1972 450SL - My new addition

[meltedpanda]

Well she is home and now mine. A 1972 450 SL in all her glory.
This was basically a ground up restoration with no expense spared New leather interior, new top, paint, lines brakes ect. All done by a consummate professional bodyshop guy. Runs solid. Pretty good history with it, 134K on the clock, driven only on weekends last few years. I was in the right place at the right time!
I am in hopes to learn as much as I can about this car, I can walk my way around the older ones, but I have never had a V8. I am sure I will be posting many questions, I suspect however much less than my rebuild of the 71 220 ( I think that reached 40+ pages!)
In the 25 miles I have driven I already have some questions
1) seems to idle high – adjustable? What should the RPMS be in park
2) Sounds like I may need to adjust valve lash, is this a DIYjob or pro? What is service interval on valves
3) A few electrical gremlins, turn on the brights and it turns off the left side lights altogether, without brights , both regular headlights light.
4) Door chime and interior lights do not work
5) Clock does not work. I fixed the one on my 71 220, is this the same set up?

I also think I need to change plugs, points and rotor cap – anything special there?
What kind of gas octane should I run

Thanks in advance, I hope to meet many new SL friends here!

[450sl4me]

Beautiful car. Congratulations!

[Jim B.]

That IS gorgeous. Those cost a LOT to restore to that standard, but they are worth it.

No catalysts. the painted hubcaps and the 1972-73 thin bumpers make yours an especially covetable R107.

I'm not familiar with the cast iron 450 block, but when do the timing chains on those need to be done? On the 560 it's at about 100,000 miles, and the guide rails can get brittle and crumble over the long years.

Found a good hardtop hoist or stand for the car yet? Possibly sheepskin covers to protect the leather seats. Extra keys and a bottle of touch up paint around are a good idea always.

Get your wife to get you one of these, little silver keychain model.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mercedes-350-SL-R107-offenMod-Schluesselanhaenger-versi_W0QQitemZ290139558971QQihZ019QQcategoryZ14769QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

They are beautiful polished silver, about $26, 1/87" scale like HO train scale, the seller speaks english and responded to my email that shipping is only 4.50 euros, insurance 2.50 euros, airmail ok, send cash OK, and he has sold thousands in Germany so could be trusted. I will probably get one for my car one of these days.

Might be fun to grab up a sales brochure for this car
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1972-ALL-MODEL-MERCEDES-SALES-BROCHURE_W0QQitemZ290139126010QQihZ019QQcategoryZ34227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or an owners manual if you don't have one. (Handy reference for fuses, bulbs, gasoline octane recommendations and service intervals)

Ebay and Ebay UK sometimes yield vintage magazines like Car and Driver, Road and Track with original road test articles about these cars.

There are some books of interest also referencing thie R107.
http://sl107.com/store/

The Mercedes Classic Center in Orange County, California probably could provide help with questions.

It might with a gem like this, depending on the mileage you will put on it, be worth looking into "agreed value" insurance or collectors car insurance for this one, like Hagerty, JT Taylor, etc.

[meltedpanda]

Thanks Jim, have already gone the vintage car insurance route,looking through the "stuff" it had the chain rails done. I am looking for a hardtop stand or may actually make a hoist to store the top, I am pretty handy with wood and mechanics
I think all she needs at this point is a good detailing, several small interior parts, plugs, points, rotor and, timing and valve lash adjustment, and a change of all filters and fluids, I like to start fresh with a maintenace schedule. I have a vintage heathkit dwell and engine analyzer that I am sure will come in handy,
I have got a Haynes manual but really need more detail.
It sure is fun to drive
More to follow

[DanielG]

As I recall a 1972 engine needed leaded gasoline -- I could be wrong -- but I think you need to buy and add with every fill-up a supplement having lead. It should be available at your auto parts store.

[Engr693]

Originally Posted by DanielG

As I recall a 1972 engine needed leaded gasoline -- I could be wrong -- but I think you need to buy and add with every fill-up a supplement having lead. It should be available at your auto parts store.

None required. The valve seats in these engines are hardened and do not require the lead additive. Premium gas is recommended but not required.

NOTE FROM A SOURCE I CANNOT RECALL: all 1973 Model Year Gasoline Engines have a comprssion ratio of 8.0:1. Use regular type fuel - low lead or no lead.

And as far as I know, the 72 and 73 had the exact same engine.

[meltedpanda]

thanks Gary, that is the impression I am under
What about vavle lash job, where can I find information

[meltedpanda]

Bosch D-Jetronic F.I. systems - IS this what I have

[JPMOSE]

Glad it worked out for you!

[230/8]

Unleaded gas is fine; I use mid-grade for added ping resistance and a bottle of Chevron Proguard with Techron with each tank to keep the injectors clean. I also time the engine to 30 degrees advance @ 3,000 rpm w/o vacuum in order to get best performance. (Smog changes resulted in restricted advance from the factory of only 18-22 degrees...the iron V8 runs much better with the added spark advance.) Leave the retard system intact, it helps raise idle speed with the AC on, and the rest of the time it does not operate above idle speed or when coolant temp is above 100C.

Adjust the valves every 10,000, replace the chain at 100,000 because it is cheap insurance, and use NGK BP6ES plugs; they have a wide heat range and last forever. Replace all, underline all, the under the hood vacuum hoses and add worm clamps to the MAP sensor line and AAV lines to ensure positive vacuum seal. Your D-Jet operates off vacuum signals, so good vacuum is critical.

Idle speed is 700-800 rpm in neutral. If you cannot adjust it down to the proper range with the big brass screw near the AAV, you have a sticking AAV and replacement may be in order. Sometimes a dose of cleaner into the AAV can free up the AAV piston so it works freely.

I believe the clock is quartz, mine is, so if it is not working check your fuses. It would be wise to replace every old fuse with new brass or copper conductor fuses to prevent failures. The original fuses have aluminum conductors and they tend to corrode over time and cause intermittent problems.

Nice car...good combination...resist the urge to add bundt wheels. I think the hubcaps should be painted white to match the body, mine are body color and all the others I've seen were the same.

230/8

[Tomguy]

Ron Ron Ron... need help with the 450?

It's D-Jetronic. Valve specs are listed on the hood ID tag I believe, but they should be 0.004" (.010mm) intake and 0.008" (.020mm) exhaust when cold.

My 4.5 pre-head upgrade pinged on less than 92. Now I ping slightly on 93, but I never used less than 93. Some people get by fine on 87, but I kept my timing a little more advanced for power and liked running premium to ease my mind. If your temps on the highway cruises ever go above 175 on pure 87, no matter how fast you cruise at (eg: 120MPH for 2 hrs nonstop), then try 89 then 93...

Measure your chain stretch. Replace the rails first if they're plastic and stretch reads >8° on the right cam. If it still reads >8° then replace the chain. It sucks to hear your rails were replaced - early 4.5 had the much more preferable aluminum-backed rails that didn't crack. Mine does.

Any misc 4.5 parts you need?

[meltedpanda]

Thanks gang, howdy Tom, good to see you here.
I am planing to start with plugs, points, rotor ( that is a strange looking thing) timing, dwell ect. I am also going to clean the trigger points. Replace fuel filter and as you say look at all the vacuum lines
Parts - Hmmm , I know I need the lamp socket for the glove box, would love to find a nice rubber flange that goes around the shifter and a few of the little knobs that go on the levers for the air vents.
I would love to do the valves - so far no responses, do I need special tools, I know I will need the valve layout, and a remote starter switch to get the lobes in the right posistion.

230/8 where and what is the MAP and AVV?
Keep the info coming - thanks

[230/8]

MAP sensor is a small can-like thing attached to the driver side fender well between the coil and brake booster. It is about the size of a medium jelly jar and made of aluminum. There is a major electrical connection from it to the ECU and a large diameter vacuum line to the rear of the manifold. There should be a black plastic cap on one end. The MAP senses manifold vacuum and converts this to an electrical signal for the ECU to regulate fuel flow to the injectors.

The AAV is at the front of the engine fitted to the top of the manifold near the thermostat housing. It senses water temperature, like your thermostat, and opens/closes a valve that allows extra air to flow from the filter into the manifold during cold starts. This raises the idle speed during warm-up. There are large, 1" diameter hoses into and out that carry the air to the intake manifold from the air filter. There is a brass screw with a spring on the housing that is used to adjust air flow. The cold start injector also is mounted to this housing. It dumps a few seconds of fuel into the additional air for easier cold starting.

These books are good for info on D-Jet:

“How to Tune & Modify Bosch Fuel Injection" $21.95 by Ben Watson

“Bosch Fuel Injection and Engine Management” $29.95 by Charles Probst

230/8

[Dee8go]

That car looks sweet! Great job!

[ctaylor738]

Tomguy gave you the specs for the valves. The procedure is like any other pre-1980's MB engine - turn the engine to put the heel of the cam lobe against the rocker and turn the adjuster with a 17mm crowfoot. If you get a really stubborn one, you may have to remove the rocker and put a socket on the adjuster.

Sounds like a great car.