Gas tank is out. Looks dirty but in way better shape than my last fintail I had. The underside of the trunk looks good too. I'm going to POR15 the underside of the trunk, and repaint the tank black. I need to replace the anti rattle pads on top of the tank.




To get the tank clean I'm going to degrease it, get some muriatic acid and some nuts and bolts to swish around inside. Then I'll rinse it really good with water and baking soda to neutralize the acid. Then I'll rinse with some gas and a 2 stroke oil diluted in it to keep from flash rusting.

__________________
"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

Trunk looks good. Have you found any rust in the car yet?

Also good news that there are no holes in the gas tank or any other significant interior corrosion from sitting.

How many parts did you get with your tax return?

Oh, I didn't realize your car has the Weber conversion. My roommate has a 1965 W111 220S with an automatic transmission and the Weber conversion. Despite having the fuel tank cleaned, a new tank strainer, new fuel hoses, a new fuel pump, a new filter, carburetors taken apart and filters cleaned, floats and choke set, the car will practically run the battery dead before it will start, unless I pour gas in the carburetors first. I don't know if it's a problem with the Webers or something else. After the engine starts, it runs great, even at 80 MPH on the freeway.

Also, the Weber kits don't come with a switch to aid in downshifting the transmission so it doesn't clunk really hard when slowing down to a stop. Did someone add a switch to yours for this? If not, you may find that the transmission will jerk you around as you slow to a stop because it needs an electronic signal based on the throttle position to unlock the transmission when your foot is not on the accelerator. No thought was put into this by JAM Engineering, the company which made these Weber conversion kits.

__________________
Stop paying for animal enslavement, cruelty, and slaughter. Save your health and the planet. Go vegan! I did 18 years ago. https://challenge22.com/

DON'T MESS WITH MY MERCEDES!


1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Highly Optioned, 350,000+ Miles

CTD,

There was a small hole by the gas pedal, on the sill under the front of the front passenger side door, and a small hole in the floor pan on the passenger side in the middle of the car. Other than that there isn't any rust.

I bought a bunch of stuff, pretty much everything required to get a car running that's been sitting for 3 years. I'll post everything here as I get stuff put on.

Squiggle,

What would that switch from the carbs be used for in the transmission? It doesn't have a lock up torque converter does it? I went and checked mine and it looks like I have a vacuum connection to the manifold on the left side of the transmission and a terminal block on the right side that has connections to the kick down switch under the gas pedal and the netural safety switch. There's also a connection that goes up to the top of the transmission from the terminal block and plugs into something on the rear part of the bell housing.

That's unfortunate about your roommates car. Almost sounds like vapor lock or an accelerator pump problem. I hope I don't have any issues with them.

Both carbs are finished!

__________________
"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

Squiggle,

I did some reading, looks like I need to figure out where the switch/wiring went for the throttle. I found out it controls the 3 position solenoid on top of the transmission, which in turn controls modulator pressure for deceleration, kickdown and normal driving.

__________________
"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 believe the switch that you are missing controls the downshifting pressure on the transmission--it unlocks the parts so they don't slam when you slow to a stop. I don't think these transmissions have a torque converter; instead it's a fluid clutch or something.

The original carburetors had a throttle position switch on them. The Webers don't. So, you have to install a microswitch at the throttle linkage somewhere so when your foot is not on the accelerator, the linkage pushes on the switch and it tells the transmission to unlock. This still needs to be done on my roommate's car.

__________________
Stop paying for animal enslavement, cruelty, and slaughter. Save your health and the planet. Go vegan! I did 18 years ago. https://challenge22.com/

DON'T MESS WITH MY MERCEDES!


1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Highly Optioned, 350,000+ Miles

Got my rear carburetor installed. Starting to come together!


Also ordered a on / off micro switch. I have to figure out where to put it. I looked at maybe putting it on the firewall, on the throttle linkage or inside on the gas pedal rod.



Got the spark plugs put in. I used NGK BP6ES, non-resistor plugs. I previously had my distributor rebuilt by a guy in Michigan. I installed it and put on the new bosch dizzy cap and rotor button. There is a D shaped oring on the distributor that can get hard and cause leaks, I replaced it also. Old vw Beatles use the same oring on their distributors, so they are pretty easy to come by.



The windlace around the door opening looks horrible. It is the pinch on type not sewn in. Originally it was a cloth covered 3/4 inch dark brown type. But after 50 years it has deteriorated and looks bad.



I couldn't find any dark brown 3/4 inch pinch on windlace. I also couldn't find any pinch on windlace that is cloth covered. Most places stock jumbo windlace which is 3/4 but only available in black, which I didn't want. 1/2 inch is available in almost any color one could think of, i almost bought maroon to match the seats but instead i settled on 1/2 inch dark brown to match original.







My tires came in! 185/80R13 Maxxis

__________________
"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

Looking good! Does the smaller wind-lace seal adequately for the doors?

So today I got some time to work on the car. I finished putting the windlace in all the doors. I'm not totally sure if it will seal good against the doors, but the door seals are in really good shape so it should fine. I hope it doesn't whistle, sure does look better. I ordered all new window channels and window belt felt for all the doors, it came in today. I got a lot of the info for them off one of the mercedes ponton websites. I'll post up info about where it came from and how it fits and what not when I get time to put them in.

I got my forward carburetor installed, just need to clean and grease the linkage.


After I got the carbs put on I decided to pull the radiator and fan shroud out to clean them up and inspect. The radiator definitely needs some love so it will be visiting our local radiator shop this week.


At first glance it looks like the front end is crooked!


I put on a new low pressure hose on the power steering pump, new filter, new lid gasket and I bought a new wing nut and rubber grommet for the top. I'll do a full flush once I get the car running. I think it's cool how the fan shroud has a cut out for the power steering pump pulley, there is only like an inch of clearance between the front of the pulley and the radiator lol.


I ordered new engine mounts because I thought mine looked a little squished. I had no idea how squished they were lol. I jacked up the engine and removed the mount, went to put in the new mount and I had to jack the engine up another few inches to get it to fit. I think the old ones might have been original, they had a 68 on them.



Driver side in and ready.


When I removed the radiator I wondered why the fan shroud had been hacked on at the bottom. Some one cut it so the fan wouldn't hit it, instead of replacing the engine mounts when had caused the engine to drop close to two inches probably. The passenger side was even more squished. The heated air shroud for the carbs was rubbing against the frame rail.


Once she's running I'll get under there with some degreaser and the pressure washer to clean up the front end, some of it is almost half inch thick caked on crap.

__________________
"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

Nice progress there!

That poor radiator will definitely need some love. Very likely some expensive love in the form of a re-core.

I imagine that with the carbs back in, you could get the car running off of a gasoline can. One thing that is easier to do with the radiator out is turning the engine over to set the point gap in the distributor. When everything's back in, the front of the engine bay gets rather tight. I have to use a remote starter switch to turn over the engine in my 230 for adjusting the valves and setting the point gap.

By the way, when the time comes for valve adjustment, there are a few in the back of the head that are tricky to get at if you don't have a crow's-foot socket.

As far as motor-mounts are concerned, I would recommend having an assistant on hand to help with the second motor mount. It took quite a bit of muscling the motor around to get it in the last motor mount when I did them on mine. There also should be a rubber transmission mount, which is likely in need of replacement if your motor mounts were in unsuitable condition.

There was one more thing in your photos that caught my eye: the brake booster. I would recommend covering the hole that the master cylinder attaches to to prevent foreign material from entering the unit. Brake boosters often fail due to brake fluid leaking out of the master cylinder and damaging the internal diaphragm. Other solvents and cleaners can work in a similar way.

Hopefully it doesn't need to much love, this was an un expected expense. I'm hoping they can just rod it out and fix any leaks. It is way heavier than I thought it would be too lol.

I haven't gotten a service manual yet, so I don't know what the spec is for a valve adjustment. The engine number is 180.949 if anyone knows. I need to pick up some crow foot wrenches to do that, and I hope none of the adjusters are stuck. While the radiator is out I'm going to replace the belts, do some cleaning, and put the smog pump back in that I gutted. It'll act like an idler pulley.

When I took the old master cylinder out the brake booster was full of brake fluid. I cleaned it out and forgot to put cover the hole. I need to blow it out with compressed air and put masking tape on it. I still have the old master cylinder reservoir, for a 1967 or earlier.

Ive looked at the transmission mount, and it looks okay I guess. Probably needs to be replaced but it's only available from mercedes and it's like 120 bucks. So I'll wait a while on 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

I'm currently out of town and away from my Finny, but I have the 1959-1967 factory service manual with it. I can get you all the valve adjustment information when I am back in March. The 180.949 is the 230 engine with Zenith carbs.

I hope that the brake booster is O. K. despite getting brake fluid in it. If it is not, then it will be an expensive (multiple hundreds of dollars) refurbishment/replacement. But a new one should last another half century at least.

I wonder if you might be able to skip the smog pump by using a smaller belt?

Got my tires mounted and balanced.



Also got the passenger side rear brake drum put back together. The drum doesn't fit back on and the adjusters are in all the way. So I've got to figure that out. I thought maybe they need to be skimmed. There is a lip on the edge of the drum that is getting hung up on the shoes.

__________________
"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

Had some time today to work on the car. Got a few things done.

I still haven't figured out the brake shoe issue, I'm going to get my drums skimmed on tuesday hopefully that will fix the issue.

Got my passenger side front brake redone. I replaced the caliper installed new pins and spring, replaced the rotor, cleaned and greased the wheel bearing, and put the new hose on. I'll have to pop the hose back off when I do the front subframe bushings. Probably do that before I put fluid in the brakes.


I replaced the forward rear trailing arm bushing, the rear one looks to be in good shape so I'll leave it for now. It was pretty straight forward. Popped the old one out, which looks well worn lol, and put the new one in the arm and sprayed silicone on the mount. Had to put the weight of the car on the arm and it slid right in.


So far I have replaced the window channels in both passenger side doors, and the belt felt on the top of the doors. At the same time I cleaned and greased the window regulator, and cleaned and painted the inside bottoms of the doors. I also disassembled and cleaned the door check straps. I'll make another post about the window channels but here is what the new stuff looks like.


The sides stay in their tracks pretty good but you have to glue the top, I have it pressed up with scrap wood for drying. I used just regular weather stripping adhesive.


Here is the overly complicated door check strap. Disassembled for cleaning. Got it put back in and the door is super smoother now. I also finally got grease to go into my hinges on the doors. Had to heat them up with a butane torch.


I replaced the vapor barrier in the door behind the door panel. Originally there were two small pieces that covered up the large holes. I replaced it with a large section made of 2mil plastic that covers the entire door. Figured that would protect the door panel better.


Before I put every thing back together I polished the metal bits on the door panel. Then put everything together. Shuts like a bank vault door!

__________________
"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

Nice work there. Seems that things are coming along well. I wonder if the new lining on those brake shoes is a tad too thick?

Your door cards look very nice. They seem to hold up much better on the late-series 110s than they do on 123s.

How much heat did you have to apply to get grease into the door hinges? That is something I would like to do on my vehicles.

The MAXXIS tires look good too. Did this car come with trim rings on the wheels?