A few W108 questions

[katana]

Hi all!
Got her through DC inspection today and while waiting in line I had a lot of time to look around.

Is there a right side door mirror for a W108?

How do I replace the instrument panel lighting?

How do I dismount the dashboard wood trim piece? It needs to be refinished. In that context, what should I refinish it with?

Has anybody tried the cheapo 3point retractable seat belts that are on ebay for $70/pair? It seems to me that the fixed lock that you screw onto tunnel is a little short and bulky...

My driver's door power window makes a BIG knocking sound when I first open it, then it "stutters" its way down. Fixable?

I think that's it for now.
Thanks for your help.
Fritz

[Tomguy]

Is there a right side door mirror for a W108? -> Yes. These were on RHD models. Expect to pay a good deal for one here in the states.

How do I replace the instrument panel lighting? -> It's probably just the rheostat that's dirty, it almost always is. There are 2 bulbs for the heater levers, and about 6 or so in the cluster itself. I don't think ALL of them burned out Try playing with the dimmer for 5-10 mins, turning it back and forth.

How do I dismount the dashboard wood trim piece? It needs to be refinished. In that context, what should I refinish it with? -> Refinishing it is tricky, and you CAN'T sand it or you will sand the super-thin veneer off. If you mean the dash bow, if you unscrew the speaker grille, there are two screws there. Then you need to take the pieces off the sides of the windshield to fit it out, IIRC.

Has anybody tried the cheapo 3point retractable seat belts that are on ebay for $70/pair? It seems to me that the fixed lock that you screw onto tunnel is a little short and bulky... -> Can't comment here.

My driver's door power window makes a BIG knocking sound when I first open it, then it "stutters" its way down. Fixable? -> Sounds like you need a new window regulator, they tend to warp and crack with age.

[katana]

Thanks Tomguy,
4 outta 5 ain't bad!
I'll open up the driver's door and check the regulator.
Wood will have to wait, right now I'm de-rusting the trunk. The original rubber mats were still in there and they produced a fair amount of rust underneath.
Fritz

[nhdoc]

My '72 280SEL has a right side mirror on the passenger door...I thought they all did, am I wrong?

[kpb]

I've not seen a 108 with the RH mirror.

[nhdoc]

Originally Posted by kpb

I've not seen a 108 with the RH mirror.

Now you have!

Seriously, I have a book of the vintage 60's and 70's models called "Original Mercedes-Benz Coupes, Cabriolets, & V-8 Sedans 1960-1972" by Tim Slade and many are shown with LHD and RH mirrors so I don't think they were all that uncommon.

[alabbasi]

If you do need to re-vaneer the wood. Give Drew Tibkin at Heritage Woodworks (888-255-3523) a call. He is a thoroughly nice guy and a big Mercedes enthusiast (he owns a pretty nice Euro 300SEL).


He has done the wood for a number of M-100 owners.

[kpb]

I second the endorsement for Heritage Woodworks. They recently did my windshield bow -- now it shames the rest of the car!!

[kpb]

Originally Posted by nhdoc

Now you have!

Seriously, I have a book of the vintage 60's and 70's models called "Original Mercedes-Benz Coupes, Cabriolets, & V-8 Sedans 1960-1972" by Tim Slade and many are shown with LHD and RH mirrors so I don't think they were all that uncommon.

Of course, I failed to mention the ONLY 108s I have inspected have been residents in a nearby junkyard/parts bin in the backyard of a notable central OH MB afficianado. Have never (owned this 2 yrs) seen another on the road around here.

[katana]

Don't need to re-veneer the wood, the varnish simply detached completely. All I have to do is pluck it away and I should be good to go.
I did notice though that all the door window trim has been repainted, pretty crappy I might add. But that's way low on my priority list at this point.

Since I will use this car as my daily driver throughout the year, I need to take care of a few rust spots first. Por15 is doing a great job at that. Takes its time but seems to be fool-proof and good quality.

Fritz

[M_Anker]

Of course, I failed to mention the ONLY 108s I have inspected have been residents in a nearby junkyard/parts bin in the backyard of a notable central OH MB afficianado. Have never (owned this 2 yrs) seen another on the road around here.

You mean to tell me that there's someone in central Ohio parting 108's? You couldn't put me in contact with him since I always seem to need parts? Like this summer for instance, rebuilt the engine in the old thing. I'd love to find a good radiator fan shroud, and a local yard would be great.

[Tomguy]

Originally Posted by M_Anker

I'd love to find a good radiator fan shroud

As would I. I need one BADLY. Mine was cracked, but got even worse on a trip to Atlantic City (guess crusing at 90 the whole way down caused the fan to rip pieces off of it and throw them onto the headers for a nice "WHAT IS THAT!?!?!" smell).

[alabbasi]

There is 1 W108 at the local bone yard here in Atlanta, I can check if the fan cover is still on it. Is there a difference between the 6 and the V8 radiators? I can't remember if the car was a v8 or a 6.

[M_Anker]

guess crusing at 90 the whole way down caused the fan to rip pieces off of it and throw them onto the headers for a nice "WHAT IS THAT!?!?!" smell).

You think that's bad? I was driving on a cold winter morning and I had a real smartass start to pass me right as the highway was narrowing down to 2 lanes from 4, so I slammed down on the accelerator to take care of the offending ricer. Just as it finally spins up to 6K RPM I hear this big bang and the engine starts running really rough. The fan clutch had seized (it never worked since I had the car) so the fan was spinning at full engine RPM. There was a small chip or imperfection in the casting, and a fan blade just flew off of it. It broke free and flew upwards, slicing right through the top of the radiator shroud, missing the upper rad hose, knocking the radiator cap off, and putting a big dent in the hood.

The top of my rad shroud was gone, so I fabricated a fix out of steel and bondo, which cracks up everytime I have the radiator out (hopefully not any time soon with my new engine). I can still see a little bit of an imperfection where I couldn't quite cover the skim of bondo over the hood dent. Eventually, I might get a used hood and have it painted to match, since I've never been happy with that. So if I could find a nice shroud, it would look really good in there with that new engine and radiator.

[kpb]

Tomguy and M Anker -- Joe Alexander is the 108 guy in Blacklick, OH. Lemme know if you need contact info. Joe is a super dude. Just looked at two of his MB rides this week-end at the German Car Show in Dublin (OH).

Oh yeah, I guess I shouldn't claim to never have seen aniother 108 around cuz I saw M Anker taking his granny to the ariport about a year ago on I-70 by Reynoldsburg -- I was in a 65 mustang going 90 the other way -- no tickets that time