A friend just bought a 1981 380SL that had been under 3 to 4 feet of Hurrican Ike water in Galveston. Original, mint condition car with less than 40,000 miles. He is disassembling the auto right down to the metal, washing and cleaning, and preparing to restart. Any suggestions? Just rinse with fresh water? BTW, he stole the car for mere pocket change.

all of the electronics are probably shot. the only thing you can do is soak and then rinse the electronics in distilled water and pray it wont short due to mineral deposits

Make sure he removes the plugs and rinses out, then blows dry the preservation areas noted in the attachment. Those are the biggest rust pockets.

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Peach Parts W124.128 User Group.

80 280SL
85 300SD
87 300TD
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
92 300TE 4Matic

How many of those earmarked in the attachment does the 280sl have, pwogaman?

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Tell your friend when he has the car apart to sell the parts on ebay and with that money go and buy one that hasn't been in 3 or 4 feet of saltwater.

I second that! It's going to be a constant battle. Seats, interior, wiring, brakes, bearings, etc.,etc.

Here's what I'd do:

* Strip anything off the car that isn't welded to the chassis. Everything.
* Power-wash every square millimeter of the chassis including inside the frame rails, etc.
* Paint everything on and in the chassis. Start with a primer, then paint. Inside the frame rails, etc; every possible area you can access. If you can't get paint in there, drill a hole and get paint in.
* Remove the housing and preferably the shafts from the rear end, if there is a single drop of moisture or rust spot internally clean with denatured alcohol and then re-grease IMMEDIATELY after it dries, re-assemble the rear and then paint it.
* Slowly re-assemble everything, starting with major components. Repaint the springs, shocks, subframe, axle, driveshaft, etc. If it's steel, and can be painted, paint it. If it can be disassembled, disassemble, clean, and re-lube and/or repaint it.
* Disassemble the (removed in step 1) doors completely, power-wash the insides and then paint the non-visible surfaces including inside completely. Dismantle the window regulators and clean them with denatured alcohol, lube, then re-assemble. Use plastic between the door panels and doors if there is none currently to ensure that the salty panel does not bleed into the door.
* Remove the oil pan from the engine, clean it out completely, same with the transmission. Use oil for the engine and ATF for the tranny, rinse out ALL the old fluid, if there is ANY moisture inside then use denatured alcohol FIRST to rinse out all the salt, then lube IMMEDIATELY after the alcohol dries to prevent any rust at all. Get oil/ATF on every last surface inside the engine/transmission.
* Replace ALL lines - fuel, brake, transmission coolant, etc; if it had fluid travel through it remove it and anything in its path and replace it. This includes the master cylinder and all 4 calipers if they are not flushed NOW!

This is a huge project in the taking and this is just where I would start. We're talking a good 1-2 year project for an average DIYer with advanced knowledge that works on weekends and the occasional weeknight after work..
The reason I'd do all this (AND document EVERY STEP) is because it sounds like if it's properly done it could be an excellent car for cheap. Yes, it's a lot of TIME but if you can DIY then it's worthwhile.

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Current:
2021 Charger Scat Pack Widebody "Sinabee"
2018 Durango R/T

Previous:
1972 280SE 4.5
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited "Hefe", 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo "Jeepy", 2006 Charger R/T "Hemi"
1999 Chrysler 300M - RIP @ 221k

When you are done with what Tom has mentioned, THEN you can start on the interior restoration. Then you can start on the wiring and lighting, then you can start on the exterior, then.....

Repeat the Mercedes Mantra six hundred times, "There is no more expensive car than a "CHEAP" Mercedes".

Underwater update: spent ten hours wrenching on the underwater car. Poured 15 quarts of kerosene and 15 quarts of motor oil in the engine through the air intake and the valve cover. Power washed it for three hours straight. Let it sit overnight. Sprayed it again with 50-50 mix of kerosene and floor wax. Starter and battery shot. Replaced and spun the new starter late tonight, shot kerosene and salt water out the plug holes a good ten feet in the air. Yeah! Very, very dry air in Houston for the past three weeks, hasn't rained a drop since Hurricane Ike. Car is very, very dry in and out.