Help me ID the car I lust after….

[billhard]

I have been buying cleaning up and selling w123 300DT’s for a little while now looking for the one I might want to keep and learning about Mercedes. However my love of these cars stems from memories of the Mercedes my folks had when I was a kid. They bought it new when I was 7 – 9 and it amazed me. Although the car and I had one sour incident together. At one point I was left to myself just long enough to get in trouble so I took the jack out and decided to see how well it lifted the car. Well I had just gotten the tire off the ground when the jack moved and put a big dent in the door. Thankfully the car was hurt and I wasn’t, a sentiment my Father may not have shared at that moment.

So now I have the time and means to seek one out and clean it up I need your help to identify the exact model I am after and more importantly tell me if I am crazy! Will this pursuit turn into to big of a money pit?

My memories of the car are this:

• For sure it was a 300SEL I am guessing 1969 – 1972
  
  It had no engine size placard on the trunk, which makes me guess 3.5 liter
  
  The interior was leather I know now not Mtex, this may sound odd but I remember the folks referring to it as pigskin.
  
  -The shifter was on the tree (Automatic)
  
  -It had air suspension that you could raise if needed to cross water or rough ground. Also I remember it leaked at night and the car would droop until warmed up.
  
  The safety belts had an odd clamshell like buckle.
  
  The dash had a lot of burled wood.
  
  Color was chocolate brown with what I think was palomino interior.

Any help and or advice you all can offer would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Bill H

[Arthur Dalton]

If no engine badge on trunk, it would be a IL-6 engine..

[TheDon]

w109 chassis?

[Arthur Dalton]

Depending on year, it would be a 109.015 or a 109.016.
Early 300sel had the 189 engine and later had the 130 ...both IL-6.

Model Years Chassis # Engine #
300SEL 65-67 109.015 189.988
300SEL 67-70 109.016 130.981
300SEL 3.5 69-71 109.056 116.981
300SEL 4.5 72-73 109.057 117.981
300SEL 6.3 67-71 109.018 100.981

[MiamiCuban]

I have lusted after a M189 powered 300 for over 20 years. I should have bought the first and only one I have ever seen. A manual transmission euro 1966 model that really hauled, but I was too scared of the air suspension at the time(mid '80s). The ironic thing is that now that I can buy a nice example of one, I can't afford to keep one running. The price of the distributer cap alone is enough to bring me to my senses.

The ultimate MB for me would be a W112 chassis 300, LWB, with a floorshift standard transmission. There is a real ratty SWB model on ebay right now, must resist the urge to bid.

[todds]

Jeeze, what an awful quote! Ditto on the w112 though, make mine a dark red/biscuit SWB with a box full of spare dizzy caps, heh. To the original poster: I'd think you could easily realize your dream with an m130 300SEL/280SEL. It's not as far out of reach as you'd imagine if you're willing to be patient and lenient with your time (especially with that air suspension - as your parents would know) There ought to be plenty of reasonably priced 280's out there, many people on this board have more than 1.

[sjefke]

Originally Posted by todds

Jeeze, what an awful quote!

You should read the whole thread in the cars for sale section where the quote came from. Look for Nice 380SEC for sale. Pretty funny on one hand and amazing at the same time what language was used

Bert

[bwostosh]

300SEL with a 4.5 is the one to have,
the in-line 6 M130 motor is very rare.
costly and rare is the M189 motor

I have one each of these:
300SEL 4.5 72-73 109.057 117.981
300SEL 6.3 67-71 109.018 100.981

[billhard]

Originally Posted by sjefke

You should read the whole thread in the cars for sale section where the quote came from. Look for Nice 380SEC for sale. Pretty funny on one hand and amazing at the same time what language was used

Bert

Hmmm so I did read that post and I must say that 'tims450sl' has some nouveau riche issues.

Thanks for all the info it has been helpful in narrowing my search. I have been scanning cars on ebay and other spots to hone in on the year model I am after. Pictures of one car I saw jarred my memory and I remember the car having four foot pedals on the drivers side. 1 - gas, 2 - brake, 3 - parking brake and a small 4th pedal between the brakes up higher under the dash. This pedal was small and round with very little travel. What the hell is that thing for?


Well cheers.

[billhard]

Originally Posted by bwostosh

300SEL with a 4.5 is the one to have,
the in-line 6 M130 motor is very rare.
costly and rare is the M189 motor

I have one each of these:
300SEL 4.5 72-73 109.057 117.981
300SEL 6.3 67-71 109.018 100.981

So I could live with a different motor, but it would seem to me the 4.5 would have been a step up from the I6. Did more 4.5 really get produced?

[bwostosh]

Windshield squirter

Wanna ride in the 4.5?
Its the best, cuz the 6.3 is way too exotic

[billhard]

so this car is dam near what I am looking for especially the interior and exterior colors. I remember those floor mats and that radio. THe shifter is in the wrong spot, and the instrument cluster looks slightly different. Can someone give me better vocab on these colors? If this was not a 6.3 it would be the car I remember.

http://dnelson.ranchoweb.com/benz.html

[bwostosh]

That is Dark-red with Cognac interior 6.3 ,just buy it, no argument needed, you will like it.

[MiamiCuban]

Originally Posted by todds

Jeeze, what an awful quote! Ditto on the w112 though, make mine a dark red/biscuit SWB with a box full of spare dizzy caps, heh. To the original poster: I'd think you could easily realize your dream with an m130 300SEL/280SEL. It's not as far out of reach as you'd imagine if you're willing to be patient and lenient with your time (especially with that air suspension - as your parents would know) There ought to be plenty of reasonably priced 280's out there, many people on this board have more than 1.

I may remove the quote, upon reflection, it might offend people due to the language used.


I read somewhere that a M110 motor dist. cap can be modified to use on the M189 motor. Try out www.300SE.org for some awesome pics and info on the early 300 air suspension cars.

Ditto on the 280SE/SEL suggestion, they are essentially the same car without the huge air suspension headaches. Even when they were newer, they had issues. My dad had a '71 300SEL 3.5 back in the day, and even with new air bags and valves every 80k miles it had a mind of it's own and would sink for no apparent reason.

If you consider any V8 powered 280 or 300, have the unibody frame checked where the steering box attaches. They are known to work loose and tear up the frame pretty bad.

[MiamiCuban]

The 4.5 models were the last of the run, '72 and '73 model years. Good low end torque for around town, and plenty of power on the highway.