|
| | Pictures from
300SEL, CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS
Christopher, The automobile that
you are looking for is one of my favorites, that last one I had was a 72
280SEL 4.5. It was nice but where I live where rust is a major factor in
the cars life. In your climate you aren't faced with the effects of winter
but the sun does play some major factors on the body. Dry rot or ozone
decay is the worst in a sunny and warm climate. Dashboards on the older
Mercedes cant stand the sun that well, they crack and unless covered with
an aftermarket covering (which I do not like) replacement is the only
alternative, and most of the wiring harnesses become brittle and crack when
touched. I am not sure how familiar you are with these vehicles but there
is a lot to learn about the older models, one thing you might check into is
a subscription to the Mercedes Benz club. I am not sure how international
membership works but the STAR magazine is loaded with tech topics and
interesting articles. You can find a link to the club through the star
Mercedes web site.
There are several things to be aware of while looking at
the 108,109
chassis are; first check the area around where the steering box bolts to the frame, you can see this area by looking in from the LF tire wheel well
opening (RF if your on the other side of the road), the frames crack in this
area and are not easy to repair. Secondly you must always check to see if the heater blower motor is working, this is separate from the a/c blower
located down by the front passengers foot area. The heater blowers are a
HUGE job to replace so buy one that works. On some of the big 300sel with the 6.9 or M100 motor, they had problems with the fuel injection system (the
rack would stick and the cars goes to full rich condition and eventually quits running). Some things to check for while actually at the persons
house are, make sure the engine is not missing, this can be expensive to
repair on the old EFI cars, check the blower as I mentioned earlier and
check the Trans fluid, It should be a bright red when you apply a drop to
something. The transmission are another troubled spot. Make sure that the car does not shift too hard, or too soft, you should be able to feel it
shift but it should not jerk your head while accelerating, and count the
gears not the shifts to make sure the Trans is all there. As for the
suspension system, those air bags on the autos with the leveling system can be a ball of fun when you run into problems, but it is neat to adjust the
ride height with out changing springs. Most of those cars have air bag
leaks, but they are not too awful bad to replace once you have done it
before. Under the rear end on most of those old bodys you will find a large swing axle system with a large shock in the middle holding the car up. When
these shocks go bad the car will sag like the trunk is full of rocks. The
hydraulic lifter for the rear end can be replaced with a large spring and a
small adapting mounting plate for far less money than the original shock.
All in all you should try to spend as much as you can
afford to buy a
Mercedes that has been well taken care of as opposed to buying a basket case a burying yourself with costly repairs. In most cases the seller should be
very knowledgeable about the vehicle and have the maintenance records. The records are important to have as well even if they haven't been filled out
all the way. In the early 70's the cars came with a "black book" that
contained pictures and diagram numbers of every part in the car. This can be very helpful when ordering parts. My business STAR MERCEDES is not
affiliated with Mercedes-Benz but we are a used Mercedes dealer. In most cases we can get you any part for any car in a lot less time and money than
the factory dealers. Check around and talk to others and find out where they are getting there parts. I know some of the brake pads we are buying have
been made in Australia so you should be able to find a good source locally. If you have any questions about a particular car or need any help be sure to
ask. JON
THIS IS THE REPLY.
Jon,
Thanks for your advice - I'm very grateful for the time you spent. I had
some general ideas of what to look for but you've given me some very
valuable specific details.
It's interesting that you mention sun cracking on dashboards. It's quite
common here on older cars but it's actually quite inexpensive to repair.
There are a number of companies here in Melbourne that can re-skin
dashes. I had a Triumph 2500TC and I re-skinned the dash for about AU$125
and it's almost indistinguishable from new. Your advice about the
suspension is very valuable. I'd like an air suspension model but I
might have to settle for springs.
Thanks once again.
Best regards,
CHRISTOPHER BURNS |
