CTD,

Thanks! I really like the way the lenses look, i was a bit worried spray painting them but all turned out okay. I did the front corner reflectors also i just havent posted a picture of them yet.

The gear shifter is in great shape now that i replaced the bushings in it. Funny thing is the dealer i bought the parts from for it accidentally sent me another set of bushings and the boot for the shift lever. So i have an extra set of everything needed to make the shifter feel like new again if anyone needs them. I believe it will fit W108 chassis also.

The brakes.... well my funds have dried up for the car at the moment. So i have some stuff but still need to order a lot. I need to find a place that can reline my rear shoes. I found a place on eBay but they wanted 180 bucks to do it. I thought if i looked around i could find something cheaper. All the places i've called around me act like im crazy.

Ill double check the dizzy when i get home from work, if i remember right it was an 5mm allen that held the thing in and tight that was on the top next to the valve cover. The dizzy was pretty stiff i had to spray penetrating oil on it and work it back and forth to get it out. The guy that rebuilt mine did a great job, he's rebuilt 2 of my dizzys in my MGBs that ive had and they ran way better afterwards.

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

So one of the nagging issues i've had with my finny was the gas cap was stuck. It was the locking kind, i had the key for it. I tried everything over the last few months to get it to unlock, from soaking it in PB to banging on it and twisting blah blah blah nothing worked. So sadly today i decided to drill it out

Drilled out the key hole, punched through the topside and twisted the chrome shell off. The insides fell down inside the filler neck which gets narrower as it goes to the tank, which i didnt know. I flipped the innards upside and unscrewed the bottom plate. The middle part fell into the tank, which i have to drop and clean anyway so ill get it out then, and the rest i pulled out of the neck.

I also have a 1991 300SE, so i went and pulled the gas cap off of it and tried it on my finny and guess what..... It fits!!! Crazy that after almost 60 years between the beginning of W110 production and the end the W126 production the gas caps still fit!? I was shocked.

Heres some pics...
Whats left of the cap, the rest is in the tank.




Inside of the tank is disgusting, supposedly the car only sat for 5 years. Its pretty gross. Figure i will drop the tank and buy one of those kits to clean and seal the inside of the tank.


The underside of the tank is very clean, the car has very little rust.

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

Repainted and installed my front corner reflectors, down the road when I get the car repainted (probably in back) I'm going to have the holes welded up for these reflectors on the front and rear corners. I don't like them.

Attached Thumbnails

   

How is the paint and chrome on your car? It looks to have a good shine in the photos.

Those reflectors do look a bit funny on the Fintails. I always thought they added to the 'quirkiness' of the 1968 models. It seems that in 1968 they put a lot of stuff that went in the later W115s in the 110s, including those reflectors, which were intended for a car with more 'boxy' front corners. One interesting thing about the 1968 Fintail models is that they feature collapsible steering columns.

CTD,

The paint is okay, the previous owner got a "premium" paint job at Maaco. I guess the paint is about 6 years old now. It sat outside in an open parking lot for 3 years before I got it so it's pretty oxidized. I hit it with the buffer and it cleaned up. Chrome is in good shape and all there. Although I really like the early cars chrome on the back of the fins, and down the side to the rear wheel arch. I may look into adding it one day.

It is strange that they did that, I guess it makes sense being at the very very end of production. I wonder what the last 230's serial number was and how late /early into the 1968 production year mine is. Crazy that they only built 318 of them.

I've been scouring the Internet for wood trim for the interior, I hate the bakelite crap. Doesn't age well. I tried to clean it and clear coat it today and I'm not sure I like it.

This was it before, looked horrible.


I sanded it with 200, 400 grit sand paper and went back over it with 0000 steel wool.


Then..... I clear coated it. Can't decide if I like it. Maybe I shouldn't have. I really wish I could find real wood.


I also couldn't figure out how to get the lower bow off the top of the dash, and I really didn't want to break it.

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

It'll take some work to find a good set of wooden inner windshield trim in good shape at a good price. It can be very expensive unless you are parting out the right W111. If you need to rejuvenate the dried and aged Bakelite though, I would recommend gently oiling it.

As far as 1968 model year Fintails go, they were produced in the second half of 1967 and through February 1968, if I remember right. Mine is labeled as a 1968 on its name plate, but it was built in November 1967. I think a few thousand were made, since production went on for several months in 67, and less than two months in 68 (the year that only 300 or so were built). Either way, any 1968 Fintail is a very uncommon car!

How do you determine the month the car was manufactured?

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

Finally got the bow off from the top of the dash. Unbenounced to me there are blue plastic nuts that hold the trim on from behind the dash. Once those came off it popped right out. It's raining here today so not much happening with it today.

Month of manufacture can be gleaned from the date of delivery on the vehicle's data card, along with date codes on parts. My 110 was sent off from the factory for delivery on 9 November 1967, and contains parts with Oct. '67 dates on them. I figure it rolled off the assembly line some time in early November of that year.

If you don't have the data card, you can e-mail the Classic Center with the chassis number and a copy of your ownership/registration papers and they'll send a copy of it from MB's archive in Germany.

My data card says it was ordered in 1967. I can't make sense of the shift number or production number on the data card, seems to be random numbers. Meaning is probably lost to the ages lol.

My wheels are all dated November of 1967. The only other stamp that looked like a date code I could find was on the back of the trim I just took off. Not sure if it is or not. It's says 1368 with a 2 under it in a circle.


Data plate

Hello all,
Happy new year!
Nothing new to report about the 68, I'm waiting on my tax return to buy parts. I've also been halfway trying to locate a w108 rear axle so I can have rear disc and a bit lower rear ratio. I ordered a sample of pinch on windlace for the doors in dark brown. Matches the door trim perfectly but it's a bit short. The original windlace was 3/4 inch, most replacement types available are 1/2 inch unless I go black which I don't want.

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

Does your Fintail run? I recently replaced the distributor in mine and it's running much better. Haven't been able to drive it too much since Christmas though, due to extreme cold and salted roads.

I don't think I'd worry about getting a 108 rear-end if money is tight. I never had issues with the drums on my Fin and it returns a little over 20 mpg despite the short gearing. The worst thing the drum brakes can throw at you are shoes that need to be re-lined. But that is not a frequent job. A good set of shoes can go over 100,000 miles on the rear. I did have to replace the pinion seal on my rear-end, though, because the old one was leaking oil. The parts for that are about $20-30. A lot of owners neglect that job, though, causing the rear-ends to wear prematurely. Does your rear-end have any leaks?

CTD,

I brought the car home in non-running condition. The engine does spin by hand with the plugs out and the previous owner had owned it for almost 18 years said that it run up till about 4 years ago when he parked it due to fuel issues. I did have my dizzy rebuilt though so this spring when i put it back on the road it should be good.

After putting it all on paper i do think ill stay with the stock rear. My car needs new rear wheel cylinders and the shoes relined (2 of the shoes the friction material fell off when i took the drum off to do a inspection), i already have new calipers pads and rotors for the front, and a new master cylinder and reservoir. I found a place in south New Jersey that can reline my shoes for 35 a shoe which seems reasonable. Most places give me a blank stare when i ask about it so i had to search online.

Im pretty sure the rear does leak, i think the split boot is leaking as well. I was going to replace some of the bushings in the rear and might remove the entire thing to do that, seems easier.

What size tires are you running? I was toying with the idea of running 14 inch tires. I was also going to put a set of 2 inch white wall tires on the car regardless if i stay 13's or go with 14's.

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

I am running 185/80R13s on my finny. They are made by MAXXIS and have a 5/8 inch white wall. You can get a set of four for about $300 to $350.

There are a few photos with the MAXXIS 80s on my finny in this thread:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/vintage-mercedes/388292-1968-w110-projects-2.html

They are pretty close to the original tires that the car came with in 1968 and cost less than any other option (changing the wheels or getting more expensive tires).

As far as the rear-end goes, I would recommend giving it a very thorough inspection before writing off the boot. Often times the pinion seal (by far the most common culprit) leaks for a long time and gets oily debris all over the rear-end unit. Your best course of action would be to clean the rear-end, fill it to the correct level, and then examine where fluid leaks from.

Replacing the pinion seal does not require removing the rear-end, but it does require disconnecting the drive shaft and getting a special socket. It can be done in a day with time to spare. The parts required are pretty cheap.

As far as the fuel system is concerned, are your lines and tank clean? How's the fuel pump? If the fuel pump is bad, you can order a replacement for about $35. Does the engine have spark?

So finally uncle Sam decided to bestow my tax return on me. I ordered about 1500 dollars worth of parts lol.

Sooooo, I decided to start first with the fuel system.
Currently rebuilding the dual webers. At some point in the cars life it was converted to dual weber 32/36 DGAV carbs with adapter plates.

Ordered rebuild kits and I've got the first one torn apart, cleaned up, ran through the dishwasher and blown out with compressed air.

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson