New Guy Here With a True "Barn Find" W189?
 

Howdy folks, I'm totally new here (usually hang out over on the Pelican Porsche forum) and wanted to see if I might be able to gather some knowledge on a recent find. While helping my in-laws clean out an old barn on their property I ran across this vintage MB that belonged to my mother-in-law's father. It has been parked in a dirt floor barn for nearly 40 years.

Covered in and surrounded by years of junk these were the best photos I could get (I know they are bad!) I could not get into he engine bay or trunk area or any further into the interior until I am able to remove more stuff from around the car to get better access.

It has a badge on the rear deck that says "300" ..... Family members believed it to be a 1961 model however after doing some research just via pictures it seems like maybe it's a 58-59 300D?

Anyone able to tell anything at all from these photos? The body seems very solid overall however I have not been able to see the rocker panels or the floors yet.

I am hoping to maybe be able to get it out of the barn and asses it's overall condition. Not even sure where to start to be able to find parts for such an old model that from what I can gather also seems rather rare.

Attachment 133559

Attachment 133560

Attachment 133561

Attachment 133562

It looks like a model nicknamed the Adenauer after the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of the late 1950's era. Google Mercedes Adenauer and you should get a ton of info. These cars that are restored are worth some serious $$. The Mercedes Classic Center in Irvine, Ca. Is the best source for parts and info. Contact Thomas.Hanson@mbusa.com

Lucky! I would love to find one hidden away by family but wouldn't love the cost to restore but being in a barn, may get lucky and able to salvage a lot! It looks like it has factory green paint, another plus in my book! Hope you don't revert it to another black one...

Thank you for the contact information. Once I get some numbers off of the body and engine I will contact Mr. Hanson with them.


From what I can tell a lot of it does seem to be in good salvageable condition. However of course I've not been able to see if the motor is locked up yet nor have I been able to check out the floors.... I have a bad feeling about both of those.

Oh and luckily for my wallet patina still seems to be an in thing, haha.

sweet find, who know with a little time and money , errr lots of time and money she can be brought back to life. I'd love to see it out in some light . Worst scenario , pleanty of hard to find chrome and bits, many would love to have . Keep up posted , she looks grand to me

Be very careful moving it. This car can be worth some money even in its current state. I'd go remove everything off of it that can damage it.

Be sure to document the disinterment, old car magazines love his kind of stuff.

As other have said, be careful in moving it, the brakes are likely locked up, the engine may or may not turn. I'd be very careful jacking it up, if it is very rusty the jack can go through the frame / body and land on you. To move it I'd be real tempted to source a paid of tow truck "repo" dolly wheels.. These are 2 small wheels per side and come cross bars, most are self jacking. Think of a axle / mini trailer that goes left to right directly under a pair of car wheels. This way you can roll the car out and get to hard pavement to better asses the situation, get the wheels rolling.

Resist the urge to try and get the motor running without a very specific amount of work, you may end up causing more damage. ( A motor stuck due to leaded fuel / light rust can be made to turn and run but otherwise usable pistons will be damaged and maybe score the bore beyond repair. )

This is the type of thing that needs video. This is a very rare car to find in a barn and it looks like someone just drove it in there and parked it.

But it likely had, and still has, an issue that would be very expensive to repair. That is usually the case with these cars that were expensive when new and always have been expensive to have repaired.

This is the type of find that you might want to contact a local news station about. There is a story behind this and that's what they would want to tell. To the average viewer it will seem you have hit the jackpot but those of us that play with these cars know finding something like this can be a two edged sword. It is easy to give into trying to restore it yourself and then find it is a massive money pit.

But just like it sits it is worth some real money. You might want to get the title right before you let anyone local know about this as possible 'previous owners' might come out of the woodwork if they smell a buck. And the fact it has been sitting on your property for the last forty years will not stop someone from claiming it was once theirs.

So get the title cleared up first. Then take it from there.

The only version of these cars "worth" restoring are the cabriolets. The very best 4 door sedans are worth around $100,000, and that is less than the cost of restoration.

Yes, but a recent body, which was in good shape and without an engine or transmission, recently went for $19,000.

An engine, in running condition, will bring in between $5,000 and $15,000.

The wood alone, if it is in restorable condition, can bring $1,000 with very little trouble.

So while it may not be worth restoring it is worth quite a bit just on the hoof.

Always get the title cleared up first. That is the cheap part of finding one of these cars.

And check on Ebay for the current price of a radio from one of these cars.

Welcome.

Some real helpful posts so far especially from "idle".

From the blurry photos I believe to think THIS IS a 300(d).
Made from 1958 to 1962.
Top of the line Mercedes (Sedan) at the time.
The small "d" is the important part.
Forget that remark "Adenauer".
It is more confusing than helpful, as it just is a moniker added years later and confusingly throws it into the same bunch as the 1952-58 300 a, b and c models as well, which were mostly different cars.

My brother and I have 4 of these and can help with advice.

ALSO: not to be confused with a 300D, which were 300 DIESEL sedans from 1974 on .


Back to your car:
It is a relatively rare car.
A lot of them have been saved, as they are strikingly different from whatever else is out there.
The immediate appearance gives it that impression of something different.
As it also is different from the previous 300 models (a,b and c) the parts are hard to find and usually expensive.
So, having a complete car is IMPORTANT.
This 300 model was the first (Mercedes sedan) to have fuel injection, and (early) automatic transmissions.
The automatic was out-sourced to Borg Warner and was an option not found on all cars.
Before you start cranking away to try and start it "
you will cause some very expensive damage to the internal parts on your mechanical Fuel Injection pump.
Better not try until you've done some preliminary work !!

The best thing for now is to pour some Marvel mystery oil into the cylinders (and put the spark plugs back in!), and let it sit.
Maybe air up the tires (or replace) and clean the paint carefully.
IF THIS is original paint: preserving the status quo and not damaging it more could bring a major premium to the value of the car !!

If you have more questions, you can also send me a personal message.

Good Luck

Alex(I am in Southern California)

Thank You PW for the correction.

Wow!
 

Welcome!

I spent years on Pelican until I sold my 911. Now focused entirely on Mercedes.

Wikipedia has information about the Type 300 also known as Adenauer sedans. There are a few available now on Craigslist for sale between $13,000 and $105,000. It probably cost $105k to make the car look brand new and asking $105k. There are a few nice original cars between $50-$80k that are unrestored but well maintained. The $13k car is a rusty shell that has been for sale for years.

They are all gasoline powered big six cylinder engines. Occasionally I read for sale ads that say 300d and seller believes it is diesel powered. I always hope they don't try to fill it up and crank the engine. The 300d will have windows without "b" pillar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_Type_300#/media/File:Mercedes-Benz_300d_am_2006-10-27_retusch.jpg

I am excited for you. The color appears to be Mercedes 268 Green which is my favorite Classic color.

Despite the comment from 686point3 the cars were "nicknamed" Adenauer. The oil recommended by 686 is actually Marvel Mystery Oil.

BW,
Not saying you are wrong.
Yes, that was/is a nickname. BUT I think it originated more in the US than Elsewhere, because Americans have to have a model name and cannot deal with just a number.
If you go to a dealership or try to find parts elsewhere that nickname will only add to the confusion.

As I said : Adenauer is used on all 300s and the "d" is a different animal than "a","b" and "c".

Thank you for correcting the Marvel. I have no idea where I got that magic ;) from.

Alex