My Custom 1980 W116 300SD Project - Page 8 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Joseph_Conrad · #1 07-02-2011, 11:37 AM

Glad your car made the trip with no hiccups. This is a great thread, thanks for keeping it updated.

1980sd · #2 07-02-2011, 12:08 PM

NO BREAK DOWNS

Man, looks like the sunroof deal was a PITA but it's nice I like the big chrome handle

Sucks that something as simple as a hose can be so hard to find.

116's are the best...

Stretch · #3 07-02-2011, 12:56 PM

Fantastic job on the sunroof - I'm in the middle of doing the same for my W123. Did you remove the W123 one yourself? If you got it out of the driver's door on a W123 I'd be surprised if the trim wasn't knackered on the way out. I took out the rear window on my W123 to get it out nice and safely!

Squiggle Dog · #4 08-11-2011, 09:19 PM

Sadly, I don't have much good news about the 300SD. Last year I purchased 5 used, matching, proper size tires with plenty of tread. Now the casings are coming apart, the tread is wavy, and the tires hop. When I drive the front end shimmies and the steering wheel vibrates. When I travel above 60 MPH the shaking is violent. Not long ago I replaced the steering box with a C&M rebuild and all suspension components are recent. The steering was perfect. Now the car pulls hard to the right and shimmies violently. The dealer won't even align the car until I buy new tires. So I've got to save up for new tires. I'm TIREd of dealing with used tires because even when they have plenty of tread they seem to dry rot and deteriorate in short time. Oh, I also found a big nail stuck in the tread of the front tire...

Also, the previous owner installed used, mismatched front calipers (one side is an ATE and the other side is a Bendix). All 4 rotors are polished and worn very thin. I have to put lots of pressure on the pedal to stop and the wheels tend to lock up. So I need to replace the calipers, rotors, and pads soon.

I noticed that the shock absorbers are starting to leak oil.

The rainy season will be here soon and I need to replace all of the weatherstripping so I'm not driving around in a leaking, fogged up car. This is going to cost some money.

Biodiesel is near $6 a gallon so now I have to use diesel. My last oil change cost $120 doing it myself.

There's something weird about the shape of the front fenders that won't allow me to completely bolt on the under-headlight overriders. I've tried different pairs, but it almost looks like the entire front end shifted from a previous crash or the front core support from another car was welded on...

The good news is that I just purchased a pair of complete new old stock taillights with bulb holders, so I will have new taillights with rubber seals to keep the trunk dry. I sold a pair of old Zenith carburetors that I had no use for for $150, then used that money to purchase the taillights, so it was a good trade with no out-of-pocket expense.

Oh, and I'm losing my job of 4 years next month due to my contract being taken over by a non-profit organization that hires disabled people. I'm too healthy and too able to keep my job. Thanks, Obama.

mercmad6.3 · #5 08-11-2011, 10:18 PM

over the years i have found that W123's are actually W116's in a tight skirt.

That means that most of the front suspension (except the lower arms) is W116 and W126 . So,dont lose heart, go to a wrecker and score the big brakes from a 420,500 or 560 Second generation . You will need the discs ,calipers and a pair of new hoses . And grab the bigger backing plates .just stock W116 hoses are fine.
Everything bolts together with cutting,fighting or whatever to get brilliant brakes.
You will need the big second of wheels or a set of custom wheels in 15" or larger to clear the brakes. Note the size of a vented W116 disc as compared with a regular W126 disc.

katja · #6 08-11-2011, 10:39 PM

It always seems like everything is fine for a while and then all kinds of repairs are needed at once - when you least have the money. Murphy's law, I guess.

I think new tires could cure some of the handling issues, maybe all of them if they are that bad. Though it's curious as to whether the tires were just "tired" or whether there is some fundamental alignment problem that caused them to wear out. From what you have been saying, maybe the car was in some accident at one time and thus everything is a little "off" despite you replacing the steering parts.

I'll keep my eyes out for W116's at the big PNP near me, in case I can grab anything for you.

Squiggle Dog · #7 08-12-2011, 04:57 PM

I forgot to mention that the driver seat belt buckle failed. I noticed that the seat belt would come undone randomly as I was driving. I would click it back into place, then it would pop out again. Now the buckle won't hold the seat belt at all. I am stretching the seat belt across to the passenger side buckle until I replace the one on the driver side. In fact, all of the seat belts have something wrong with them; either the reels don't reel in completely, or the webbing is frayed, or the buckles don't work, or they are really rusty.

The W126 brake idea is interesting. Too bad I already sold my 15" Centra wheels!

The tires appear to be old and the metal casings are deteriorating, which is causing them to bulge. I can see it in the tread when I spin the wheels. The tread is wavy and hops from the structure coming apart. It's getting worse with time. I get a vacation check from work next month, so I may use that to buy new tires. I'd love a set of wide whitewalls (even if they are shaved), but they are expensive.

I noticed the shimmying start after I had the tires installed, so I had an alignment done by an alignment shop. It didn't cure the problem and it got worse with time. When I went to the dealer for an alignment they said that all of my steering components were as good as new, but that the tires were so bad that I needed to replace them right away.

Katja, keep a lookout for W116s up there.

-=DeanstuD=- · #8 09-09-2011, 08:05 PM

I intended to look up this thread and forgot. I was at the Portland south PnP, and there are two 116 with the non 5mph bumpers in case you wanted to ditch the big ones... A 73 and a 74.

the other car still had rubber strips this one is missing.

Squiggle Dog · #9 09-09-2011, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -=DeanstuD=-

I intended to look up this thread and forgot. I was at the Portland south PnP, and there are two 116 with the non 5mph bumpers in case you wanted to ditch the big ones... A 73 and a 74. the other car still had rubber strips this one is missing.

Thanks for the info! There's actually a 1973 450SEL at the PickNPull here, too. I passed on the smaller bumpers. I like the big ones. You should save the metal coolant reservoirs if they have them. They go for crazy money. I wish it wasn't a four hour round trip!

Squiggle Dog · #10 09-13-2011, 10:11 PM

UPS stopped by today with my 5 new Hankook Mileage Plus II shaved whitewall tires. I know I could have bought white sidewall tires and then tried to shave them myself, but it would have cost just as much as these tires, anyway.

They're not quite the tires you see in the Coker catalog, but they are also less than half the price! The only thing that bothers me is that the whitewall rubber is rough from being ground, but I could probably use sandpaper to get the rubber smoother.

Now I have to wait for my vacation check on the 15th so I can get them installed on my black steel rims, next I'll have the dealer do an alignment. I'm really excited to see how the car looks with them on.

Squiggle Dog · #11 09-18-2011, 10:48 PM

I spent several hours cleaning and polishing the wheels I got for $7 each from PickNPull. They were dull, oxidized, rusty, and had lots of ancient brake dust on them. Black Magic Wheel Cleaner got the brake dust off, but not without hours of very much scrubbing. I polished them with Meguiar's Deep Crystal Polish, followed by Meguiar's Gold Class Wax, then coated with DuPont Teflon Wax. In the end they were very shiny, with only a little rust remaining.

I made sure that the insides were just as clean as the outsides.

I had Les Schwab Tires mount and balance the tires. It was $118.32 with 5 new valve stems. As I was installing the wheels I noticed that they wrote "BENT" on the inside of one of them. I'm not sure what that's about, so I'll have to call them. For now I'm using at as a spare. If the rim is bent, I think that I have another one I can polish and use.

I found some rusty wheel bolts and soaked them in Evapo Rust for a couple of hours. I then coated them with wax before adding a small amount of anti-seize paste to the threads.

Squiggle Dog · #12 09-18-2011, 10:50 PM

Here's what the 300SD looks like with the whitewall tires and black wheel covers. I love it! I am sticking with whitewall tires for life. At some point I might go back to the bundts after I have them and the car painted, but this works for now. The car rides smoothly; no more shaking and hopping--and I don't have to worry about the tires blowing out anymore.

Aquaticedge · #13 09-18-2011, 10:52 PM

Snazzy look! I like it!

bribarn · #14 09-18-2011, 10:56 PM

It looks great, congratulations! I'm impressed with your determination and abilities. I'm sure this car will be amazing when finished.

Stretch · #15 09-19-2011, 03:22 AM

I'm Impressed with the wheel cleaning - be careful with the old wheel lugs though - there is a huge difference in feel (when fitting) between new and old.