Breaking a Mercedes!
 

Hello Peaches,

I have finished de-constructing my 1963 Mercedes named Code Blue. The English calling it "Breaking" and call Salvage Yards "Breakers".

My strategy in the restoration hobby is to understand how to repair and maintain vintage Mercedes. By focusing on a specific chassis I hope to gain expertise and economies of scale.

In the near future I want to do body work and paint The Emerald Bullet and Dolly. It has been immensely helpful to learn how things come apart and go back together using Code Blue as my learning tool. If I broke something or scratched something else on the parts car it didn't matter. When I am carefully removing chrome from the keepers I will have recent experience that can save me from making costly mistakes.

Life is good...

Jeffrey

I had heard that a Mercedes 'Bends', you just have to work a bit harder !!!

Have you been taking pictures?

Pictures!
 

Yes! We love Pictures!

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1448996535

I learned that the window glass has to be turned sideways to come out.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1448996644

More to come... I completely dismantled the dashboard to the last screw.

More Pictures
 

The horns were not working.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1448998851


http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1448998881


I pulled them apart and cleaned them up.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1448998922

Dash Wood
 

After removing all the items connected to the dash the wood came off. Ready to be refinished. This is the passenger side corner.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1448999065

Engine Compartment
 

Engine Compartment

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1449005272

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1449005302

When I saw your first line you scared the **** out of me.
I hate to see any Mercedes taken apart until it's a 99% lost cause and even then you can probably salvage half the parts.
I hate people who selfishly take apart a car that's a shade worse than theirs and take off a handful of parts and then junk the rest of it....
I still regret , decades later, that I took apart a couple of cars. Should have never done it.
However it looks like you have (a) right approach. The photos of the blue car : is this the one you're rebuilding ?
(It looks like a 1960-63 220S (orSE) 4speed column shift single circuit brake system without booster and steering without assist. Original Horizontblau, 335?))
It looks solid. A lot worse can be seen in 80% of the cars out there (rust).
Good Luck

I have found there are two great killers of these horns. One is the electrical screws need to be cleaned so they will make good electrical contacts and the other is water. If they are rusted up inside I don't know what you would do to make them work, but I am sure someone out there restores the insides.

Let us know what you find out.

I agree with you about saving these cars. This car named "Code Blue" was left outside for 30 years. The window seals failed years ago and moisture fed the chemical process converting steel via iron oxide to corrosion commonly called rust. The edges of all the exterior body panels have areas that rusted completely through. The floor pans and rusted through a-la Flintstones feet can touch the ground. The final rust-kills-the-dream moment came by examining the uni-body structure in the engine bay; a small hole became a large hole by pushing my finger against the metal. The driver's side door card was missing when I got the car, three remaining door cards are destroyed by moisture.

Code Blue donated the radiator, fan shroud and engine to keep The Emerald Bullet alive. The headlight bezels from Code Blue donated those clear plastic pieces that easily chip or break. Some plastic pieces of the tail light assemblies will go to the Emerald Green car. The front turn signals known as bullet lights will go to my other Fintail Dolly.

When I bought Code Blue last year I created a thread with a poll asking for votes on restoring or parting out. 70% responded in favor of parting out.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/vintage-mercedes/363928-not-poll-your-opinion.html

I also agree that buying a car like this to remove two parts and let them crush the rest would be wasteful. Like shooting a Buffalo for it's tongue and leaving the rest to rot. I have done my best to evaluate every individual nut, bolt, screw and wire included with the assembly it supported for salvation. My last dilemma is whether or not to remove the front and rear axles et al. The scrap metal buyer would likely prefer to roll the body instead of dragging it to the crusher.

The individual pieces of Code Blue will extend the lives of other W111 sedans. Mercedes Benz made 816,000 copies of the W111 sedans in various color combinations between 1959 to 1965. If this was a 1952 300 Coupe of which 85 units were made, I would have made the decision to resuscitate regardless of condition. It does not make sense to dump $20,000 into a car that would then be worth $5,000.00. It does make sense to break the $500 car into $5,000 worth of individual parts so other cars can stay on the road.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...ue-unibody.jpg

Is the subframe still in good condition?

(Meaning => did Mercedes used to make them properly!)