Another R107 - 560SL
Discussion
A good freind of mine who now lives in Thailand was visiting the UK a couple of months ago....
He used to live in the US has had a string of classic cars out there, which culminated in an '86 560SL which I've driven on a previous visit to see him.
His cars are always really clean examples and this is no different.
He mentioned that he was thinking of selling the SL. Without really thinking much about it I said how much I loved it and maybe it might be possible to import into the UK.
I do love the older M-B products and have had a couple of S124's in the past.
About a month ago he asked if I wanted it and mentioned an amount that made it pretty much impossible to refuse.
Here's a pic to get us started, myself with the current owner back in 2014.
My friend moved to Thailand just after this so it has sat in a corner of the 100Ksq ft climate controlled warehouse that my friend's business owns in Virgina. Prior to that it was in the underground car park of his apartment building and prior to that it was a Florida car I believe so it's been pretty well preserved.
Here are a few more pics the guys at the warehouse sent me.
check out the cupholders!
It's currently sat in New York, it's being imported by CFR classic in a shared container.
My plans are to address any issues but basically keep it looking as it does now (but cleaner). I won't be de-USifying it by changing the lights and bumpers, it is what it is.....
I will swap the sealed beam LHD light units out for halogen RHD versions and sort out a foglight but I think that should be about it.
No doubt there will be other things to address, I will be disapointed if there isn't but it runs and drives and sounds sweet (famous last words)!
He used to live in the US has had a string of classic cars out there, which culminated in an '86 560SL which I've driven on a previous visit to see him.
His cars are always really clean examples and this is no different.
He mentioned that he was thinking of selling the SL. Without really thinking much about it I said how much I loved it and maybe it might be possible to import into the UK.
I do love the older M-B products and have had a couple of S124's in the past.
About a month ago he asked if I wanted it and mentioned an amount that made it pretty much impossible to refuse.
Here's a pic to get us started, myself with the current owner back in 2014.
My friend moved to Thailand just after this so it has sat in a corner of the 100Ksq ft climate controlled warehouse that my friend's business owns in Virgina. Prior to that it was in the underground car park of his apartment building and prior to that it was a Florida car I believe so it's been pretty well preserved.
Here are a few more pics the guys at the warehouse sent me.
check out the cupholders!
It's currently sat in New York, it's being imported by CFR classic in a shared container.
My plans are to address any issues but basically keep it looking as it does now (but cleaner). I won't be de-USifying it by changing the lights and bumpers, it is what it is.....
I will swap the sealed beam LHD light units out for halogen RHD versions and sort out a foglight but I think that should be about it.
No doubt there will be other things to address, I will be disapointed if there isn't but it runs and drives and sounds sweet (famous last words)!
I've changed my username as this represents my proclivities much better!! Previously rm163603 which was a tad dry!
Thanks for the kind comments.
The 'econometer' will definately be an oxymoron. I'm thinking I will be doing (very?) well to break into the 20's with this but it will be worth it.
The instruments are one of the details I love about these cars. There's just something about a well equipped analogue instrument panel that looks so good.
I'm expecting a few (hopefully not too ruinous) 'trials' followed by some triumphs. I love improving things so fixing issues gives me an immense sense of satisfaction.
It's partly thanks to the various threads from other R107 owners and posts from the usual M-B beards on here that gave me the confidance to go for this so I thank you all.
At the moment the following things are where I'm expecting to find issues but any other things I should be checking out would be appreciated.
-The fuel system. The warehouse guys sent me a video of the car running and it seemed to idle nicely and quietly so I'm hoping it's not too terrible. I know it's been 'serviced' annually while it's been sat there and I've been told only non ethanol 'gas' has been used so that's hopefully a plus.
-The hvac system. Seems this can be problematic. I can hear the a/c compressor cutting in and out on the video so that must mean it's at least working but I'm expecting to be exploring the vacum system.
-Rust. Hopefully nothing too onerous. I plan a round of underside protection at the very least
-Timing chain. I think I need to remove the cam covers and check chain stretch.
-The tyres. They will be old so I probably need some new ones.
-Bushes, mounts and ball joints. Checking the subframe mounts and engine mounts, trans mounts, and all suspension bits that could have perished or worn out.
-The soft top. It's been stored with the top down and hard top fitted so I hope it still goes up, hasn't shrunk and is in good shape. The pic from 2014 shows it looking in remarkably good condition. I wonder if it was replaced at some point as the rear window looks almost too good.
-The front bumper end caps look strange so I wonder if it has taken a knock and bent the irons somehow. Looking at the 2014 pic they are at the same jaunty angle so I don't think it's anything recent.
As I say if anyone has anything else I should be checking into please let me know.
Here are some extra pics from the collection at the warehouse and it's arrival at the CFR facility in NY.
Leaving:
Arrival:
These underside shots don't look too bad at all...
Thanks for the kind comments.
The 'econometer' will definately be an oxymoron. I'm thinking I will be doing (very?) well to break into the 20's with this but it will be worth it.
The instruments are one of the details I love about these cars. There's just something about a well equipped analogue instrument panel that looks so good.
I'm expecting a few (hopefully not too ruinous) 'trials' followed by some triumphs. I love improving things so fixing issues gives me an immense sense of satisfaction.
It's partly thanks to the various threads from other R107 owners and posts from the usual M-B beards on here that gave me the confidance to go for this so I thank you all.
At the moment the following things are where I'm expecting to find issues but any other things I should be checking out would be appreciated.
-The fuel system. The warehouse guys sent me a video of the car running and it seemed to idle nicely and quietly so I'm hoping it's not too terrible. I know it's been 'serviced' annually while it's been sat there and I've been told only non ethanol 'gas' has been used so that's hopefully a plus.
-The hvac system. Seems this can be problematic. I can hear the a/c compressor cutting in and out on the video so that must mean it's at least working but I'm expecting to be exploring the vacum system.
-Rust. Hopefully nothing too onerous. I plan a round of underside protection at the very least
-Timing chain. I think I need to remove the cam covers and check chain stretch.
-The tyres. They will be old so I probably need some new ones.
-Bushes, mounts and ball joints. Checking the subframe mounts and engine mounts, trans mounts, and all suspension bits that could have perished or worn out.
-The soft top. It's been stored with the top down and hard top fitted so I hope it still goes up, hasn't shrunk and is in good shape. The pic from 2014 shows it looking in remarkably good condition. I wonder if it was replaced at some point as the rear window looks almost too good.
-The front bumper end caps look strange so I wonder if it has taken a knock and bent the irons somehow. Looking at the 2014 pic they are at the same jaunty angle so I don't think it's anything recent.
As I say if anyone has anything else I should be checking into please let me know.
Here are some extra pics from the collection at the warehouse and it's arrival at the CFR facility in NY.
Leaving:
Arrival:
These underside shots don't look too bad at all...
Mr Tidy said:
Congratulations on acquiring your barge. 
I bet you can't wait for it to turn up - I can't wait for your next instalment!
I really am! Hopefully it should be here by the end of the year.I bet you can't wait for it to turn up - I can't wait for your next instalment!
My brother already booked us in for Lavant infield at the Goodwood members meeting (the bank was full) so we need to have any major issues ironed out by then. Seems like Goodwood events are a pretty source of motivation!
edited to add: Looks like it's due into Southampton on the 17th of December and it's due to be on this vessel: Tubul
Edited by bargeista on Monday 21st November 17:28
Then I shall see you there, should you be there on the Sunday, as I too have Lavant parking.
Have run my car for almost 5 years and it's not once let me down. There's quite a long thread about it with a few hints and tips if you search for 450slc 1979.
I've been learning as i go but have left the really oily stuff to the pros. I am soon to embark on a timing chain swap and new tyres are being fitted in a couple of weeks. I have to confess I could not stomach £250 a corner so went for some 'nearly new' ones on Ebay which worked out significantly cheaper.
They are truly lovely cars. There's always something to do on them but they just keep thumping along. If you ever fully understand what the 'flaps of mystery' really do and how to control them to channel hot or cold air via the 4 identical controls on the dash do let on - nobody really has a definitive answer.
Rust is well documented. The bulkhead being the car-killer. Mine appears thoroughly swamped in some rubberised paint although if you do have wet carpets don't despair as it could also be the drainage channels or the wing seams. If it is to live outside I'd recommend popping something over those vents at the back of the bonnet as the rain pours in there and can cause trouble years later.
Oh and 'S' on the gearbox doesn't mean 'Sport' so don't get all Carlos Fandango with that selector position.
Here is mine in its natural habitat.
Have run my car for almost 5 years and it's not once let me down. There's quite a long thread about it with a few hints and tips if you search for 450slc 1979.
I've been learning as i go but have left the really oily stuff to the pros. I am soon to embark on a timing chain swap and new tyres are being fitted in a couple of weeks. I have to confess I could not stomach £250 a corner so went for some 'nearly new' ones on Ebay which worked out significantly cheaper.
They are truly lovely cars. There's always something to do on them but they just keep thumping along. If you ever fully understand what the 'flaps of mystery' really do and how to control them to channel hot or cold air via the 4 identical controls on the dash do let on - nobody really has a definitive answer.
Rust is well documented. The bulkhead being the car-killer. Mine appears thoroughly swamped in some rubberised paint although if you do have wet carpets don't despair as it could also be the drainage channels or the wing seams. If it is to live outside I'd recommend popping something over those vents at the back of the bonnet as the rain pours in there and can cause trouble years later.
Oh and 'S' on the gearbox doesn't mean 'Sport' so don't get all Carlos Fandango with that selector position.
Here is mine in its natural habitat.
paulyv said:
Then I shall see you there, should you be there on the Sunday, as I too have Lavant parking.
Have run my car for almost 5 years and it's not once let me down. There's quite a long thread about it with a few hints and tips if you search for 450slc 1979.
I've been learning as i go but have left the really oily stuff to the pros. I am soon to embark on a timing chain swap and new tyres are being fitted in a couple of weeks. I have to confess I could not stomach £250 a corner so went for some 'nearly new' ones on Ebay which worked out significantly cheaper.
They are truly lovely cars. There's always something to do on them but they just keep thumping along. If you ever fully understand what the 'flaps of mystery' really do and how to control them to channel hot or cold air via the 4 identical controls on the dash do let on - nobody really has a definitive answer.
Rust is well documented. The bulkhead being the car-killer. Mine appears thoroughly swamped in some rubberised paint although if you do have wet carpets don't despair as it could also be the drainage channels or the wing seams. If it is to live outside I'd recommend popping something over those vents at the back of the bonnet as the rain pours in there and can cause trouble years later.
Oh and 'S' on the gearbox doesn't mean 'Sport' so don't get all Carlos Fandango with that selector position.
Here is mine in its natural habitat.
Thanks! I loved reading through your thread which made it sound faintly do-able.Have run my car for almost 5 years and it's not once let me down. There's quite a long thread about it with a few hints and tips if you search for 450slc 1979.
I've been learning as i go but have left the really oily stuff to the pros. I am soon to embark on a timing chain swap and new tyres are being fitted in a couple of weeks. I have to confess I could not stomach £250 a corner so went for some 'nearly new' ones on Ebay which worked out significantly cheaper.
They are truly lovely cars. There's always something to do on them but they just keep thumping along. If you ever fully understand what the 'flaps of mystery' really do and how to control them to channel hot or cold air via the 4 identical controls on the dash do let on - nobody really has a definitive answer.
Rust is well documented. The bulkhead being the car-killer. Mine appears thoroughly swamped in some rubberised paint although if you do have wet carpets don't despair as it could also be the drainage channels or the wing seams. If it is to live outside I'd recommend popping something over those vents at the back of the bonnet as the rain pours in there and can cause trouble years later.
Oh and 'S' on the gearbox doesn't mean 'Sport' so don't get all Carlos Fandango with that selector position.
Here is mine in its natural habitat.
A bit scary but nothing too catastrophic
Robert, the previous owner had an SLC back in the 80's. he really liked it so informed his decision to get an SL when he wanted a nice convertible to cruise the blue ridge parkway.
Currently it's aboard a container ship in the Atlantic:
I'm hoping they closed the doors on the container properly!
I think it's better for it to be shipping in cooler temps, some of the containers I've opened up that have come straight off a boat have been roasting hot inside.
My brother and I braved the wind and rain and went down the Southampton on Wednesday and picked up the SL.
Luckily we're not that far away but the crosswinds were absolutely brutal coming back down the M27.
I haven't had a great deal of time to take pics or look over it in massive detail but here's a couple of pics of it in my brother's barn where it will be until we've addressed any significant issues. After that I will keep it in my work unit as it's a lot dryer and close by so I can use it when I like.
So far I'm really chuffed with the condition of it. You can tell it was kept in dry conditions most of it's life as things like the cad plated parts in the engine bay are still shiny and bright.
The petrol cap looks like it could have been put on there yesterday. I had a poke around the drains and jacking points in the sills and it all looks super solid. Looked under where the back seat would be if it had one and no signs of anything there at all. It was pretty depressing to be trailering it in the wet but I'm sure it will survive.
Things to note so far:
It smells like an old mercedes, took me right back to the S124 I had a few years back.
It's surprisingly snug in the drivers seat, with the hard top on my head is touching the headlining. I'm wondering if the soft top might yield a bit more headroom.
The sheer amount of chrome / stainless steel / polished aluminium is amazing.
Opening the bonnet made me laugh out loud. The sheer physical size of the engine is pretty spectacular even if it doesn't yield a great deal of power.
While there might not be a lot of power, the torque at idle is pretty obvious. Calling it 'creep' isn't really doing it justice, siimply coming off the brake has it moving off fairly sharply.
But all in all it's pretty much what I expected, I have seen / driven it before so it wasn't much different from the last time I saw it in 2014.
Some issues were apparent as I expected....
The PAS pump is super noisy on lock, I'm wondering if there's been a leak and air has got in to it, taking the cap off the reservoir the fluid was all foamed up so I'm guessing there's something going on there.
The drivers door lock doesn't lock the doors and boot but the passenger door does. The drivers door will unlock all the doors though just not lock it.
There's only one set of keys so I will be needing a spare set.
The skin of the bootlid seems to have seperated from the structure such that it sounds really 'tinny' and most un r107 like. I will either use some thin foam sheeting I have or maybe some sikaflex sealer or something.
As expected the wood trim around the gear lever is cracked but I would have been surprised if it wasn't. The other wood is perfect though. Looks like I will be doing the varnish, rubbing down and clear coating job.
There's a pin stripe down the sides of the car which I don't think is original so I will be removing that. Hoping the paint around it hasn't faded too much so it's still visible where it was.
The cover the fits over the top of the radiator is missing, the rad itself is dated 2014 and looks new so that's good.
I'm heading back up to the barn on Saturday so I will get some more pics and get it up in the air to have a good poke around.
Any suggestions on things I should be looking at would be much appreciated.
Luckily we're not that far away but the crosswinds were absolutely brutal coming back down the M27.
I haven't had a great deal of time to take pics or look over it in massive detail but here's a couple of pics of it in my brother's barn where it will be until we've addressed any significant issues. After that I will keep it in my work unit as it's a lot dryer and close by so I can use it when I like.
So far I'm really chuffed with the condition of it. You can tell it was kept in dry conditions most of it's life as things like the cad plated parts in the engine bay are still shiny and bright.
The petrol cap looks like it could have been put on there yesterday. I had a poke around the drains and jacking points in the sills and it all looks super solid. Looked under where the back seat would be if it had one and no signs of anything there at all. It was pretty depressing to be trailering it in the wet but I'm sure it will survive.
Things to note so far:
It smells like an old mercedes, took me right back to the S124 I had a few years back.
It's surprisingly snug in the drivers seat, with the hard top on my head is touching the headlining. I'm wondering if the soft top might yield a bit more headroom.
The sheer amount of chrome / stainless steel / polished aluminium is amazing.
Opening the bonnet made me laugh out loud. The sheer physical size of the engine is pretty spectacular even if it doesn't yield a great deal of power.
While there might not be a lot of power, the torque at idle is pretty obvious. Calling it 'creep' isn't really doing it justice, siimply coming off the brake has it moving off fairly sharply.
But all in all it's pretty much what I expected, I have seen / driven it before so it wasn't much different from the last time I saw it in 2014.
Some issues were apparent as I expected....
The PAS pump is super noisy on lock, I'm wondering if there's been a leak and air has got in to it, taking the cap off the reservoir the fluid was all foamed up so I'm guessing there's something going on there.
The drivers door lock doesn't lock the doors and boot but the passenger door does. The drivers door will unlock all the doors though just not lock it.
There's only one set of keys so I will be needing a spare set.
The skin of the bootlid seems to have seperated from the structure such that it sounds really 'tinny' and most un r107 like. I will either use some thin foam sheeting I have or maybe some sikaflex sealer or something.
As expected the wood trim around the gear lever is cracked but I would have been surprised if it wasn't. The other wood is perfect though. Looks like I will be doing the varnish, rubbing down and clear coating job.
There's a pin stripe down the sides of the car which I don't think is original so I will be removing that. Hoping the paint around it hasn't faded too much so it's still visible where it was.
The cover the fits over the top of the radiator is missing, the rad itself is dated 2014 and looks new so that's good.
I'm heading back up to the barn on Saturday so I will get some more pics and get it up in the air to have a good poke around.
Any suggestions on things I should be looking at would be much appreciated.
bargeista said:
It smells like an old mercedes, took me right back to the S124 I had a few years back.
Some issues were apparent as I expected....
The PAS pump is super noisy on lock, I'm wondering if there's been a leak and air has got in to it, taking the cap off the reservoir the fluid was all foamed up so I'm guessing there's something going on there.
The drivers door lock doesn't lock the doors and boot but the passenger door does. The drivers door will unlock all the doors though just not lock it.
There's only one set of keys so I will be needing a spare set.
The skin of the bootlid seems to have seperated from the structure such that it sounds really 'tinny' and most un r107 like. I will either use some thin foam sheeting I have or maybe some sikaflex sealer or something.
As expected the wood trim around the gear lever is cracked but I would have been surprised if it wasn't. The other wood is perfect though. Looks like I will be doing the varnish, rubbing down and clear coating job.
There's a pin stripe down the sides of the car which I don't think is original so I will be removing that. Hoping the paint around it hasn't faded too much so it's still visible where it was.
The cover the fits over the top of the radiator is missing, the rad itself is dated 2014 and looks new so that's good.
I'm heading back up to the barn on Saturday so I will get some more pics and get it up in the air to have a good poke around.
Any suggestions on things I should be looking at would be much appreciated.
Congratulations - what a thrill. A little insight from the even littler amount I know about my own car:Some issues were apparent as I expected....
The PAS pump is super noisy on lock, I'm wondering if there's been a leak and air has got in to it, taking the cap off the reservoir the fluid was all foamed up so I'm guessing there's something going on there.
The drivers door lock doesn't lock the doors and boot but the passenger door does. The drivers door will unlock all the doors though just not lock it.
There's only one set of keys so I will be needing a spare set.
The skin of the bootlid seems to have seperated from the structure such that it sounds really 'tinny' and most un r107 like. I will either use some thin foam sheeting I have or maybe some sikaflex sealer or something.
As expected the wood trim around the gear lever is cracked but I would have been surprised if it wasn't. The other wood is perfect though. Looks like I will be doing the varnish, rubbing down and clear coating job.
There's a pin stripe down the sides of the car which I don't think is original so I will be removing that. Hoping the paint around it hasn't faded too much so it's still visible where it was.
The cover the fits over the top of the radiator is missing, the rad itself is dated 2014 and looks new so that's good.
I'm heading back up to the barn on Saturday so I will get some more pics and get it up in the air to have a good poke around.
Any suggestions on things I should be looking at would be much appreciated.
The smell - yes - I noticed this when I got mine as I was immediately taken back to a Unimog my Dad owned in the early 80s. I think the horsehair has something to do with it.
PAS fluid - change it asap and I would be surprised if your issue isn't resolved.
Drivers door lock - I'd begin by assuming you have a pneumatic leak somewhere. I suspect it takes more 'umph' to lock than unlock. There's a spaghetti junction of small coloured pipes under the bonnet which relate to the various air-powered locking systems. The different colours of the pipes relate to different areas of the car, but I'll be damned if I can remember what they are. When I say 'leak' the connections likely just need reseating.
Keys - easily copied. My Timpson did mine.
The wood around the gear selector. I had a go at this and a description of the process is in my thread. My results were not 100% perfect, but good enough for a first go and I remain happy with what I ended up with. Have a go at it, improve upon my own technique, and you'll get better results.
Edited by paulyv on Monday 2nd January 00:33
I owned a Japanese spec 560sl a few years back. The injection system can be finicky. I had the fuel injection head and warm up regulator professionally rebuilt. Along with new injectors it finally fixed a poor idle and overfueling issue. However it still missfired. After a lot of head scratching, we found out that one of the replacement injectors was faulty. Once replaced it transformed the car. A pressure gauge was also invaluable in setting up the fueling ( there’s a one off adjustment when refitting the metering head).
Did you try the height adjustment on the seat? It goes very low ?
The other thing that freshened up the cad was adjusting the steering play. People think that all 107s have steering play but inevitably it’s either poor adjustment or a worn box. This along with a rebush and new shocks got me to a precise steering car with lovely Mercedes damped ride.
Did you try the height adjustment on the seat? It goes very low ?
The other thing that freshened up the cad was adjusting the steering play. People think that all 107s have steering play but inevitably it’s either poor adjustment or a worn box. This along with a rebush and new shocks got me to a precise steering car with lovely Mercedes damped ride.
Congratulations. I live in Texas but own several Euro 107s including an 80 450SLC 5.0, 280SL with a 5 speed and a 500SL. Noisy PS pump is usually the low pressure hose but also check the gearbox for leaks. It will be wet.
They are more cramped when getting in and out of. I'm 5'10 and fit better in the SLC. You'll likely need subframe mounts as they tend to collapse even if the car sits.
Here is my 500SL
They are more cramped when getting in and out of. I'm 5'10 and fit better in the SLC. You'll likely need subframe mounts as they tend to collapse even if the car sits.
Here is my 500SL
paulyv said:
Congratulations - what a thrill. A little insight from the even littler amount I know about my own car:
The smell - yes - I noticed this when I got mine as I was immediately taken back to a Unimog my Dad owned in the early 80s. I think the horsehair has something to do with it.
PAS fluid - change it asap and I would be surprised if your issue isn't resolved.
Drivers door lock - I'd begin by assuming you have a pneumatic leak somewhere. I suspect it takes more 'umph' to lock than unlock. There's a spaghetti junction of small coloured pipes under the bonnet which relate to the various air-powered locking systems. The different colours of the pipes relate to different areas of the car, but I'll be damned if I can remember what they are. When I say 'leak' the connections likely just need reseating.
Keys - easily copied. My Timpson did mine.
The wood around the gear selector. I had a go at this and a description of the process is in my thread. My results were not 100% perfect, but good enough for a first go and I remain happy with what I ended up with. Have a go at it, improve upon my own technique, and you'll get better results.
Thanks Paul!The smell - yes - I noticed this when I got mine as I was immediately taken back to a Unimog my Dad owned in the early 80s. I think the horsehair has something to do with it.
PAS fluid - change it asap and I would be surprised if your issue isn't resolved.
Drivers door lock - I'd begin by assuming you have a pneumatic leak somewhere. I suspect it takes more 'umph' to lock than unlock. There's a spaghetti junction of small coloured pipes under the bonnet which relate to the various air-powered locking systems. The different colours of the pipes relate to different areas of the car, but I'll be damned if I can remember what they are. When I say 'leak' the connections likely just need reseating.
Keys - easily copied. My Timpson did mine.
The wood around the gear selector. I had a go at this and a description of the process is in my thread. My results were not 100% perfect, but good enough for a first go and I remain happy with what I ended up with. Have a go at it, improve upon my own technique, and you'll get better results.
Edited by paulyv on Monday 2nd January 00:33
The locks seem to all work fine, it's just that the turning the drivers door to lock doesn't do anything, the passenber side works fine if I use that lock so need to do a bit of digging inside the door like you say.
I had a good look at the fluid and it's dirty and red so must be ATF. I'm going to change the fluid with the proper MB PAS fluid and filter. I do wonder if the thing was tipped up at an angle in the container and that's caused the air to get in as it seems to be a bit quieter after a bit of manouvering around in the barn.
I read your console wood repair with interest, I'm going to do the same. It's a nice 'inside' in the warm job which is quite appealing at the moment!
Paracetamol said:
I owned a Japanese spec 560sl a few years back. The injection system can be finicky. I had the fuel injection head and warm up regulator professionally rebuilt. Along with new injectors it finally fixed a poor idle and overfueling issue. However it still missfired. After a lot of head scratching, we found out that one of the replacement injectors was faulty. Once replaced it transformed the car. A pressure gauge was also invaluable in setting up the fueling ( there’s a one off adjustment when refitting the metering head).
Did you try the height adjustment on the seat? It goes very low ?
The other thing that freshened up the cad was adjusting the steering play. People think that all 107s have steering play but inevitably it’s either poor adjustment or a worn box. This along with a rebush and new shocks got me to a precise steering car with lovely Mercedes damped ride.
I haven't tried lowering the seat, thanks for that! I found the adjuster to move it back but haven't found the height adjuster yet.Did you try the height adjustment on the seat? It goes very low ?
The other thing that freshened up the cad was adjusting the steering play. People think that all 107s have steering play but inevitably it’s either poor adjustment or a worn box. This along with a rebush and new shocks got me to a precise steering car with lovely Mercedes damped ride.
I will check the wheel play. I was watching a Tyrells classic workshop video where he mentioned this. He made it sound fairly easy to do but reading elsewhere suggested the box should only be adjusted out of the car... hopefully Iain is right!
It seems to run pretty nicely as far as I can tell. With it not being registered yet, it's tricky to drive anywhere, also going out of the barn requires driving down a muddy lane which I'm not keen to do at the moment!
What sort of cost is involved in having the metering head rebuilt?
alabbasi said:
Congratulations. I live in Texas but own several Euro 107s including an 80 450SLC 5.0, 280SL with a 5 speed and a 500SL. Noisy PS pump is usually the low pressure hose but also check the gearbox for leaks. It will be wet.
They are more cramped when getting in and out of. I'm 5'10 and fit better in the SLC. You'll likely need subframe mounts as they tend to collapse even if the car sits.
Here is my 500SL
Thank you! Those wheels look awesome.They are more cramped when getting in and out of. I'm 5'10 and fit better in the SLC. You'll likely need subframe mounts as they tend to collapse even if the car sits.
Here is my 500SL
It all looks reasonably dry under there although it was really hard to tell as the temperature increased rapidly over the past few days and the thing was (depressingly) covered in condensation so hard to see what was water and what was oil. It's sat in an air tent now, I went to check on it yesterday and it's pretty much dry now.
Thankfully we have a 2 poster lift so things like the subframe bushes shouldn't be too much of a drama hopefully.
I went to the barn on Saturday and my brother and I spent the day poking around and making good the air tent we have with a new fan and gaffer taping up the various cracks in the windows so it now holds air.
Being used to UK cars I'm pretty surprised by the general condition of the car. I can't find any rust to speak of, I even think the exhaust system is original. One of the exhaust rubber mounts is broken though so that will need replacing but I think I can cope with that!
In the pics there are drips all over everything, it's water where the car was cold and the air temp increased and caused a lot of condensation. Now in an air tent so all dry. Would be a real shame to suffer any corrosion, even plated nuts and bolts are still perfect which is pretty amazing, maybe they used better platings back then, my 2007 BMW which less miles has surface corrosion on most of the nuts and bolts.
I spotted a couple of small cracks in the dash top coming from the windscreen demist slots but they are very small around 10mm long. Not sure if they can be repaired or just something to live with, probably the latter!
Unsurprisingly the bonnet insulation has all gone, do people bother replacing this? I was reading that if you replace it it doesn't last very long.
I've also been reading through the history and it had a new radiator back in 2014 which still looks pretty much brand new. It cost the previous owner $800!!
Also a new A/C compressor and one of the hoses in 2014 as well as a trans fluid change with filters etc in the last couple of thousand miles. Also a new steering coupling and various other small items like the grommet for the radio antenna which is quite nice to see.
It looks like it's had regular oil changes as there's no hint of varnish inside the cam covers. Either that or the engine was changed at some point as it almost looks 'too' clean in there for 74K miles.
Probably the worst thing I've found so far is a body repair on the rear lower valence corner, whoever did it didn't do the best of jobs as the fluting in the lower body is much less pronounced on that corner. You can see behind the valence though and it doesn't look like it was too bad at all so just lazy work really as they didn't bother rubbing it down properly. Also the stone chip doesn't really match very well.
The sills and underside all look great, no signs of any rust although I'm yet to remove the hard top to check the drains. Not a speck of corrosion on any of the brake or fuel lines running under the car either, not something I'm used to!
So far top of the list is
-Replace all the service items,
-Flush the PAS and replace the filter
-Install a fog light (I've purchased the rear bulb holder from a UK car on ebay so I can swap over the fog light bulb holder to my bulb holder)
-Replace the headlight sealed beam units with RHD halogen versions ( think they are the same as a triumph stag and various british classics)
-New set of tyres (these are dated 2010 and are mud and snow tyres bizarrely)
-Sort out the locking on the drivers door
After that I'm quite keen to remove the cam covers and check the timing chain / guides. It doesn't look like too terrible a job (famous last words).
My priority is getting everything working right and all preventative maintenance done before looking at the cosmetics in more detail.
Being used to UK cars I'm pretty surprised by the general condition of the car. I can't find any rust to speak of, I even think the exhaust system is original. One of the exhaust rubber mounts is broken though so that will need replacing but I think I can cope with that!
In the pics there are drips all over everything, it's water where the car was cold and the air temp increased and caused a lot of condensation. Now in an air tent so all dry. Would be a real shame to suffer any corrosion, even plated nuts and bolts are still perfect which is pretty amazing, maybe they used better platings back then, my 2007 BMW which less miles has surface corrosion on most of the nuts and bolts.
I spotted a couple of small cracks in the dash top coming from the windscreen demist slots but they are very small around 10mm long. Not sure if they can be repaired or just something to live with, probably the latter!
Unsurprisingly the bonnet insulation has all gone, do people bother replacing this? I was reading that if you replace it it doesn't last very long.
I've also been reading through the history and it had a new radiator back in 2014 which still looks pretty much brand new. It cost the previous owner $800!!
Also a new A/C compressor and one of the hoses in 2014 as well as a trans fluid change with filters etc in the last couple of thousand miles. Also a new steering coupling and various other small items like the grommet for the radio antenna which is quite nice to see.
It looks like it's had regular oil changes as there's no hint of varnish inside the cam covers. Either that or the engine was changed at some point as it almost looks 'too' clean in there for 74K miles.
Probably the worst thing I've found so far is a body repair on the rear lower valence corner, whoever did it didn't do the best of jobs as the fluting in the lower body is much less pronounced on that corner. You can see behind the valence though and it doesn't look like it was too bad at all so just lazy work really as they didn't bother rubbing it down properly. Also the stone chip doesn't really match very well.
The sills and underside all look great, no signs of any rust although I'm yet to remove the hard top to check the drains. Not a speck of corrosion on any of the brake or fuel lines running under the car either, not something I'm used to!
So far top of the list is
-Replace all the service items,
-Flush the PAS and replace the filter
-Install a fog light (I've purchased the rear bulb holder from a UK car on ebay so I can swap over the fog light bulb holder to my bulb holder)
-Replace the headlight sealed beam units with RHD halogen versions ( think they are the same as a triumph stag and various british classics)
-New set of tyres (these are dated 2010 and are mud and snow tyres bizarrely)
-Sort out the locking on the drivers door
After that I'm quite keen to remove the cam covers and check the timing chain / guides. It doesn't look like too terrible a job (famous last words).
My priority is getting everything working right and all preventative maintenance done before looking at the cosmetics in more detail.
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