1968 W110 Projects

[CTD]

I have removed the bolt that holds the aluminum adapter, but the distributor would still not budge. I may be able to destroy the aluminum adapter in the car to help get the distributor out, though, since I have a new one.

[CTD]

I did some work on the new distributor today: disassembling, inspecting, and cleaning it. Here it was when I got it:



And here it is now. It is all ready to be installed in the vehicle once the old distributor comes out.



And a photo of the current disagreeable distributor:


I found a large plumber's spanner wrench that I am going to try using to twist the old distributor out of its aluminum base. I should be able to do so after removing the vacuum advance (to expose a usable hole in the distributor) and removing the battery (to allow room to swing the spanner wrench). We shall see if it will work later this week.

[CTD]

I also need to find a sealing ring for the distributor shaft. Does anybody know the part number and/or source for them?

[TommyMacDaddy]

Despite the groove for it, there wasn't an O-ring or other seal on the distributor housing on mine.
Not sure why the groove was there.
I could only conclude that the groove was an artifact from a different application.

[CTD]

I think there's supposed to be an O-ring there to keep oil from seeping out. I also found out that old VW's used the same distributor architecture, and thus have the same O-ring for the shaft bushing. I ordered one on Ebay and we will see if it fits.

[CTD]

Update:

The O-ring for the Volkswagen distributors fits the Bosch one on the Benz quite well. Here is its part number for future reference, in case any of you all need one:

111905261
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ENGINE-DISTRIBUTOR-O-RING-111905261/360833802818?

I also was able to remove the old distributor from the car today. It was seized to the aluminum base, but I was able to remove the entire unit from the block without any substantial difficulty. I was able to budge the distributor using a plumber's spanner (see photograph below). The spanner fit into the two holes for the vacuum advance and the electrical connector for the points, condenser, and coil. I tapped it with a hammer while torquing it to free up the distributor assembly, which had soaked in penetrating oil for a few months.



Whilst turning it with the plumber's spanner, I tapped the distributor with a ball peen and it slowly came out. Removing the battery, windshield wiper bottle, and oil dipstick made the job easier. Below is a photograph with the old distributor removed:



Now the distributor I rebuilt is in the car, and it turns freely, allowing me to properly set the timing. I was unfortunately not able to salvage the aluminum base from the old distributor (the part that screws into the engine block was broken). So I made do with the aluminum distributor base out of a W114, which works fine except the fine timing adjuster is lacking.

Here is the rebuilt distributor in the car:



And the job is done! The car is now ready to hit the road at full power.

[bracurrie]

Great color, great photo, and great car. I had a 66 200 that had originally been built for El Salvador. I took that car off roading and I can attest that the W110 is a fantastic platform for a wide range of uses. Farmers in Mississippi and Arkansas used diesel powered versions as turn row cars so they could use their low tax fuel.
You are going to enjoy that car a lot.

[CTD]

Thanks! I picked this car up in the summer of 2016 and have been working on small things here and there as I've driven it around. It is the well-priced, rust-free Fintail that I spent nearly two years looking for. The car was originally delivered to Iran in November 1967, and then imported to the States, where it lived in California until 2012. I am the fourth owner. The second owner in California did some restoration work around 1994-95, which included putting in a rebuilt engine, new headliner/carpet, and a new paint job. The car retains its original crack free dashboard, metric gauges, white steering wheel, and gear shift knob, and it's a lot of fun to drive!

[optimusprime]

Its a very nice car . But do paint some rust converter under the battery tray or it will slowly rust out And then a good coat of Waxoil

[ejboyd5]

Congratulations! It was a long haul. How does it run with new electrics?

[CTD]

Thanks! The Benz is running much better now. The old distributor had a loose breaker plate, which caused the car to intermittently run a bit rough when the engine was under light load. Not to mention the retarded timing, which reduced the power a bit. I've now advanced the timing with the new distributor to where it runs well with no knocks on 89 octane gasoline, and the engine seems to be producing full power.

The next thing to do, now that the ignition is properly sorted, is to make a few adjustments on the carbs to properly set them to the specifications in my manuals. The idle is set a little off, and I think that was done by a prior owner to compensate for the stuck distributor.

Regarding the battery tray: I've seen those rust quite severely in the past as well, especially from neglect. I take the batteries out of my cars every fall and fully vacuum out the engine bays before winter to prevent any debris build-up that can trap water.

I will be doing some painting on the Benz next spring/summer though, and the battery tray area is on my list. Physically, the tray and surrounding metal is in perfect condition, which is quite unusual on cars this age. But it will be thoroughly cleaned and preserved under a fresh coat of paint, along with portions of the trunk floor that were starting to rust from water leakage under the rubber mat. I'd also like to get a coat of paint on the brake booster, which believe it or not is almost brand new!

Here are some more photos of the Heckflosse, which is currently resting in winter storage. It is a real joy to drive with the six cylinder engine and the four-speed manual gearbox.

[280EZRider]

You have a beautiful finny! Here's a tip> If the W110 is as space lacking as the W123 under the steering wheel, before you remove the the brake booster for painting, remove the driver seat. With the wealth of additional room, it will be a simple job rather than a PITA job.

[CTD]

Thanks! There is much more room under the steering column and dash in the 110 than in the 123. No kick panels (until I make new ones from card stock), console, or under-dash "Kuhlmeister" A/C in this one to worry about either. I think I will be able to access the brake booster without much grief.

I will be pulling the front seats out for getting under the dash at some point whenever I can get my hands on a replacement wiper linkage at a price I'm willing to pay (the linkage in my fintail seized up this past summer). When that time comes, I'm going to pull out the heater cores, preventatively replace all their hoses, and the wiper linkage.

[CTD]

I thought I would share a few pictures of what is now coming to me in the mail.

I managed to find a NOS wiper linkage assembly for the 110 at a reasonable price (lower than all the overpriced, rusty, grimy, and untested used ones on E-Bay).

Now I'll be able to get those wipers going again! I have this project planned for this upcoming March.

The next step is to get a few replacement hoses for the cooling system, since I will be draining it to remove the heater (which is in the way of the wiper assembly).

[CTD]

I got a few things done on the Heckflosse, although poor weather has put the windscreen wiper linkage replacement on hold.

I replaced a thrust washer on the exhaust valve of cylinder #4 with an undersize unit (the tappet clearance was too tight). Now all the valves are in proper adjustment.

I also ordered a new rubber boot for between the air intake and the air cleaner:


The part number is 1800940491, and it cost about $12. Now I will finally be able to rid my engine bay of duct tape!

The car is also running well and is out of its winter storage.