I Found One!

[Gobstopper]

I have followed the advise of many wise people here and found the nicest and most expensive MB I could afford. Hopefully this wisdom will serve me well in the future. I will be the 3rd owner. Originally came from northern California. Then to Seattle and now to Spokane, WA . There is not a hint of rust.
The agreed upon price is $2700. Hopefully I did well.

I will take delivery of this beautiful 1972 280SE 4.5 on Saturday:

http://mynewpassion.com/index.htm
(Pictures are big and may load slow.)

Here is the list of things the owners MB shop has recommended:

Next appointment:
LOF and Tune
Front end alignment
Driver side arm rest mech. needs repair
Power locks losses vacuum
Needs new shocks
Gear indictor needs replacing
Antenna needs repair or replacing
Odometer needs to be repaired
Heater fan needs repair

Spring repairs:
Get AC working
New windshield - couple winters of dings

Picky repairs:
Small driver side carpet repair
Tighten up driver seat again and very small vinyl repair

Any advise on these issues would be greatly recommended.

Thanks to all who have patiently answered all my stupid questions in my search for this automobile!

Gobstopper

[suginami]

Congratulations!

What a beautiful car. I can't believe how clean it looks in the pictures.

The W108 is my favorite chassis, and I'm going to own one someday...

[dieseldude]

Nice find Gobby!!! I too hope to own one of these someday, problem is, I can't part w/my W124 and can't afford to run two MB V8's! I think you got a fantastic deal to boot.

Nice color combo - and very clean from the pics!

Enjoy!

Regards,
- Ryan

Gobstopper,

Just a quick CONGRATULATIONS! I have been following your posts and you seem to have chosen wisely! Take good care of that bad boy and keep smiling at speed!

I wish that I could afford to get into another older MB.......never had a V8 Benz tho, somewhere down the line.

Best wishes always, spo

[240 Ed]

I cry "FOUL"!!! There is something undoubtably illegal about purchasing a car of this quality for ...$2700 !! ?? It looks like you even got black CA plates!

re; pictures.
Perhaps if you saved the pictures at 150 dpi (jpeg), they might not be so slow to load...?

Good job, and we are all jealous.

[psfred]

Gob:

Congrats! You probably got a better deal than I did -- only paid $50 for mine, but oh, the work....

Front end alignment will probably really require new subfame mounts -- when they are shot, the entire front subframe moves around. Also, check the camber on the front wheels -- if they lean in, you will need new upper trunion bushings.

Shocks are easy, if not particularly cheap. Stick with Bilsteins, or you will be disapointed.

Antenna will be EXPENSIVE is an original power one, you might want to leave it alone if is is stuck up. No longer manufactured......

Heater fan is probably the most difficult and expensive repair here -- you will have to remove most of the dash and the heater box to get to it. Sucks, big time. You may, however, not really need a fan -- pull the aluminum cover and vent "hood" (phillips screws and wiper arms) and see if it is full of junk and clean out before replacing.

Odometer is a slipping zinc gear on the shaft -- can be fixed with a drop of Locktite on the shaft (detailed instructions if desired). Easy fix once you get the bloody thing out..... details on that if you need them, too.

Power lock leaks are almost certainly bad diaphrams -- available for $5 each from Performance Analysis co (865) 482-9175. The have the plastic line, but it costs the earth ($2 a foot).

Worth every dime, IMHO!

Peter

[MikeTangas]

Shift indicator inop may or may not require replacement. The indicator is operated by a short bowden cable from the VDO unit to the shifter tube, where it attaches to a hook.

I thought I needed to replace mine, but while replacing the heater levers and speedo rebuild I found the cable had been left unattached some time in the past. The attahment end is a simple saddle which slips over the hook. The hard (but most important part) is routing the cable through an intermediate bracket which provides the working resistance. Easy enough to figure out once you're in there.

[300SDog]

Congratulations Gob!! ...... If it was me, I'd spend time with the owner asking about longest trips the car has made.... who drove it all these years..... what sort of attention it has gotten..... what sort of use was made of the car....

Vintage MB's have a way of remembering every owner.... This can help with your enjoyment - knowing it was driven by either a banker, rock star, lawyer or whatever...

Moment of purchase is your best opportunity to learn the car's history..... also to gather every receipt and service record of repair and maintenance..... miscelaneous extra parts, etc.

Fill the fuel tank, hammer-down..... you're gonna be doin some driving this weekend!!

[tjohn]

OK, its redundant, but my goodness what a beautiful 108. I love the lines of this car. If only I could convince my wife to let me get another "old" car.

[Clunker]

psfred! Please share that odometer repair with us.

[rbmercedes]

Gobstopper,

Good job on the 108 purchase! I had a 108 as my 2nd Mbz, a six cyl, and always wondered about the 4.5 that I looked at prior to that purchase. I have since driven one, and have to say "I coulda' had a V-8!"

IMHO, the only MB of this era which looks better is the 600, except they run about 10x what you paid for yours for a cheepie!

Have fun, maybe I'll see you around Spokane sometime, I live in Okanogan Co. and get over once a month or so.

Happy Motoring!

RBM

[peterl]

Beautiful car, Gob!

I am in the process of buying Aaron's '70 280SE. I can't wait until it is in my drive-way.

[Aaron]

Gob:

A sure beauty! Makes me even sadder to part with mine!

Get that front end checked out very thoroughly. It will more likely then not need some involved repair work. One key indicator is that all 16 grease fittings (7 at each front wheel, 2 at the rear) accept a grease charge. And make sure to grease the fittings EVERY 3,000 miles when the oil is changed.

A little off topic but when the 450SEL 6.9s were new, part of the major service required repacking the front wheel bearings every 37,500 miles because of the weight of the engine. You might just be overly cautious with the V8 in the W108 body. WATCH THAT FRONT END!

[psfred]

Clunker:

Here goes:

This applies to all MB speedos up to the W123 chassis, so far as I know -- at least W108, W115, W114, and W116.

You must remove the speedo from the dash panel. On the W108, remove the parking brake lever, then shove your hand up behind all that stuff and find the lovely little plastic knob that holds the dash in. Unscrew it, and CAREFULLY move over and unscrew the speedo cable. You can leave the shift indicator cable on if you are carefull. If necessary, you can unhook it when the instrument panel is out.

Gently extract your hand and arm (yes, you have to reach WAY up there...) or you will leave bits of flesh on a couple sharp edges.

When you get the cramp out of your hand and the crick out of your neck, pull the instrument panel out from the dash. YOu may want to pad the steering column with some heavy cloth to prevent scratches. GENTLY twist the instrument panel outwards on the right side (have a care with the temp sensor tube and oil pressure tube, the gauges are mechanical...) and remove the wire for the dash light on the far right. The plastic holders clip in, I think. Will be obvious, anyway.

Remove the three crosshead screws holding the speedo head in -- two at the top and one at the bottom, I think, may be the opposite. If the dash dimmer doesn't work, you can pull it, too.

Wriggle the speedo head out of the panel backwards. Make sure you don't hood the trim off the front whilst messing about, or catch the needle and pull it off. The trip odometer knob stays on teh dash panel, the shaft just slides out with the speedo.

Once you get it out, carefully set it down on a bench with good light. There is a gear driven shaft that goes through the number wheels on the odometer, and the last one on the right is metal, not plastic. You will be able to spin it, moving the number wheels. This is why the odometer doesn't work -- that gear is supposed to be a press fit.

The fix is to carefully apply a small amount of locktite to the gear/shaft interface. Locktite sets anaerobically, meaning it won't harden while exposed to air. Use a toothpick or paper clip to carry a bit right down to the shaft, then slide the gear back and forth to work some between the gear and shaft. Wipe up any that gets through the hole in the side of the case where the shaft comes through, you don't want to glue THAT part!. Return the gear to where it was when you started, just touching the plastic number wheel.

The locktite should set up in a couple of minutes, at which point the gear won't slip any more, and the odometer will work if you put a tiny screwdriver or something similar in the cable socket and spin the speedo head. Turn only in the positive direction....

Once the locktite sets up and the odo works, re-install.

It's best to err on the side of too little locktite than too much -- if you glue the number wheels to the shaft, the odo is history unless you can drive the shaft out and clean it off!

The W123 odometer is driven off the right side, not the left, and access to the gear is very limited, so this fix may not be possible.

Peter

[Gobstopper]

--- (Front end alignment will probably really require new subfame mounts - when they are shot, the entire front subframe moves around. Also, check the camber on the front wheels -- if they lean in, you will need new upper trunion bushings. )

Previous owner regularily took the car in to a place called 'Benz Friends' in Seattle. He said that over the last couple years they have replaced a number of parts in the front end suspension. They told him it is just a little out of alignment and an inexpensive alignment at any shop such as Les Schwab is all that is needed.
The tires do not lean in or out and can not be pulled out by hand from the top.
After my 280 mile trip home (over the Cascades pass) I can testify to the truth in what he says. The alignment doesn't even seem bad to me - he is just being nit-picky.
He struck me as being nit-picky about the car in general and wanted me to examine under the truck mat, under the chassis (floor pans), pulled up the carpet, checked in the wheel wells, rocker panel, around the front head lights, and in the engine compartment for any signs of rust. NONE.

The shocks however, are definitely at the end of their life. The ride can get a bit bouncy at times.

First order of business will be shocks and finding out why the heater fan doesn't blow.

Thanks for all your kind comments and advise.

Bob Collins
Spokane, WA

1972 Mecedes-Benz 280SE 4.5