In October of 2015, I was browsing eBay and found a yellow W114 for sale locally. The listing had poor quality photos, with a description left much to be desired. From what I could tell, the car appeared to be complete, but was listed as non-running.

For whatever reason, I was interested in the car, and placed a max bid of $200. A week passed, the auction ended, and, to my surprise, nobody outbid me. Even though the reserve was unmet, I figured it wouldn't hurt to go see the thing and contacted the seller.



When I got there, the car was indeed complete, but definitely had issues from being stored outside for a long period of time. The car would not run, and it was obvious there were several things that would need attention. The seller assured me that the car was running and he would drive it on occasion, but the flat tires and inability to start painted a much different picture in my mind.



The more I walked around the car, the more I grew to like it, but a voice inside told me to walk away. I already have another project car and I bought a house only a few months before, so I had a lot on my plate. (I still do) I politely told the owner that my max bid was $200 and I couldn't afford what he hoped to get for the car ($1,800-$2000).

Later that day, I got a text from the seller who reluctantly accepted my lowball offer. I made some arrangements towed the car home a few days later. After a few weeks of tinkering, I grew frustrated and gave up on the car. Before I knew it, there was over a foot of snow on the ground and wrenching was out of the question. It wasn't until February and work was slow that I started to dig into the car a bit more.

While the car did come with a near complete service history, and at least two of the previous owners appeared to be neurotic Benz fanatics, the deeper I got into this car, the more messed up I found it to be. In some ways, it was more messed up than my 1966 Volvo Amazon Wagon that I pulled from a barn after a 40+ year slumber. In other ways, it was in much better shape. The Solex carb? In perfect tune. The electrics? A mess; the condenser wire was cut, the spark plug wires were mismatched, and many terminals were corroded. The floors, well, after I pulled up the carpet, were a disaster.

As my enthusiasm waned, I eventually gave up on the mechanical side of the car and decided to address some of the cosmetic issues to boost my morale. Refinishing the wood trim helped me regain some excitement for the project.



Then a most lucky find came along. I discovered a W116 450 SEL in a junkyard with a near mint leather interior, a set of 5 14" Bundt wheels, and a bunch of other parts that would prove valuable to my restoration. I softened up the seats with Bag Balm, fitted some BFG Radial T/As and buffed out the paint.











Now I was excited about the car again, and determined to get it running. Part II below.