LOVE My 1982 240D Stripper

[vwnate1]

This was the very first Mercedes I ever owned, bought it for SWMBO about twenty years ago, it's so basic it didn't have a sun roof nor passenger side mirror .

I just finished a major overhaul of the engine and tranny plus up graded the AC to a Sanden 7 series compressor and larger, cross flow condenser sold by a member right here .

I have less than 200 miles on it and have begun driving it on the freeway , varying the speed all over the map from 40 ~ 70 MPH , I tend to be out in the wee hours of the morning when there's no other traffic to speak of .

As so many mention, this thing has so little power it's either comical or absurd and if one isn't fully aware could even be dangerous but oh, my HOW DO I LOVE THIS CAR !!! .

I took the seat belts out and hand washed them so now they're floppy and smooth like a good quality silk tie, when you release the buckle they zip back with a flourish like new again (my Foster boys often allowed them to get caught in the doors before) , I replaced all four door latch strikers with the good ones (W126 P/N superseded) so now all four doors close with delicious little clicks like a bank vault again .

I hope my buddy didn't toss out all the old parts, the engine was _really_ worn out from lack of oil changes by the original owner, a nice guy who didn't smoke and always garaged it but that carbon soot in the oil slowly and gently wears _everything_ out ~ you gotta see the cam chain tensioners and shoes, the chain was worn out even .

?! How the heck does the OIL PUMP get bent ?!??!! .

Only 362,000 + miles, I'll never see a dime back out of this car, good thing I like it so much .

[dieselmania]

Oh dear.....You've got it bad......

[vwnate1]

It's far worse than you think ! .

When I had my Indie shop in the 1970's it was an VW air cooled palace, everyone else wanted chrome 2180 CC engines, I remained with the early 36hp engines, crash box transmissions, skinny tires, AM radios, the works .

I also piled on more miles in every week than most ever do monthly .

Then SWMBO did what neither of my Brothers could : got me to buy a Mercedes Diesel, this one was the first, I've had quite a few but this old plodder remains and will prolly be the one I die with .

I bought her a grey market fully optioned W123 wagon a few years ago on a tip here from the CWC guys, she loves it and told me to junk the 240D, I can't .

I need to get busy and fix the cruise control as I often load it up with five people, set the air con to 'refrigerate' and head off across the Desert to Nevada or wherever .

@ 60 MPH it's cold like a meat locker and always gets over 32 MPG ~ what's not to love ? .

I drove it alone to bury Pops in Colorado two years ago, it only had 200# in the #1 cylinder thanx to a tuliped exhaust valve but it ran O.K. if slowly on the hills ~ in New Mexico deep in the Navajo Nation it struggled up a steep highway at a walking pace for an hour or two, that's when I decided to bite the bullet and fully overhaul the drive train . I spent three weeks on the open road and put over 3,000 wonderful if slow miles on it .

Yep, I'm stupid alright .

No regrets, not a one .

I even drove it on a few Road Rallies in So. Cal. ~ someone has to bring up the rear and drive sweep, right ? .

[vwnate1]

In New Mexico, middle of nowhere, just one more old Mercedes Diesel doing it's thing .



I got lucky and found a rear seat back with head rests some years back, my passengers love it nearly as much as I do .

Gotta get busy and add the factory tachometer .

[dieselmania]

I have spent a lot of time up there in Northern NM, which routes did you take?

[vwnate1]

If you'd asked me in August of 2016 I coulda told you in detail .

I just roamed around for three weeks, met my Siblings in Albuquerque then drove to Cortez, Colorado to bury Pops .

Mostly I drove on the Rez , back roads where few like to go, I love it .

Looks like I'll be driving this same car to Death Valley in Spring, the last time I drove there I was in Rhyolite, Nevada past Daylight Pass when a tiny bit of solder bloom caught between the water pump's impeller and the housing, opened a little hole that let all the coolant out ~ whoops ! a $1,500 water pump job that involved a trailer rental and leaving the car over night in Beatty, Nev....

As I said : good thing I love this car so much .

Between the white paint and the previous R12 charged AC it was always 65* F inside no matter how hot out side .

I hope the new Sanden compressor and cross flow condenser work as well, it's R134a now.

[t walgamuth]

Its nice to hear of your long term love affair with that lovely white 240!

[jake12tech]

nice to hear tbe dedication and love put into it. is it's name the stripper?

[DeliveryValve]

Originally Posted by vwnate1

....

As so many mention, this thing has so little power it's either comical or absurd and if one isn't fully aware could even be dangerous ..... .

This is where skill comes in with the lack of power. The art of anticipating is a skill lost with these higher horsepower, computer traffic hazard warning sensor cars.
With these cars, you anticipate ahead of time of where you want to put the car and it makes you very aware of your surroundings. If you don't get it, you'll get run over.


.

[koooop]

Originally Posted by vwnate1

This was the very first Mercedes I ever owned, bought it for SWMBO about twenty years ago, it's so basic it didn't have a sun roof nor passenger side mirror .

I just finished a major overhaul of the engine and tranny plus up graded the AC to a Sanden 7 series compressor and larger, cross flow condenser sold by a member right here .

I have less than 200 miles on it and have begun driving it on the freeway , varying the speed all over the map from 40 ~ 70 MPH , I tend to be out in the wee hours of the morning when there's no other traffic to speak of .

As so many mention, this thing has so little power it's either comical or absurd and if one isn't fully aware could even be dangerous but oh, my HOW DO I LOVE THIS CAR !!! .

I took the seat belts out and hand washed them so now they're floppy and smooth like a good quality silk tie, when you release the buckle they zip back with a flourish like new again (my Foster boys often allowed them to get caught in the doors before) , I replaced all four door latch strikers with the good ones (W126 P/N superseded) so now all four doors close with delicious little clicks like a bank vault again .

I hope my buddy didn't toss out all the old parts, the engine was _really_ worn out from lack of oil changes by the original owner, a nice guy who didn't smoke and always garaged it but that carbon soot in the oil slowly and gently wears _everything_ out ~ you gotta see the cam chain tensioners and shoes, the chain was worn out even .

?! How the heck does the OIL PUMP get bent ?!??!! .

Only 362,000 + miles, I'll never see a dime back out of this car, good thing I like it so much .

"As so many mention, this thing has so little power it's either comical or absurd."

This statement nails what I love about our 240D, I get a laugh out of it every time I drive it. Some of my car nut friends refer to the car as "1 Option Bob" since mine is blessed with a right hand mirror as the only option. This car is a curiosity, maybe even an oddity at this point. I'll keep it until the condition is such that it starts to bring down the property value in the neighborhood.

[Mark123]

My '81 240D manual is more like the aristocrat with patches on the elbows of his cardigan. Shabby chic? An unloved car for too long. But, with trips to pick-n-pull and plenty of elbow grease, almost Eliza Doolittle. Add the right hand mirror. take off the air conditioning and cruise. Portland, OR naturally. I think I am trying to to turn it into an early '60's W110. Be still my beating heart.

[vwnate1]

Well ;

It's hardly "lovely" but I do love it, passed $15,000.00 into it but who cares ? .

As mentioned, you maintain situational awareness and everything is fine .

I have clean rags, polishing compound and some wax to slap over each panel as I get them done, one of these days I'll find a body & paint shop I trust (yeah, right) and re spray the entire car .

It looks like I'll be re trimming the seats sooner than later, it'll give me a chance to replace the horse hair pads that are all over the car (I vacuum them up regularly) and wrap all the seat springs in muslin or burlap then use cotton batting instead of foam, makes for very firm and comfy seats .

Wait'll the guys in the Sports Car Club see it now ~ still slow but keeps up just fine in the canyons and twisty bits and now : NO SMOKE ! .

[vwnate1]

BTW : That Oriental Red one looks mighty clean to me ! .

[koooop]

Originally Posted by vwnate1

BTW : That Oriental Red one looks mighty clean to me ! .

It is, but it needs to be rubbed out right now.

[t walgamuth]

In my book a car or person can be lovely without being beautiful. A nice stripper 240d if in good condition is lovely to drive. (...not fast but willing and very precise and comfortable).