It was an offer you could not refuse !

__________________
'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

I retract my comments about the pics. For some reason, they wouldn't open other than the thumbnails on my phone... On my tablet they look great.

Now, for a request for MORE pics!

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

That's great.

__________________
Marshall Welch
Seattle, WA
1982 300D-T

I'm tryin'! Hard to do remotely. Need to depend upon the kindness of daughters.

Jim

__________________
14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Well, got a chance to spend a few days playing with the new car.

Good news is that the engine and transmission are fantastic. Runs very well and good power and almost no smoke, even at night.

Bad news is that the SLS is completely removed and the back end sags and bounces.

Given that this car has a salvage title and is located across the country from me, I'm looking into non factory fixes for the SLS. I did find this:

300TD SLS Conversion

Which looks like a good plan....

Need to do a few other things, like a replacement clutch for the fan, I'm sure I've got a few of those in the attic of the shop...

Gave the car a good detail and changed out all the fluids and filters, then picked my wife up at the airport. She loved the car! Nice to have spousal support for the 9th car in the fleet..... I flew home last night, and Linda is staying out in Tucson for the next two weeks for the Gem and Mineral Show, hanging out in a nice 1 bedroom condo my cousin has, and spending some time with family and our youngest daughter.

Jim

Attached Thumbnails

       

__________________
14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Congratulations, it looks good and runs well too? Wow. I have a friend who tried one of those SLS conversion kits and was happy with it.

Rebuild the seats and you'll be very happy.

__________________
'81 300SD

Looks like a great score. I have a fondness for long roofs of any maker and this one fits the bill nicely.

Dan

Looks ok until you look closely at the right hand side. There is obvious misalignment on the body panels. There is good reason this car has a salvage title. On the other hand it has several CPO stickers on the car...

I asked Dick about the car when I too him out for lunch last week. He bought it in 2002, pretty much as is. The damage and the branded title were before his ownership. His mech inspected the car and told him to get it, I suspect it was offered at an attractive price, given the salvage/damage. He did tell me his longtime mechanic was disappointed that he didn't get the car, he (mech) had said the engine and transmission were in excellent condition. Dick used this as truck. He had a pair of W126 diesels that were in immaculate condition (617,603) as well. When he downsized from his big house with the 4 car garage he gave away his MBs to friends. He wanted to make sure that they went to "good" appreciative homes.

It was obvious on inspection that this car had not been cheaped out on. Much is new under the hood, belts, hoses, entire A/C system and hoses, radiator, etc. Even new Michelins and battery. Spare is new as well.

He told me he had his mechanic remove the SLS because it was dripping on the ground, and his friends complained he was leaving oil spots on their driveways.

Oh well, not a perfect car, but a very nice one to drive for the price of entry...... The more I drove it last week, the more comfortable I felt about it's condition. Certainly seems to be running well and showing the granite like reliability that the OM617s are famous for. Just need to get that sagging rear end fixed.....

Jim

__________________
14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Jim,
Thanks for the pics & update!

RE: rear-end sagging......
Consider a set of spring-loaded assist shocks for the rear end.
OR
Air shocks, with a rear-cargo-hold area air-fitting to add/subtract air from them.

.02.....

__________________
'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

You wont regret it but buy your own shocks. The shocks he sends with his full kit are crap, along with the fastners he provides with his blockoff pump plate. I used 4 spare lower oil pan socket head cap screws, and bought bilstiens after the included shocks blew almost immediately.

The springs will take a few weeks of driving to seat fully and stop making noise over bumps. Overall the best mod i ever made to the wifes wagon. Whole huge pile of expensive SLS parts replaced with something that required no maintenance and i couldnt tell any difference in ride quality. Plus, you can now get a replacement engine from any 617 application, which is not an inconsiderable concern as these cars get increasingly rare and older.

__________________
This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Jim, a couple of Indy's just in case you need them:

European Service on First Avenue, just north of Grant Road, Keith Brooks
Motorwerks on Stone Avenue, just north of Prince Road, Bart
Craig's on Grant Road, his wife drives a 300TD

There's another one on Ft. Lowell Road between Stone and First Avenues, I believe it is "European Auto Tech" or something similar. Never had any dealings with them so I can't vouch for them. I believe Desert Panther has dealt with them so he could give give you some information.

Welcome back to the desert!

Oh yeah, regarding the "sagging rear end", it's pretty common with age, have you considered Pilates or perhaps this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Exercise-Butt-Master-Suzanne-Somers-Fitness-Equipment-Complete-/291152096001

__________________
“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

The mechanic installed a pair of Bilstiens on the rear. From what I've read, the wagon will take the sedan shock without modification (or only a small one - cut off the threads above the upper nut mount). Glad to hear the springs are a sat way to go, that seems like the best solution at this time.

Jim

__________________
14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Thanks for the info Mike. Personally I don't have the sagging rear end problem..... more of a "spare tire" issue for me.....

Jim

__________________
14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

This was a free one I never thought i would need another car .But i took it on and now a few grand less but still spending to get it mint.

Attached Thumbnails

 

For some of us, old Mercedes come around and we cannot repress the urge to "feed" them.

I think it's very similar to certain women who own a large number of cats...

Jim

__________________
14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles