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Similar story
I am sure many others will chime in with similar stories, and here is mine. I went to look at a 350SDL for sale on a CL ad that was sitting for a couple years in the guys garage. He ran over something that poked a hole in the oil pan, and so he had it towed home and put it in the garage for a later project. Fast forward to a little over a year ago when he decided to sell it. I showed up, made a deal and bought it. I got it cheap enough, knowing that if the engine needed replacing, it would still be worth it (99,000 original miles on the car). After getting it home, I wanted to see if the engine was seized (both the seller and I had no hope that the engine was good, having run without oil for a time before shutting it down), so I charged the battery. I turned the ignition on to see what worked and what did not, and then turned it to start. To my amazement, it started IMMEDIATELY! It was not only sitting for years, it was without a drop of oil on the sump (it had years to drain out). I shut it down right away. I then patched the oil pan with epoxy and steel wool, put oil in it, and drove it around the block. There seemed to be no permanent damage. I replaced the oil pan, and the car has been my daily driver since. Yes, I am convinced that these cars will last forever, or at least my lifetime!
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