Looking at 68 w108 - advice needed - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

mosu · #1 03-30-2014, 11:55 PM

Hi all,

Came across a beautiful olive green 280s the other day. Almost perfect paint, perfect trim, body, chrome and interior bits. The oily bits need work and wanted to get an idea of how much. Starts and runs, engine is smooth once it revs. Was in storage since 86. Guy that grabbed it off the original owner did some work but appears to have given up for lack of time.

Noted issues:

- lots of oil seeps past seals around the engine
- dragging parking brake on driver side that smoked after a short drive
- saggy rear end with large negative camber
- oil leak at differential
- disconnected heater core
- stumbling, missing carbs at low revs, smooth from midrange on
- air sucking noise from brake booster when pressing pedal, partially assisted
- super sloppy shifter
- flakey gas gauge

Has 86k miles on odo.

I'd expect to refresh all the rubber bits and rebuild the dual carbs (zeniths?). Not sure how costly or complicated the rear end sag and other problems listed are. PO claims to have rebuilt the calipers and done some brake lines that were toasted.

I have no experience with a w108. Previous classic Merc was a w114. I can handle most repairs at home provided I can find parts cheaply. How bad does this one sound? Price is right if I can keep repairs under 1 grand.

Cheers,

Alex

JMela · #2 03-31-2014, 10:39 AM

Going to be tough to keep repairs under $1k. If car's been sitting almost 30 yrs you're going to have to replace all fluids, brake lines and (likely) calipers, at minimum.

-Oil leak - replace valve cover gasket, clean leaks and observe to see if that fixes things.
-Saggy rear - shot compensator, replace w spring kit
-stumbling carbs - clean, rebuild
-brake booster - leaky hose or valve
-sloppy shifter - (floor shifter?) bushings are missing/ shot
-gas gauge - sticky/ shot fuel sender in tank

None of these repairs are terribly difficult and parts are generally easy to come by. Check the trunk wells for rust.

Check the archives here for repair info. You will be pleased how much these repairs improve performance. I've got a similar car and enjoy it.

Tomguy · #3 03-31-2014, 10:57 AM

Were all rubber bits replaced? If not, $1k isn't going to happen. New window and door seals alone will eclipse that, then you need to look at subframe bushings, engine mounts... belts hoses brake lines fuel lines etc. You get the picture

Sadly it's usually better to get a 186k driver than an 86k garage queen that's sat for any length because the driver will have most (if not all) of these replaced.

There's another big deal on this car, and that is the suspension. On a 108 chassis, there are many points that require regular greasing. I bet lots of stuff either will no longer take grease or is frozen / will freeze (kingpins, control arms, and so forth). Those all have rubber bits too that need replacement after time.

If all that's done, then I'd take the plunge (and if the price were right I'd probably jump in regardless). The stumbling may be the massive vacuum leak coming from the brake booster, but probably is gummed up carbs due to sitting.

meltedpanda · #4 03-31-2014, 03:39 PM

if you have done similar work on the 114 , it is basically the same . None of it is hard, save for the suspension, that can be finicky and expensive . I agree with the previous posts as well, sitting isnt always good, especailly if there are mice around

If the price is reasonable, no or minimal rust and you like the car , take the plunge. 1 grand wont get her up to snuff but 2 might

good luck

mosu · #5 03-31-2014, 08:25 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Based on what I hear, it's doable. There is no rust that I could find along the rockers, wheel arches, trunk or any floor pan. It's really clean. The interior smells like an old bookcase, not moldy like other old cars. Window and door seals are in excellent condition, including the cloth ones. Just the heater levers are broken, but I expect that the whole bit needs replacement since some disconnected the coolant hoses.

I haven't done the same level of work on the w114. That was really high mileage but regularly driven. Also maintained by a reputable Merc mechanic in Kingston and it showed.

The current owner did some work to get it moving - rebuilt calipers, new brake lines and hoses. Im not afraid of the engine work, that's where I'm most familiar. Rear suspension, handbrake and other odd rubbers do.

A few questions:
- if I get all parts, how many hours estimated of labour to make it reliable driver?
- could the smoking rear wheel be axle grease slipping past the seal onto the handbrake shoes?
- it pulled slightly to the right at speed, but no clunks or shifty feeling from the front end - tires looked ok, steering is tight, could the subframe mounts be ok?
- if I were to tackle it in the most time efficient manner, can the experienced guys help me with a list of parts that should be ordered off the bat so I can baseline fix and safety the car before going further?

Thanks again for your support.

pj67coll · #6 03-31-2014, 11:54 PM

My first Mercedes was 71 280S. Wonderful car. If it's as good as your description I'd be very tempted. Especially if you are fairly DIY proficient. I assume Toronto is a fairly wet maritime climate? Rather like Durban where I come from and where I owned my first three Mercedes. From my experienceo one thing I'd be concerned about is rust in hidden places, like the chassis box section where the steering box mounts with three bolts. And check those bolts for proper torque settings. Having your steering shaft snap on you is no fun. Been there done that!

- Peter.

mosu · #7 04-02-2014, 12:16 AM

Peter, Toronto is wet and salty during the winter as they go nuts to keep the roads de-iced. The summer is hot and somewhat humid, but not excessively so. Perfect for keeping a classic rolling April - November.

Steering shaft snap sounds pretty scary, especially at speed. Lost a tie rod once at parking lot speeds. Wheel snapped back and locked into the wheel well. Some tire smoke and panic on my part, barely any visible damage to the sheet metal.

frank edwards · #8 04-16-2014, 02:01 PM

when you fix the leaking brake lines that may fix the cdarb problem,dont fiddle with them untill youv fixed the brake vacume,best wishes,frank

pj67coll · #9 04-16-2014, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mosu

Peter, Toronto is wet and salty during the winter as they go nuts to keep the roads de-iced. The summer is hot and somewhat humid, but not excessively so. Perfect for keeping a classic rolling April - November.

Steering shaft snap sounds pretty scary, especially at speed. Lost a tie rod once at parking lot speeds. Wheel snapped back and locked into the wheel well. Some tire smoke and panic on my part, barely any visible damage to the sheet metal.

Then rust would be my single biggest concern. Second would be the internal state of the motor. Other than that, I'd say it sounds very promising.

- Peter.