PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

cgoodwin · #5 04-11-2004, 11:34 AM

Yes, well I had a 1976 450SLC given to me...Well it came to the shop as a possible restoration, when I told the client what the paint would cost to restore and gave an estimate for the mechanical repairs along with a valuation of the car when complete and running.... They gave me the car. Here in Washington a really nice and original SLC with under 100K is worth less than $3,000, if you can even sell it. One of my clients has a low mileage car in great condition and has been trying to get $3500 for almost a year.

So at the end of the day there I was with the car and in researching the value I had come across a couple of websites regarding the 450SLC in rally racing and found the story interesting, having rally raced some 15 years ago ad seeing the potential for fun in vintage rallys as well as the potential for some promotion for my business I decided to pursue a reproduction of the original rally car. Now if I had a 5.0 all aluminum motor and a 4 speed transmission I would go for a 450SLC 5.0 project.

I have researched the cars as much as I can and even coresponded with Karl Ludvigsen, author of many books on Mercedes, famous photographer and author of an article dealing specifically with the SLC rally cars featured in the March/April 1999 issue of "The Star".

My plan is to sand down the repainted and cracking paint and have the car shot in silver with a satin black hood, strip and sell the interior off, install a cage and a set of Recaros with 6 point harnesses, gut the dash and install a 2 way radio and vintage rally clock, extinguishers, gauges, etc. A set of hood pins, a brush gaurd and 4 Ciebe OSCAR's , beef up the suspension mounts, put in a skid plate and find a set of slightly taller springs, have a set of Bilsteins re-valved for rallying and finally....

Go out and slam a Mercedes as fast as possible through mud and gravel next to a bunch of vintage cars or class 5 rally cars. In the vintage races I will likely be the only car worth $2000 when all the others are worth $20,000 plus and class 5 is limited to rear wheel drive vehicles below 5.0 liters which would place a 450 in the top of the displacement competing against quite a few 1.6 and 2 liter cars. At the end of the day I think that for about $2000 it would be a blast to do, a blast to drive and frankly showing up at local Mercedes club meets and parking a mud encrusted 450SLC next to the spit polished, sunny weekend driven, original sticker still in the window line of cars would give me a chuckle deep down in my mechanic/drive the damn car heart that would make it all worth while.

So back to the point. Does anyone have any idea how to do the transmission mod.?

Does anyone want to buy a very nice tan interior for an SLC?

Does anyone want to donate a 5.0 motor and 4 speed trans?