Thinking of buying 560SEC w126 need advice
 

'm thinking of buying a damaged 560SEC. It has 137,000 miles and one owner who had many MB's. I started it and it ran smoothly with no misses. The guy selling wants $1500 and i told him no way and offered $1000. From what I can tell, the radiator, fan, fan housing, radiator housing, and hood are damaged. Those seem to be the expensive parts i'd need to buy. The interior is slightly worn but fixable. I'm new to the 560 engine (don't even know the Mxxx number) and don't know much about it. Suggestions? Also, how much do you think this will cost to fix?
I don't really need the car, just looking for a project

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...m/SP_A0013.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...m/SP_A0012.jpg

Also, can anyone help me complile a list of parts i might need?

A grille?

from the looks of it you could straighten the sheet metal that holds the radiator and headlights. this is not seen when the hood is closed. the hood i presume is toast. hoods are about impossible to straighten successfully so you will need a hood. try to find a used one. as a wild guess i would say 500. the hood is unique to the sec as well as the front fenders, and all front lights and the bumper. i think the under lying sheet metal holding the radiator is common with the sedans. the radiator and condensor could also be damaged as well as the clutch fan and fan shroud. these are in common with an ordinary 500 sedan so should be relatively easy to find. there is possibility of damage to water pump and power steering pump but it seems to me a good chance these are ok. there is probably also a leveling system on that car which i am not familiar with so there could be damage there as well.

it looks as if the fenders might be ok and the headlights.

you will just have to check each part meticulously and take it one step at a time. the red color is pretty rare i would think.

the secs are very nice cars. i have an 84 500sec. love it.

good luck.

tom w

Don't think my hood can be saved due to the cut at the bottom where the grill is suppose to be.... what do you think?

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...m/SP_A0016.jpg

There is an SEC hood at a Sarasota salvage yard.

To be honest, the sheetmetal straightening doesn't bother me as much as the groady engine compartment.

I was looking at an SEC a few weeks ago with many miles, and the engine looked way cleaner than the one in your pictures. It just makes me wonder what kind up upkeep has been done under the hood.