1971 220

[meltedpanda]

Well I finally found the guy who is holding this car hostage. He drove it into a barn to "work on later" Two years later and it is still sitting there. I call him, we talk about MB's and wishing we both had more time to do what we wanted to do and then he says, "you want it?, take it , no charge except pay for registration transfer $12.00"? I peed my pants
I havent seen it in a few years but heck for nothing at least I can part it out. I hope to get it this weekend, flat bed it up to my house. I will post pictures of my new baby soon
Oh by the way I know little about this particular model except that I think they are way cool, this one is gas and automatic, no rust, good interior, has rear passenger door / rocker panel dent
Feel free to comment, I have thick skin

[Mark DiSilvestro]

With no rust, you can live with a few dents for awhile. I had a '72 W115 220 for a year. Mine had more power than the similar diesel version but it was still no hotrod, especially when the AC was going. It's a heavy car for the hard-working 4 cylinder so gas mileage, with the automatic, is nothing special. I would have been happier if mine had been a stick-shift. The '72s also had lower compression for regular unleaded gas, so your '71 might give slightly better performance. Mine also came without power steering so it was a bear at parking speeds. I added power steering from a parts car just before I sold it.
The fours do seem to be happier at high speeds than the sixes, so once up to speed, they will cruise all day at any legal speeds, and then some. Servicing the 220 is complicated by a tricky side-draft Stromberg carburetor, that's more familiar to British car enthusiasts, and (if equipped) a beefed up AC installation which bolts to the waterpump and the motor mount pad on the 4 cylinder block. The AC also traps the air filter housing in the right front fenderwell, making access to the alternator very difficult. Eventually I replaced mine with a smoother, more powerfull 6 cylinder 250 W114 sedan, which only got 1 or 2 MPG worse overall and was easier to work on. On the other hand, some say the 4 cylinder W115 bodies are sturdier because they were put together with extra welds to make them more suitable for taxi service.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[300SDog]

Sounds like you and me both got beat in the bidding war on that Indiana finbody last week.

But whats the reason this brand new MB of yours was taken off the road in the first place??

Best case scenario is the guy wanted to do alot of picky cosmetic stuff, so he benched the car...... dunno why

Worst case scenario will be cracked cylinder head - Achilles Heal of the 4 banger alloy head..... also good used 4 cyl heads are scarce as hen's teeth. Caint be any other reason to part it out - although practically any contemporary 4, 5 or 6 cyl MB engine from 1969 - 1976 will bolt right in. I say *practically* any because 6 cyl gasoline engine w/ fuel injection might be a challenge hooking up electrical system, thats all.

You know the drill, change fluids and shoot some oil into spark plug holes to marinate the rings in case they're frozen - so the rings dont crack when you crank it over...... then drive, drive, drive that car everyday till the wheels fall off. Solid dailly use is actually the best way to maintain *any* Vintage MB in best driving condition.

Your first Benz? Get used to it and everything else will pale in comparison.

[meltedpanda]

I am very excited , no this was a daily driver for a young girl (father owned it) and she did not like it. It ended up with the current owner because much like me he wanted to refurbish it. He drove it into the barn where it now rests. He just has not gotten back to it and wants to get rid of it.
I am picking it up on Friday afternoon.
Not my first Benz, but first gasser. I have basically done all the maintenace on my 84 300SD . Except for major things, and with the help of this list I have managed to do all the work.
I am by no means a mechanic, but I can walk myself around most older diesel MB's. I just have never worked on one this old and with a gas engine. I am a nut for information so I will spend the next few days gathering as much as I can on this car and model. I plan on posting some pics soon, and I am sure I will be asking a lot of questions
Have I told you all that I am very excited

[helga220D]

Panda,

If the engine's shot, I have a line on a rebuilt 220 diesel engine with a 4 speed manual attached to it. Let me know and I'll find out what he wants for it. He rebuilt the engine to get better performance and wasn't satisfied. He yanked it out and put a small block Chevy in it. Blek. It's been covered sitting in his garage for 4 years in GA.

Powell

[meltedpanda]

thanks, go to get her today so I will have more details soon

[meltedpanda]

Well, she is home. As you can see in the pictures she has been under roof for some time. This is the first time she has seem the light of day for many years. The later pictures are when I got her home and hosed her off! “Libby” made the trip in just under 2 hours. The PO was there and this evidently was his mother’s car. She ordered it new while in Texas. Lived 25 or so years of its life there. I was unclear of the mileage , figuring it would be in the 200K range. He told me it was under 100, the odometer shows 96,000 and the door sticker has oil change noted at 91K!!
The Good Stuff
Interior although moldy is clear of rips, floor boards solid , no rust carpets look great, dash clear
Original keys present
Windows clear, no delamination
All the hubcaps are present
No major rust
Trunk clear
Engine bay looks good, as does all the hoses, belts and lines
No oil leakage that I could see
Got her for free

The Bad Stuff
Obviously has been in a wreck. I was told it sideswiped a telephone pole. “Minor damage” Will need a New Left door and rear fender, front bumper, rear view mirror. Some Chrome is missing, some of it is in the trunk.
It has not been started in 5-6 years (he originally told me 2)
He told me that the heater didn’t work well - does this have a cable flap system or vacuum flaps?
Last time it was driven it “died” meaning the lights went out the radio quit and could not restart. That is when it was parked.
The AC compressor is sitting in the trunk, and I was told “now bypassed” whatever that means
I had to remove rear caliper in order to push her; it was stuck to disk and looks pretty rusted

I may be in over my head, but she seems much too proud to sit unattended to any longer.
If I am, I will just let someone else have her. I just do not want to see her wasted
My first goal is to see if I can get her started and to find some kind of repair manual
I plan to change filters and fluids clean linkages, sparkplugs condenser /points (not even sure if she has them)
What should I do about fuel lines? Old Fuel?
Then if she starts, work on brake system and then interior and body.
Am I nuts or what? I wish one of you experts could stop in and lend a hand!
I am open to ANY suggestions of what to do first and proper way to do it.
I am sure I will be posting many many questions, but if you don’t ask you can’t learn , right!

[meltedpanda]

Forgot to ask,
any W115 websites?
Carberator adjustments?
Good Manual to own?
Thanks again

[meltedpanda]

No comments on my new kid? I'm sad
She's not that ugly!

[page62]

We're just a little intimidated...that's all!

[Tomguy]

Once you fix that damage, it looks to be a sharp car with good paint. Make sure to get her running perfectly and restore her!

[PagodaLover]

Are you sure all it needs is a fender, door and chrome?? This damage looks moderately problematic. Have you had anyone else look over and give an estimate??

[meltedpanda]

I have looked hard at the frame and it looks good, the door is a mess but as you may notice the window is still in tact so the impact to the door was at the tail end of the trauma. The fender is pretty bad but all the seams are still OK.
I got her to turn the cyliders by hand today. At first she woud not budge but a little oil and time did the trick.
I am curious as to the fuel filter, where do I find it, also is this an electric or mechanical fuel pump.
Next step, replace some lines, set up temporary fuel tank and see if she will fire
Wish me luck, still open to any suggestions

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Unless someone has retrofitted an electric one, that 220 should have a mechanical fuel pump on the left front of the engine block, below the distributor. If there is a fuel filter, it's usually an inline type in one of the rubber fuel hoses connected to the fuel pump. Depending on the type of pump, there may also be a strainer screen under the cover on the pump, but if the car's been sitting very long, you may need a new pump anyway.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[meltedpanda]

Is the black canister on the right side of the engine the power steering fluid resevoir? It is about empty and is void of filter. It reminds me of the one on my 300SD