Introducing "Dolly" - 1962 Fintail 220b

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Dolly is missing the owner's manual and parts catalog. Will have to get those. Most likely will find them on eBay. I have the Classic Center discs that have scanned copies. But I like having the paper manuals in the glove box.

Tool kit is a must have item. I also like to have a few spare parts like fan belt, radiator hose and spark plugs. I also keep extra wire and crimping kit on board.

Being stuck on the road without any duct tape and paper clips is no fun.

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Hello Peaches,

I am making progress in waking Dolly from a long time slumber.

I installed the shift linkage bushings. Now I need to get the hydraulic clutch functioning. I filled the reservoir with fluid. The rod from the pedal assembly seems to be stuck in the pushed into clutch cylinder position. I am soaking it in brake fluid hoping to get it to loosen up. Most likely will need a replacement.

I filled the brake master cylinder with fluid. It loosened up after a few days. I was able to get a firm brake pedal. Bought a MityVac power bleeder to flush the lines. Then brake fluid started disappearing, no fluid leaking externally. The Brake Booster is full of fluid. Time to rebuild. Started a thread here regarding the booster seal being No Longer Available from Mercedes.

I drained the fuel tank. The two rubber hoses that connect to the metal lines will need to be changed. The 220b has a tiny ten gallon fuel tank. The 220Sb has a much larger tank. Am considering an upgrade, but the consensus has been to keep it original. If I do any 220Sb upgrades, I will keep the original 220b parts and clean them before packing away. I would not do anything that is not a bolt on that can be reversed.

I charged up the battery, checked the oil, then turned over the motor with the key. It sounded good, so I spoon fed some fuel into the carburetor and Dolly came to life, for a moment. It was long enough to know that I can put a clean gas tank back on with a fuel filter and make it run and drive. Of course, I will change the engine oil and filter, transmission oil, steering box oil, grease the chassis, flush the radiator, change differential fluid, etc.

The rubber bits are old and need replacement. The rubber brake lines, hydraulic clutch line, suspension components, windshield seals, etc.

Am I missing anything? Any items not mentioned above I should be considering? There are probably a lot of different systems I should lubricate like window regulators, heater valves, etc. I would rather maintain in preventive mode than repair stuff that brakes unnecessarily.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Jeffrey

[Tomguy]

Make a checklist of stuff. Obviously any car sitting that long will need anything rubber, any filter, and any grease/oil replaced. So start compiling a full list, adding to it as time goes by and you think of more things. Example:

Rubber bits

• Fuel lines (including at tank, pump, engine)
• Radiator hoses
• Transmission cooler hoses
• Oil cooler hoses
• Door seals
• Window seals
• Windshield seals
• Belts
• Flex disc
• Suspension

Grease/Oil/Fluids

• Engine oil
• Transmission oil
• Rearend oil
• Brake fluid
• Coolant
• Gas
• Wheel bearings
• Suspension

Filters

• Oil
• Transmission
• Fuel
• Air
• Cowl

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Hi Tom,

Thank you! That is a comprehensive list. I will definitely use it.

I did not think of a cowl filter. I will have to see if my car has one. There are a few items on your list that my car does not have.

[vwnate1]

Jeffery ;

If the SB tank fits with no modifications , IE : true bolt in , you can bet M-B offered it as an option so installing a larger tank is always a wise idea as long as you're not trimming the metal to make it fit .

Remember : Mercedes were often ordered for taxi or fleet duty and so needed larger fuel tanks from the factory .

I recently up graded the 17 gallon tank in my 240D to a 21 gallon tank and have been loving going 500 + miles between fillups as I usually drive 800 miles every 7 days .

If the seals are available for the clutch master and slave cylinders , you can polish them with a but of leather taped to a drill bit ~ this usually works far better than the hone stones .


Keep us posted ! .

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Hello Peaches,

The cooler weather feels good. This weekend I installed the clutch master cylinder, a new clutch fluid hydraulic hose and the clutch slave cylinder.

I removed the fender mounted rear view mirror (broken mirror) that is not a Mercedes original part. I have a correct one to put on.

Next weekend I hope to get some hours in the garage. I have the kit parts to rebuild the brake booster and a new brake master cylinder.

I removed the fuel tanks from Dolly and Code Blue. POR makes a fuel tank reconditioning kit to clean, treat and coat the gas tank. My plan is to use the kit simultaneously on both tanks. The kit was less than $100.00 at the professional automotive paint and body supply store. I already cleaned up the fuel level sending unit from Dolly, I should have taken some pictures. I may take pictures when I pull the fuel level sending unit from Code Blue's tank.

I have the option or using the (20%) larger 220Sb tank or staying with original 220b fuel tank. No modifications are required. Both tanks have mounting holes placed so the filler neck fits behind the license plate door. It would be an easy bolt on to use the larger tank.

[vwnate1]

If you're going to DRIVE it , go with the larger fuel tank .

For hobby car , stick with the smaller one .

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Dolly has two smaller Solex carburetors than the 220Sb guzzlers. I should get excellent mileage. Can't wait to get it running. Should be on the road before Christmas!

[CTD]

What's the capacity of that big tank there?

[vwnate1]

I'm keen to see what sort of fuel economy it gets .
I'm certain you'll love the driving characteristics .

Don't forget to post driving impressions ! .

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ! .

[JeffreyNMemphis]

The data card for Dolly says "316 - 10 liters of fuel". That has to be how much gasoline the factory put in the car when it was ready to drive out of the factory. My conversion calculation of liter to US Gallon says 10 liters of fuel is 2.64 gallons.

I don't remember how many gallons the 220Sb holds. I have the Mercedes Benz work shop manual for W111 sedans at home. I will check the specifications pages to see the fuel tank capacities.

[joshhol]

My owners manual states 17.2 gallon capacity for both 220b and 220Sb. It also has consumption higher for the 220 at 21mpg vs 22mpg. Those figures appear to be for manual transmissions.
Is that tank from something else? A 190 or 200 maybe?

[JeffreyNMemphis]

I just learned from a friend that the larger tank is 85 liter capacity W108 tank. The smaller tank is the same for 220Sb and 220b 65 liters.

In general, I appreciate Mercedes Benz manufacturing engineers who designed backward compatibility in systems of the vintage era. The gas tank is another example of a newer part working on a later car with bolt on ease.

[cth350]

If you've never driven a car with 4-wheel drum brakes, you have a few things to discover.

Nothing like the feeling of have no brakes at all when you go through a puddle. Practice the "Oh Chit!" look along with pumping the brakes. Also, you might want to practice stopping the car with the emergency brake once or twice. There's some art to that too.

Another interesting feature of an early 111 car is the front subframe mounts. Eyeball them when you get the chance to see if they look just like the ones on your 220Sb. If they look different, they are different and they're next to impossible to get.

Personally, I'd swap out the whole front axle and brakes setup from a more recent parts car and put both issues to bed. Nobody really worries about safety upgrades when discussing orginality.

-CTH

[vwnate1]

One thing we all who drove drum brakes whe that's what was normal did : when approaching a puddle or any deep water in the road , lightly touch the brake pedal to create minimal brake shoe to drum contact and motor on ~ the shoes against the drum will squeegee the water away before it can soak them and render the brakes useless .