73 280sel 4.5 antenna and knobs

I recently bought a 73 280sel 4.5 with 57,000 original miles from the estate of an elderly couple who had not driven the car for 8 years. The body is straight and the interior in very good condition for its age (the headliner and carpeting look new).

The car runs and handles well now, after an initial round of repairs which included: new tires; heater, fuel, and brake hose replacement; conversion and recharging of the AC system; radiator cleaning and repair; replacement of the rear hydraulic suspension with a spring; new timing chain; cleaning and calibration of the odometer and clock; and replacement of all fluids.

Two items which still need to be fixed are a broken-off Hirschman power antenna and the temperature control knobs on the dash. My mechanic is quoting me over $500 to replace the knobs with after-market ones. This seems steep to me. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good source for replacements of the antenna and the knobs. Are both of these items difficult to replace?

The 280sel is now my daily driver. Does anyone have an opinion on installing an electronic ignition system instead of points?

Thanks for your help,
Mark W.

[MikeTangas]

The heater levers are a reasonable DIY project for a moderate DIYer. The antenna is much easier. The best time to have done the levers was while the instrument cluster was out of the dash, half of the disassembly was accomplished at that point. FastLane has the heater levers for under $100.00. Try doing a search for heater levers, you should find fairly detailed instructions.

The antenna is somewhat expensive, but easy to do. Simply pull the right front fender liner and you can see the antenna and motor.

Mike,

Thank you for the advice. I will look up FastLane for the heater knobs and I'll do an Internet search for the antenna. I haven't been able to locate a Hirschman distributor in New Mexico.

Mark W.

[slotjocko]

Mark,

I'd like to hear what you find out on the antenna...I need to do the same repair. I've had my car 6 years and bot if from the orig owner too. Had to replace the heater levers...was less than a 1hr project and I'm all thumbs.

Good luck,

[MikeTangas]

Slotjocko - when you say you replaced the levers in under an hour, do you mean you put in the aftermarket repair kit, or replaced the actual levers?

The local Indie quoted an 8 hour job to replace the levers. I opted to do it myself and spent at least 2.5 hours gutting the dash just to get to the 2 10mm nuts that hold the control module to the facia. Disconnecting the control cables is a snap but reconnecting them is very time consuming to get right. It's difficult because all of the connecting and adjusting has to be done through the front speaker hole.

Here are a couple links to posts regarding this issue

Heater levers

108 Heater levers: I got more problems

Hope this helps.

[slotjocko]

Sorry for the confusion...no....I most definitely did not mean to indicate that I actually replaced the levers (although thats what I said) ...I installed the aftermarket kit that slides on top of the guts and tightens up with a small allen screw in the end of the lever. When I first read the thread I thot it was about the A/C knobs, but think that you guys are referring to the 4 levers that slide laterally and control the airflow and temp for the heater. If thats what you are talking about, I paid way too much an installed the aftermarket guys. Hope thats clear.

[MikeTangas]

No problem Slotjocko. I was having a hard time envisioning anyone doing the repair that fast unless it was the aftermarket fix .

[Aaron]

It's not the heater levers that are the nasty job, but the blower motor in those 108/109 cars. My daily driver 1970 280SE's heater levers were broken, so I sourced a car in a bone yard and took the whole assembly out of that car to use in mine. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the reconnection of the cables can be tricky, especially lining them up correctly then tightening down the "lock screw". It also pays to label the cables so you remember where they go (label them "top left, top right", and so on...). While you have the lever assembly out, it's a good idea to grab the cables with a pair of pliers (be gentle now!), and work them back and forth to "exercise" everything, especially the heater valves, which are a real pain to rebuild inside the dash! Oh, and while the chrome piece is off the dash, get some chrome polish and go nuts!

The antenna is quite simple to R&R. Look inside the right front wheel well and you'll see 5 or 6 (I think) 10mm allen head bolts. Take them out and you can remove the antenna.

Don't know where to point you to go for an antenna, but Hemmings should provide some sources.