Oakland Craigslist Benz Hooptie Wagon
A 1982 wagon with a 1985 engine for $100 (plus parts)

*Updated 2014-10-23*

To do:
replace rear left door strap
right rear door strap is not good either
replace cracked blinkers and brake lights
get backuplights (or rig something up)
troubleshoot trans kickdown not working
get front license holder
get rear motor and wiper
find exhaust leak under air filter
buy missing courtesy light switch for rear door
Steering belt is close to upper oil hose, may be engine mounts or the radiator is not mounted right.
Passenger door lock needs the magic 'override' spring
Do something about the messy relationship between the crankcase and the air filter
Fix odometer
and tripometer
the tachometer almost always works, perhaps a drop of light oil would help
shifter light might not be getting power
buy upper screw for passenger armrest
buy screws for glovebox internal latch
buy tire chains
get a cross reference of MB lubricants and modern equivalents
buy a hood pad, and hood springs or bumpers or whatever is supposed to be there
fix AC? Remove all the AC stuff?
Rig up third row seatbelts
Get a front wiper fluid reservoir
Install aux battery, 12vdc generator, air compressor, sound system
tow hitch
trailer
trailer lights
wooden stake roof rack


Oct 23 It's been pouring. Although the car has taken on a bit of water it's much less than before. Snaking al the drains may have helped. I replaced the front left turn/running lamp because the running filament was broken. But when I replaced it the turn filament stopped working! I disassembled the lamp holder and "fluffed" the three conductors and now it's fine. Oiled the hood hinges, door hinges and all the locks with sewing machine oil. I washed the engine with a lot of cold water a few days back and now it's lightly rusted. Thinking about using ospho.

Oct 22 Checked glowplugs. All plugs resistance is good and all getting DC from the controller. Snaked rear sunroof drains with rigid vacuum hose and they do drain.

Oct 21 Cleaned lots of rich compost out of the engine bay drains. Front sunroof drains work, rear ones maybe not. Cabin leaks through left side sunroof. Found the missing $25 rod that connects the driver door lock to the master vacuum actuator (I previously made one out of an Oakland street sweeper bristle!)

Oct 1-20 (light massage)
-Fixed broken driver door lock.
-Replaced missing connection to master vacuum actuator (with a street sweeper bristle bent to Mercedes spec!)
-Installed vacuum parts for trans: orifice, damper, vacuum(!).
-Deleted egr+ac vacuum lines.
-Replaced broken interior door handles and knobs.
-Replaced various bulbs inside and out.
-Hooked up the stock speakers which were disconnected at the fader.
-Added almost a quart of transmission fluid!
-And a half quart of sls fluid.
-Found out my engine is a 1985 (in a 1982 car).
-Replaced both headlights.
-Cleaned crud off the tank sensor. Broke the magic wire. Resoldered it, reinstalled it. Seems to work.
-Bought jackstands, wheel chocks, and a jack

After giving proper vacuum to the transmission, the car seems to shift great!! I'm guessing the EGR delete is helping too. I haven't taken it more than a few miles though.


Oct 1 (jogging)
Drove it from Oakland to HQ (about 500 miles). I thought I did 80 most of the time, but an electronic speed check showed my speedometer to be 5 MPH high, so I maybe just cruised at 75. Solid. Shifted brutally hard and at annoying times (classic vacuum issues). Got approx 24 miles/gallon. Either didn't burn any oil or the seller overfilled it and it burned down to the right level by the time I got home. Cold idle is pretty nasty. Could be a bit of air. Or it could just be old. Blowby is medium.


Sept 26 (initiation)
Bought & Registered in Oakland off of "the Benz guy". He got it off of "some other Benz guy" so it comes with no history. Got it for $100 and the registration was only $5!
For the next few days, the seller:
adjusted valves
replaced chain tensioner
replaced brakepads
changed oil & filter
replaced oil filler cap
adjusted shift cable position
installed 3rd row seat from his own car(!!!)
adjusted idle