I corner - I think because the rubber is a harder one?  I think I need a softer rubber to suite my wishes better, although that means a shorter tire life, no?

[jbrasile]

Casey,

Thank you very  much for your kind words! Is is a pleasure to help you and all our other 116 brothers!

As for tires, I am an unconditional Michelin fan so I would suggest 205/70-14 Harmony's, actually this is the only tire Michelin makes in that size. You car originally came with 185HR14's but that is not readily available anymore and in my opinion it is too narrow of a tire for such a heavy car plus it just looks odd in the large 116 fender wells. The Harmony will give you outstanding comfort, traction and tread life.

Check The Tire Rack at www.tirerack.com for prices and availability. They list the Harmony at $103.00 ea

Not many other options either, BFG, Sumitomo and General seem to be the only other brands available. Yokohama used to also have 205/70-14 available but I guess they discontinued it.

Tks,

Joe

[Big_Richard]

Got home last night to two speed camera tickets in the mail - from the same camera on different days!  Bummer.   On the bright side, I'm pretty sure 60mph in a 30mph zone (oops!) usually garners a worse ticket than $40, so I guess I can't complain too much.  Now I know where it is to watch out for.

Doing 100kmh in a 50kmh zone, which effectively is what you were doing is a date in court a $1000+ fine and instant disqualification of licence for 6 months here.

If doing double the speed limit gets you a pocket change fine in the USA, im moving there. 

[Casey]

As for tires, I am an unconditional Michelin fan so I would suggest 205/70-14 Harmony's, actually this is the only tire Michelin makes in that size. You car originally came with 185HR14's but that is not readily available anymore and in my opinion it is too narrow of a tire for such a heavy car plus it just looks odd in the large 116 fender wells. The Harmony will give you outstanding comfort, traction and tread life.

I currently have Hankook Radial H714 P215R14's that came with the car.  They provide a pretty comfortable ride.  205's are smaller, no?  I know I've seen 235/60's that will fit on a 14" rim.  But I don't really understand the second number very well and don't understand how different tire sizes compare to the width of the rim.  I think I saw 215/75's somewhere too, don't really know what the difference there is.

What if you want something with a high speed rating for your 6.9 and a Harmony just won't cut it?  (Not that I have that need...just curious)

[Casey]

Doing 100kmh in a 50kmh zone, which effectively is what you were doing is a date in court a $1000+ fine and instant disqualification of licence for 6 months here.

If doing double the speed limit gets you a pocket change fine in the USA, im moving there. 

Per http://www.cityofbowie.org/government/police/safe_speed_program_miscellaneous.asp :
"What is the fine?

Maryland legislation has set the civil penalty at $40."

"Will points be assessed against my license for a citation from the City of Bowie Safe Speed Program?

No.  Points will not be assessed against your driver's license."

While looking this up, I found a website where a concerned individual wanted to know why all cars weren't designed to not be able to exceed the speed limit in whatever area the driver happened to be in through some sorts of remote control of a governor.  This must be what a life of driving nothing but horrible cheap modern cars does to your brain.

I look forward to your moving here, MT - I would really like you to repaint my car.

[Casey]

I may be purchasing this 300CD soon - it failed to sell on eBay and I've been talking with the seller who's willing to hold the car for me until I have the funds available that he wants for it. Would look lovely sitting next to the 300SD of the same color and then my girlfriend could have a real car to drive...







For now just a dream but am hoping it works out...

Anybody want to tell me what their thoughts are on how much these things are worth?  The seller wants $4000, which seems a little high for a W123 but not unreasonable.  Only 8,007 of these 300CD Turbo's were ever produced.

[1980sdga]

I like it!  You don't see a lot of coupes.

[jbrasile]

Casey,

These 300CDT's are really nice! My sister has owned an 84  since 1992, bought it from an MB dealer with 68000 miles, it has over 300k today and it just runs like new. They are pretty quick too, a little less weight than the SD's so that helps.

This particular car looks really cool, original radio, maybe a crack free dash? Not a bad deal at 4k if it looks as nice in person as it does on the pictures.

They tend to rust around the trunk seal and under the rear window so check that with the trunk lid open. Also look at the bottom of the front fenders  for bubbles. The side window seals are pretty long and since it is a pillarless coupe check for water/air leaks there, the rubber is expensive.

Front seat back locks are vacuum (what else...)  actuated and controlled by the pin switch on the driver's door, if there is a leak somewhere it will affect doors, a/c, etc...

I know the guy wants 4k but I would try to get it for around  3500 if possible. How many miles?

With regards to tires, the second set of numbers determines the height as a percentage of the width, for instance:

205/70-14

Width: 205mm
Height: 70% of 205 - 143.5mm
Diameter: 14 inches.

What you want is a tire that would have the same (or as close as possible) overall diameter as the original so in the case of the 300SD:

185HR14 was the original size. In the past a "regular" profile tire was an "80 series, meaning its height was 80% of its width, 70 series tires were considered low profile...

80% of 185 is 148mm

So in theory a 215/70-14 tire (150.5 mm) would be closer to a 185HR14 than a 205 but since 215/70-14 is a difficult size to find and it was exclusive to the 6.9, the usual upgrade is 205/70-14.

The overall diameter is 2xheight+wheel diameter. If we convert everything into mm a 14in wheel has 355.6mm so:

185HR14 - 2 x 148 = 296 + 355.6 = 651.6mm

205/70-14 - 2 x 143.5 = 287 + 355.6 = 642.6mm

215/70-14 - 2 x 150.5 = 301 + 355.6 = 656.6mm

There is no high speed rated 14in tire available for the 6.9 except the Michelin XWX from Coker Tire at $500.00 each so most people have to settle for the Harmony and keep speeds below 110mph. The other option of course is to go for a 15inch steel or bundt wheel, that will give a lot more tire options.

Tks,

Joe