Bob,

Been married, raised two kids as a single dad. Only one left at home. Now it's my turn. I is interesting to see how people react to you when you have a Mercedes. I used to think the same. Until I found this site and realized there are a lot of people interested in the older models. Here in Oklahoma there are a lot of 70's & 80' MBZ and BMW models rotting in driveways. You can usually get them for $100-$300. Not a bad gamble considering you can part them out and break even, worst case.

I just pulled the dash on my 76 300D. The middle vent config is controlled by sliding the lever above the vent. it is attached by a ball joint mechanism that screws off. The defrost vents are controlled by the upper left sliding lever. this is cable control on my model

By the way, if you have your instrument cluster removed and you start the car to open some windows and you feel a warm liquid running down your leg.... it's the oil pressure line.