9 years in storage...finally time to get it back on the road.

[jplinville]

It's been 9 long years since I put the R107 in storage. I had it pulled and delivered to the house today. It took two baths to get storage grime off of her, but she still shines like a new penny. I put a new battery in her today, and bumped the engine a bit to make sure it wasnt seized up.

Upcoming projects...clean old fuel from tank and lines, complete tune up, check flex disk and chain guides, replace fuel filter, check pumps, replace ball check valve (one of the reasons why it went to storage), new brake rotors and pads, check calipers (stuck a bit, but finally freed up), and a few other thing before attempting to start.

Anything I'm missing on my list?

[BWhitmore]

Change all the fluids (engine oil, transmission fluid, differential oil, brake fluid, coolant). Replace all the fuses with copper fuses (or if already equipped with copper fuses, clean the tips). Replace all 4 brake hoses. Looks like a nice car. Good luck.

[okyoureabeast]

Here's hoping you drained the tank of fuel or at least put in ethanol free gas.

If not, you might be in for a world of hurt ifnitbhas turned to varnish and destroyed the fuel system!

[BWhitmore]

I have stored gasoline powered cars and or equipment for as long as a year and put Sta-Bil in the gas tank prior to the storage. I ran the engine with the Sta-Bil in order to ensure it went throughout the fuel system. Even after a year the gas had not turned in to varnish.

[okyoureabeast]

Originally Posted by BWhitmore

I have stored gasoline powered cars and or equipment for as long as a year and put Sta-Bil in the gas tank prior to the storage. I ran the engine with the Sta-Bil in order to ensure it went throughout the fuel system. Even after a year the gas had not turned in to varnish.

I have too, now let's try 9 and see what happens

[tyl604]

A question - why put such a beautiful vehicle in storage for nine years?

[BWhitmore]

I am pretty sure Sta-Bil cannot help a 9 year storage.

[97 SL320]

I would not worry about changing fluids pre start up unless the engine oil is milky. I might drain some off the bottom as dirt tends to settle out.

Be sure to pull the spark plugs, disable fuel pump / ignition system, squirt some oil in the cylinders, turn crankshaft by hand then by starter until you get oil pressure and then 30 sec after that.

[jplinville]

Originally Posted by tyl604

A question - why put such a beautiful vehicle in storage for nine years?

Few reasons...one being it needed some work, and I didn't live in a neighborhood where I felt safe leaving it out on the street (no driveway) Now that I'm back in my hometown, living in the house I had built for my parents in 2008, I now have a nice, albeit cramped, garage. I refused to sell it.

[jplinville]

Originally Posted by okyoureabeast

Here's hoping you drained the tank of fuel or at least put in ethanol free gas.

If not, you might be in for a world of hurt ifnitbhas turned to varnish and destroyed the fuel system!

Last tank of gas had low ethanol...less than 1/4 tank. Removed cap, and it still smells like gas.

[okyoureabeast]

Originally Posted by BWhitmore

I am pretty sure Sta-Bil cannot help a 9 year storage.

I know I know, just being a

Originally Posted by jplinville

Last tank of gas had low ethanol...less than 1/4 tank. Removed cap, and it still smells like gas.

You should be fine. Top off with fresh fuel and some techron.

My car sat for about 2 years and somehow developed a super nasty varnish that ruined every component in the fuel system. I had to replace everything from the tank strainer to rebuilding the WUR and fuel distributor.

It was a sad couple of days

[ejboyd5]

https://www.benzworld.org/forums/r-c107-sl-slc-class/3030392-9-years-storage.html

[jplinville]

It lives! I added 10 gallons of fuel, an 80/20 mix of fuel, Seafoam, and toluene, and additive I used to increase octane. I drained the fuel lines and added new fuel filter, checked plugs, wires, cap and rotor to make sure the were good, then pulled the coil wire, and cranked the engine over a bit to circulate the oil. I reconnected the could and turned her over...she started on the 4th try.

I let her idle for over an hour, watching the gauges and paying attention to smells. She's going to be fine.

I'll get her registered and tagged next week, work on the brake pads and rotors, then detail the whole car.

[jplinville]

So far, the plugs, cap, and rotor have been replaced. The old plugs varied in gap from +10 to +20, and the hard to start issue I had prior to storage has been eradicated. She's running smooth and strong. For kicks, since the tires are in need of replacing anyway, I smoked them at half throttle in front of the house...with a cop watching. It's ok, as he's my neighbor, and gave me the go ahead to see if she could do it again. It was just enough to prove she could do it, and cause SWMBO to give me the look.

Next up is brakes. I've read some posts that say I shouldn't turn the rotors, and others that claim I'm fine to do so, so long as everything is within specs. Opinions on this topic is quite welcome.

I'm also going to need a set of tires, since the car was stored with tires on the ground, and for so long. The Yokahamas I put on it in 2009 were great tires...held the road on canyon roads very well...so i may stick with the brand on the next set.

I just attacked the leather with the 2-step Lexol system. I really like how it cleaned the seats up, and the conditioning results reminds me of Nokona, when used on my baseball glove. I have a few spots where color has worn off over the years...what product did you use to remedy the color?

I've been polishing the metal bits, bringing it back to a sparkle. The results have been very positive. I've found a few pieces I want to eventually replace due to some heavy scratches, but it's good for now.

I need to remove the drivers seat to remove and replace the inboard pivot shoulder screw...mine has been broken since before I got it. I know I'm going to have hell to pay to remove the broken part, so I've read. Does anyone have a part number for the bolt so I can easily order a replacement?

[BWhitmore]

A company called Color Plus in Pennsylvania (they have a website) makes excellent dyes for dying leather or vinyl. Their dyes are a perfect match to stock Mercedes colors or they can match a sample color that you would send them. Easy to apply and very durable. As far as dyeing only a portion of a seat, this may create a mis-match of colors on a seat necessitating the re-coloring of the entire seat.