hello everyone i have recently recived an old mercedes(a 56) from my grandpa who "restored" it when he first purchased it and it has sat since 81 i've wanted the car since i was little and i guess he thought since i'm 19 now i'd be able to get it going again(i've worked on all kinds of cars before) but he told me it was a 190 however i found a 220s badge inside the car that seems like the was the trunk emblem, the car has a 6cyl OHC motor with dual solex Two-stage carbs. that also leads me to belive that it is a 220s but i don't know where to look for any kind of numbers to confirm this. i'd also really like to find a book on the carbs i've got a dual solex setup on my dune-buggy but they are very simple single barrel carbs. i took one off but didn't see any model numbers please someone help me get started. the motor is not locked up and turns freely and the car is in pretty good shape because it is in a shop with a cover over it.

With the six it sounds like a 220s to me. Want to sell it?

__________________
Jim

Post a picture please.

Check out the Ponton Page, http://www.mbzponton.org/. You can read about your car for days there. Then when you're hooked, feel free to join the ponton discussion group at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ponton/. We've got about 350 ponton owners there. Great info and expertise available.

Len
'59 220S Cabriolet

well no i'm not looking to sell it but thank you for the websites going off the frame number and the motor number the car is a 219 not the 220s like the badge and carbs imply, my thought is that someone in the past has just swaped the carb setup onto this car, i'm sure that also hurts the value of the car since it is no longer original. it dosen't however dampen my enthusiasm for the car, i don't think i'll try to put it back to factory spec as i do intend to drive the car when i get it going again and i would like to try and get a little more performance out of it(not to say i want to make it a "hot-rod") i have a 65 220s(again going by the badge and carb setup) that he also gave me that i do plan on making into a "hot-rod".

The Ponton 220S should have substantial wood trim on the dash and door window surrounds. On the 219 that trim would mostly be brown bakelite plastic, except possibly a wood strip along the top of the dashboard. Also the 220S should have a horizontal speedometer while the 219 would have a round one. The Ponton 220S will have a longer passenger cabin than the 219, with the extra room mainly in the back seat area. On the 220S the rear doors are about 3 inches longer than those on the 219, and have two panes of glass each - a roll down window and a fixed quarter window. The shorter length rear doors on the 219, like those on the 4 cylinder Pontons, have only a single roll down glass window. If your car is a 219, the dual-carb engine would give about a 10 - 15 hp increase over the original 219's 85 - 90 hp single carb setup.
Hope this helps.

Happy Motoring, Mark

__________________
DrDKW

You can find the chassis number stamped on the passenger side frame rail in the engine compartment. It will be in the form NNN.NNN-NN-NNNNNN

The first set of three numbers will be the chassis type, the second three the model type within chassis, the middle two numbers the trans type, 10 for a manual, a 12 for an automatic, an 11 would be a Hydrak. Then the serial number.

There showuld also be a plate on the radiator support or on the firewall.

Here is a helpful page:

http://mb219.swehjo.com/

Take a few pics for us please.

__________________
Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

< >>
WB,
Close ,but a little different ..
..middle two #s are seperate designations..
the first middle#[ 7th digit] is 1 for LHD and 2 would be RHD.
.. you are correct on identificatios of the second middle # [ 8th digit]

You're right, sorry for the confusion.

__________________
Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

ok car is a 219 for sure it has the shorter doors. i ordered carb kits for it and they should be here friday. i don't know how to post a picture but i do already have them on the digital camera. and will a 61 220s motor swap into the 56? i am wanting to increase the preformance but don't want to take the chance of harming the original motor.

Original '56 219 engine is rated 85 hp DIN, 92 hp SAE.
If yours has had a late '50s 220S engine transplant, it should have 100 - 105 hp DIN or 112 - 124 hp SAE.

The '61 220S engine was rated 110 hp DIN, 124 hp SAE.

Other possible transplant candidates -

'65-'68 230S 120 hp DIN, 135 hp SAE.
'65-'68 250S 130 hp DIN. 146 hp SAE.
'68-'71 280S 140 hp DIN, 157 hp SAE

Happy Motoring, Mark

__________________
DrDKW

can the motor in the 61 be increased to the the 280 displacment? or are they different blocks? i was thinking i could have my 61 motor bored out to match the bore of a 280 motor(the 220 is a 2.2 and the 280 is a 2.8 correct?) and i'm playing with the idea of a compression ratio of around 9.5-10:1 also do you know of anyone that has done anything similar.

250S (2.5L) and 280S (2.8L) motors are different blocks with 7 main bearings, instead of the 4 used in the 219 and 220 (2.2L) and 230 (2.3L) sixes. The fuel injected SE and SL versions had higher compression and about 20 to 30 more horsepower.

Happy Motoring, Mark

__________________
DrDKW

What a great Grand-pa!! It definately DOES NOT suck to be you!