Questions about '73 450SL

[Arnett]

Greetings. Recently, I obtained my fathers 1973 450SL (he is original owner). I have lots of great memories in this car from when I was a kid, so it holds a special place for me. Unfortunately my old man never really took good care of this car. Most of the mechanical work was done by a buddy of his that owns a garage in the little town he lives in so the quality of repairs is less than stellar. The interior is shot and is in dire need of replacement (cracked dash, ripped seats, broken door panels and the console is falling apart). Also the soft top is in need of replacement. The car seems to run OK since I replaced the injectors but still vapor locks a bit (I know this is common for the 4.5) and it uses a bit of oil. I plan on restoring this car over the next few years so when my sons get old enough they can enjoy it as I did and plan on doing most (if not all) of the work myself.

My questions are, what would be a good place to get the replacement parts for the interior and what manuals/books would benefit me to help me achieve the restore? I am very good with cars but have never worked on anything like this. I have no doubt in my abilities just in my knowledge of these cars. Also if anyone knows of any useful websites that may help.

[meltedpanda]

here you go
http://www.kkmfg.com/, and FastLane, there are others. If you get more specific I am sure many will point you in the right direction, oh and don't forget the pick n pulls
I am just putting the finishing touches on a 72 450 so i have been dealing with a lot of what you WILL deal with, keep us posted.

[ScottinSoCal]

Originally Posted by Arnett

The car seems to run OK since I replaced the injectors but still vapor locks a bit (I know this is common for the 4.5)

It may be common, but it isn't the way the car was designed or is supposed to run. If/when you get the car running the way it's supposed to be, this won't happen any more.

My questions are, what would be a good place to get the replacement parts for the interior and what manuals/books would benefit me to help me achieve the restore?

The service manual is available on CD. 1.800.FOR.MERCEDES and order the manual on CD. It's $20 plus shipping. I got my interior pieces and new soft top from a place called World Upholstery.

http://www.worlduph.com

[Arnett]

Thanks for the responses guys. Hey panda, I see you live in Central KY (I live in Lexington). Are there any decent repair shops (except for James) around in case I need a professional for anything?

[meltedpanda]

sure thing, I am in Danville, I use Kirk Gilkrest at Eurowerks in winchester when I need someone, he specializes in old MB's and is quite good, Also there is German Motorworks in Lexington