Today, when I pulled the spare tire out while cleaning the trunk, I found a section of underdash panel for my 73 280 SEL. It appears to be the section to the left of the steering column, and fits in place when held up to the area. Attached to the panel is a black box about 3"x5" with two sliders.
One switch is labeled 8&6 cyl - 4 cyl, the other is labled manual - auto. There is a portion of opaque circuit board visible and there are three sets of connector pins, something like 7, 4 and 6 pins, in that order top to bottom.
The portion of underdash panel has been MIA since I bought the car, that is until today. After fitting it into place, I took a closer look up in the dash and found a bundle of what appears to be non-factory wires. All very thin and routed everywhich way. I was able to locate one small 4 pin connector.
Does anyone have any idea what this might be, or what it might have been? With the switches to select the number of cylinders and tranny type, I'm speculating it is part of an aftermarket cruise control or performance device. If it isn't a MB device, can I safely remove the rats nest (read non-factory bundle) without worry?
Sorry for the length, but it was hard to describe in fewer words.
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Mike Tangas
73 280 SEL 4.5