Just bought my first Benz today. a '74 240D - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JazzArtDesign · #1 08-14-2007, 05:49 AM

Hi, everyone, greetings from scorching hot Chico, California.

I've just been lucky enough to find and purchase my first Mercedes Benz. A 1974 240D and I'm falling in love already. My main intent is to run this on Veggie oil. But I don't want to do anything to hurt this beautiful machine now that I'm falling in love with it. I've heard from many people that it's not a problem if you do it right, though I've heard from some that it's not a good idea. I read that the original diesel engine was designed to run on peanut oil... so that must mean something. Frankly, the reason I want to run it on veggie is because I am sick of being a contributor to the petroleum market. I'm sick of worrying about gas prices and I want nothing to do with foreign oil or polluting the environment any longer. I also have the time and energy to find and recycle veggie oil, as well as I think it's pretty cool to not have to pay for gas. And driving around a car that smells like french fries would be kinda cool.

I believe that electric cars are ultimately going to be the way to go. Especially when you see the ones coming out built by Tesla, and the one that Lotus is working on with Zap. (An electric car that goes 0-60 in 3 seconds and a top speed of 150mph... and 300 miles per charge....yeah, thats hot.)

Anyways, back to the Benz. This is my first MB and only the 2nd car I've ever owned. The other was a Ford Ranger. It has a rebuilt engine in it with 30K miles on it. 4 speed manual. Has a good amount of power, I am surprised because I have heard that these old diesels don't accelerate well, but I dunno what those people were expecting because this baby can haul ass. Shifts pretty smoothly, a little rough in 1st when it starts up though, I haven't given it much time to warm up yet, I will start doing that, have only driven it 2 times now.

Original paint job is in great condition considering its over 30 years old. Car must have been garaged for a long time, I will be keeping it under a carport or covered, since the hot Chico sun is devastating to car paint jobs. The interior is in pretty good condition as well. The speedometer doesnt work, and I don't think the rest of the instrument cluster does as well. Will be trying to fix that myself with the help of the articles here. Also, I'd like to re-upholster the interior (anything on that?). The seats are in good condition, no rips, not really any wear either, just need to be cleaned off and put some armorall or something on them. Rug is dirty but will clean up nice. No holes or rips in it, no big stains either. Dash is in perfect condition, clean it off and armorall and it will be shiny again, same with door panels. Inside really has been kept in good condition.

Basically, this car is in prime condition for fully restoring as far as the body and interior go. The engine is on the dirty side but not too bad and I will be polishing it off, so long as thats not a bad idea. I fully intend on keeping this car for a long time and fully restoring it as its truly a classic. I would like to use it for veggie and traveling around, but I know that I'm eventually going to buy a brand new car in the future. I just hope I have a good time with this one.

The only bad things about it (that were disclosed to me) is, 1- the brakes vibrated a little at first but they stopped, I was told that the cylinders can get rusty if it's sat for a while, which this one had and that all you need to do is drive it and break it while accelerating a little to get that off.

2- ball bearings need to be replaced. 3- the windshield is cracked and will need to be replaced as well. Really seems like it's in great overall shape. I will be taking it to an MB specialist in the next week or two (and not driving it much till then) to have them give it a full inspection.

I have never owned a diesel before, especially a 74' MB. Can you guys give me tips on starting, running it, caring for it? As well as the quirks of a diesel and what I can expect? (or point me to threads that have this) I think I know how to start it correctly with the glow plug warmer or whatever it's called, and oh yeah, it starts up like a champ too. Also, I will be purchasing some mainenence/repair manuals off ebay (or anywhere available) to guide me.

All told, the total cost was $2200. I figure even if I put in $2000 in repairs over the next year or two, its worth it. I know I will be plunking about $600 right away just to get the things already mentioned fixed.

I am glad to have found this place, and looking forward to hearing your stories with your MB's as I begin a new age with mine. Thanks for listening and I hope to hear from you all.

Tony

Ok, here it is. I shot these at 8:30 in low light (should have done them earlier but I forgot)

running-snail · #2 08-14-2007, 07:07 AM

Nice car, can't help much on the model.

Stay away from armorall - I've never seen a single recommendation for its use. Vinylex has been my choice with the mercedes mbtex. Others will chime in.

Do a search in the detailing section.

gatorblue92 · #3 08-14-2007, 07:10 AM

looks like a very nice example... personally i wouldn't run anything but #2 diesel in a car in condition like that

t walgamuth · #4 08-14-2007, 07:29 AM

your car looks very nice. I had a 72 220d and a 74 240d. the second car came from california and was pristine like yours.

they are very simple cars to run and maintain. No computers or such silliness. I recommend the Haynes for the 123 diesels which will help for many of the mechanical things. I also have a cd that my indie got for me someplace, and an ancient Chilton's from about 1970. Between the three we were always able to find what we needed.

Feel free to pm me if you have questions for my books.

Tom W

Mister Byrnzoil · #5 08-14-2007, 07:32 AM

lookin good, I think I've read horror stories about changing the oil filter...

Please don't grease a classic like that, why not find a biodiesel station instead.

JazzArtDesign · #6 08-14-2007, 01:44 PM

Thanks for the comments and advice. I am starting to think that perhaps I won't grease it after all. Primarily because I don't want to screw up and ruin the engine, which I've heard happens if you don't know what you are doing. And I'm sure I'll have other MB's come along that can be greased. But I am going to run it on biodiesel.

Yes, it is really in great condition, not quite pristine, the photos are covering up a few of the imperfections. (there are a couple of small dings on the body, and some tiny spots where the paint got flaked off) But like I said, some time and effort mostly and some money will get this thing restored into perfect condition.

Do you guys think $2200 was a fair price for this car? I thought that it was a pretty fair deal for both parties.

Jim B. · #7 08-14-2007, 03:09 PM

Reasonable price I would say, and since it retains the original xxxKVJ series blue plates from 1974, it has probably been in the Sacramento Valley all its life. That is especially important because it pretty much guarantees the car is totally rust free, which would be exeptional on these cars.

Cars like that with a pedigree like that are getting harder to find. It was well bought.

Stay away from Armorall, it actually degrades and splits the fibers it is supposed to protect in the vinyl. Look into the 303 protectant.

I'd stay away from the Veggie Oil thing ntil I were sure, after doing the work, that the filtering, water issue, collecting, and everything else is worth committing to.

Yours has a handsome set of chrome bundt Mercedes rims on it, which goes nicely with the exterior color.

Don't figure on winning any drag races, but DO expect longevity. One of these body style diesel Mercedes was the famous Greek taxi with over 2,800,000 miles on it, in the Benz museum in Stuttgart now.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/5040929.001/proverbial-longevity-in-4.6-million-kilometers

You are in good company.

Jeremy5848 · #8 08-14-2007, 03:27 PM

Looks like a nice car. A Benz of that age, in that condition, for the price you paid, is rare and getting rarer. Try to keep it as original as possible, please, and bring it to the next NorCal GTG, probably this fall sometime.

I haven't been able to find a retail source for biodiesel in the Valley -- let me know what you find in the Chico-Marysville area. BTW, are you at Chico State?

I concur on avoiding Armor-All. I used it in the previous millennium but there are better products available now. I like the 303 products, which another poster mentioned.

Jeremy

diametricalbenz · #9 08-14-2007, 03:40 PM

The car looks just like mine now! Except yours is in better condition and has chrome bundts but it's also a 74 and a blue plate CA car.

$2200 is a great deal on a car with proof that it has 30K on the motor. New motors are $5k so that has to be factored in.

JazzArtDesign · #10 08-14-2007, 04:13 PM

Jim and Jeremy, thanks for the in lowdowns, very helpful information.

Jim - Yes I believe it's been in Sacramento it's whole life, and definitely a lifelong California car. I saw no rust on the underside of the car. There is some in the trunk as I believe something wet had been thrown into it and it got rusty, but it's all superficial. Rust is pretty much non existent on the chassis and body.

I read about that Benz that went 2.8 million miles. WOW! I have a good friend from Germany that lives in Stuttgart and I will have to go check that car out when I visit him next summer. Speaking of that, I'm sure he will be happy to hear I bought a classic Benz.

Jeremy - Hello! I grew up in Sonoma County, mostly Healdsburg, but also Santa Rosa a little. I will definitely be keeping the car original, besides adding a modern sound system. I was thinking of getting some touch up paint custom-mixed to go over the spots that have the little paint dings, but the guy I bought it from said If I just clean it real nice, then buff and wax it, it will look pretty sweet.

I think biodiesel is a little harder to come come by up here, though I did talk to someone about 3 years ago who was starting a co-op. I know that Chico has a small but vibrant environmentalist community and I'm sure just asking around and a few craigslist posts is all it will take.

I don't go to Chico St. any longer. I went from 2000-2003 then went to the Santa Rosa JC for 2003-2005 and got 2 AA's in Liberal Arts and Sciences and Graphic Design. So currently I am a graphic designer up here, just saving money as Chico is a great, cheap place to live.

Speaking of the Santa Rosa Junior College, did you know that they have an Alternative Fuel Vehicle program there? Thats gotta be the first of it's kind in the country! Man that is such an awesome school. I got a better education there than Chico, No exaggeration.

Again, thank you both for your comments, very helpful.

nhdoc · #11 08-14-2007, 04:19 PM

The W115 is a classic. I learned to drive on that same year and model, except ours was midnight blue with palomino interior. You got a deal at $2200 for a rust free one...if you decide you want to part with it you will make a few dollars on it without a doubt.

LUVMBDiesels · #12 08-14-2007, 04:21 PM

You NEVER see anything as nice as your car here on the East coast!

I am also going to tell you to stay away from greasing the car. You can get all the environmental benefits (carbon neutral,better emissions, etc) plus energy independence by either making or buying good quality bioDiesel. Look into joining the local co-op. I am sure there must be others in the area making and using bioD. Always buy good quality filters and make sure that you use oil designed for Diesel engines. There are good petroleum and synthetic oils out there. What you should use is up to you and the amount of driving you do.

This forum is a great place to go to for help and suggestions. You should begin by learning how to do a proper search. Use Google Advanced Search and type mercedesshop.com in the domain box. The native search here is not worth using.

As far as books go, try to get the MB shop manuals on CD. I picked up the ones for my car (1981 300SD)for about 20 bucks. You MUST also join Mercedes Benz Cub of America. Check them out at MBCA.org.
Again Great find from somebody who is extremely jealous!

JazzArtDesign · #13 08-15-2007, 03:09 PM

Thanks for the great info nhdoc and LUVMBDIESEL!

Yes, Grease will not be going in this baby! I'm planning on doing home-brewed biodiesel or a co-op now, I really want to limit my impact on the environment as much as possible and also another person not using foreign oil is a good thing. Sorry to those who'd feel petroleum is better for the car, but some things are just too important to me.

I'm taking it to the MB specialist in town to have them check it out and do the ball bearings. I'm looking forward to what they will tell me as far as what I should do to keep it in good condition and how good of shape it is in.

I'll definitely be joining the MB club. I plan on being a lifelong Benz owner, I have always loved these cars.

JazzArtDesign · #14 08-15-2007, 03:12 PM

Oh, I just wanted to add: This car has a first aid kit, and when I opened it up, its all German language packaging for the first aid materials. Do you guys think this is the original 33 year old first aid kit? Thats pretty impressive, obviously someone really kept good care of this car.

Dee8go · #15 08-15-2007, 03:17 PM

Congrats, Jazzart. That's fine-looking automobile ya got there. Sounds like it's in excellent hands, too.