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I purchased this car on eBay in early 2007, I did as close to a frame off restoration as can be done on a unibody car over the next 3.5 years. I finished it the week before getting married in Nov 2010 and it served as our get away car. All of the interior was removed, most of the interior was in good condition but the rubber sill covers and all door gaskets were replaced, the cloth over the interior gaskets was replaced, new rubber floor mats were installed and the back glass gasket had leaked so the rear carpet on the parcel shelf was replaced and the right side floor pan and rusted through and a replacement was installed. A local upholstery shop patched the back of the seat with the correct MB tex rosette pattern but there is a visible seam. The entirety of the brake system was redone, the booster is a new old stock unit that cost a small fortune, the original was supposedly rebuilt but did not function, I include it as the original was termed a "Heavy Duty" unit and was no longer available and it can be rebuilt. The front brakes were completely replaced, the rear drums were machined and they are so large that I had to go to a machine shop that works on large trucks to get them done, all other rear brake hardware was replaced. The engine was removed, the oil pan removed and everything underneath inspected, the glow plugs were replaced after reaming and the injectors and pump were all gone over, the entire engine was detailed and the vacuum pump, alternator and AC compressor were rebuilt, water pump and oil pump replaced. The suspension was replaced in its entirety with new coil springs, rubber bushings and shocks, the exhaust system was completely replaced and the transmission was resealed and cleaned as was the rear axle, the clutch was replaced as was the clutch hydraulic system. The fuel tank was dropped and cleaned. Front wheel bearings were replaced. The original Kuhlmeister AC is in working order and blows cold, all 3 blower speeds work. Really on a mechanical end not much was left undone and everything was done right with original Mercedes parts. Even relatively trivial details work, the clock, the radio (rebuilt by Becker and an accessory jack was added so you can play audio from your phone/MP3 player), the antenna is a real Hirschmann, the cabin air filters were replaced, all gauges work, etc. Everything rubber was replaced and the steering was rebuilt. I was a bachelor at the time and self employed so I spent all my free time and money on this car. To my knowledge the new owner has just a few mechanical bugs to resolve. 1) The heater is a dual zone heater with left and right controls, I goofed installing the right side valve and as a result the adjustment lever is more open or less, there is no closed, while the fix is fairly simple, getting to the heater core is bear of a job so I just lived with it. I removed the heater core, cleaned it, oiled the blower and replaced the seals on the valves and it can go in in 4 positions, I assume I was off by 90 degrees on the right side. Since this heater is near impossible to find, I did manage a spare used from a junk yard and I include it, the cores are the old brass and copper and can be repaired but the real issue is the blower motor and fan, I broke the original fan which is bakelite, I bought the spare to have a good fan and reassembled the junk yard one with the old fan which I repaired with epoxy, anyway, you have a spare motor and cores and frame with the car and the unit in the car has a perfect fan and the blower works very well. 2) The driver window is not firmly in the seat that mounts to the regulator, as a result it can slip out and get stuck, it generally stays and the fix is to remove it and reseat it in the base that is on the regulator with a rubber strip. 3) The windshield washer is operated by a foot pump, this part is very rare, the rubber bellows was cracked and I tried to repair it with weatherstrip adhesive, it worked for a while but has since failed. Fortunately I did source a bellows new old stock after a long search and it will be included, it just has to be installed. 4) The AC unit has an ON indicator light, the plastic shell around this light is broken, I had it held in with electrical tape, the plastic tube it clips into is there but the securing tabs broke, it is easy to fix, except the front frame of the Kuhlmeister is broken in half and while it is repaired, care must be taken when working on it. Kuhlmeister units while available, tend to sell in the $4K range if complete and working so this is a valuable and rare accessory and at 50 years old, it is in excellent shape all things considered. 5) The AC is presently filled with CFC 12 (Butane), after repairing the AC system I was reluctant to charge it with R12 given the expense and worry it could still leak though it held vacuum for 48 hours. This system as is will not lend itself to R134 (no electric fan and presently filled with the oil for R12 and the York compressor is not the best ever made, durable as heck but not as efficient as modern rotary type). Technically you are supposed to label the system as filled with CFC 12, I did not want to add any non factory labeling to the car, the one exception is a vintage NRA sticker in the back glass that I kept as it seems to date from the late 60's. Anyway, it has held CFC 12 for 7.5 years so we can trust it is leak free, I can remove it or you can choose to keep it, but don't let an AC shop evacuate it into there R12 containment. 6) The tires are 8 years old, the car is garage kept and they look practically new, but due to age they should be replaced. I found out after I bought the vintage Michellin Bias ply tube tires from Coker that mine was originally shipped with wide white walls as I got the factory sheet from Mercedes with the specs (factory spec sheet and classic center "Zertificate" is included. I would add those, I bought glue on white walls and include them, I never got a chance to put them on and I tried a white wall paint and it just turned brown. 7) There is a ground issue with the tail lights, the right light tends to be dim and the brake lights and back up lights can cause the left turn signal to illuminate dimly on the dash, I never had an issue passing TX state inspection though. On a cosmetic end it needs paint, as far as I can tell this is a second paint job shown, where the paint is chipped it appears to be 2 layers thick. The exterior shell is rust free save for a spot on the lower drivers door as shown and some surface rust where ever there are chips and I try to include photos of every chip and blemish. The bumpers have some minor dents, all bright work is present though most of the chrome has some level of rusting and the aluminum has oxidation (though it is much less than I see on most 80's Mercedes I encounter). The rusted floor pan I did myself, it is not the best job, you may choose to redo it, but I would just grind it and paint it, structurally it works, but I am not the best welder, especially upside down with sparks raining on me. The floor has no undercoating so what you see is what you get, nothing is being hidden or passed off and overall it is in excellent condition. I also had some pin hole repairs in the trunk and that was all done with metal (filled with welding) and the same in the driver side sill plate, to my knowledge there is no bondo or half as$ work on this car and save for a few door dings and small dents, it has a very good straight body and is absolutely complete. The headliner has some sun damage at the back, it could be replaced but it is also overall in good shape, no other tears or sags. The windshield has some deep pits but is usable and not cracked, chipped or delaminated. I am including a windshield gasket as I had planned to replace it and never got to it. Despite the minor flaws it is very complete it even has the coco fiber floor mats and an optional accessory tach (original Mercedes/VDO) which works and a period correct first aid kit mount, though the box is from a 70's car, I believe 60's was black, the jack works, spare is present and the tool kit even spare box of fuses is all there, a couple tools are mismatched and in black oxide which is period correct for Ponton's, the 60's tools were the bright finish. The keys are all original by the correct manufacturers and work, even the glove box lock (glove box and trunk are one key, doors another, ignition another and the other "key" is to pull up the antennae) I also have every book, all of my receipts and all of the old owners receipts, to my knowledge I am the 3rd owner, the 1st 2 were in Kentucky. The lore is that this car was originally bought by a BATF revenue agent to bust moonshiners as he hoped the tractor sound would throw them off. The original owners metal dealer tag and his receipts are included. On the mileage, I have put less than 1000 miles on this car since I bought it. It shows 80,322 miles, however it only goes up to 99,999, by the receipts I know it has rolled around at least once and I suspect it is 180,322 but I cannot verify that 100%. While the fluids are in good shape and I changed the oil last winter and all filters, it should be done again, it has an oil bath air filter and the injection pump also gets its own oil change. I suppose the question every one asks is why am I selling. This is simple, this car, as awesome as it is, has 55 hp, it redlines at 82mph, it takes 30 seconds to go from 0-60, that is not because something is wrong with it, those are the factory specs. It would be an awesome car for someone in a small town, for a collector, for a parade, but it is not a daily driver and it cannot climb a hill in anything past 2nd gear and barely capable of getting on a highway. I spent the last 4 years trying to build up an early 2.4L diesel into a turbo version but after 3 years at a machine shop the machinist gave up on the big job of trying to install oil squirters, my plan was to save the old engine for nostalgia and make it a daily driver with about 90hp in the new engine which was to be a hybrid of 240D and 300 Turbo Diesel parts. If you are interested in that, for the buy it now price I will gladly include the 240 motor, it is from a 74 and the oil filter is in the right place to not interfere with the steering. This would be a stripped block and head and the head has been stripped completely and ported and polished, it would have to be built up. In the end, the frustration of the lack of power and having 2 small kids led me to move on to a new project on a 300TD wagon and the wife says one has to go. I am happy to answer any questions or email any additional photos of areas on request, having been burned buying a car on eBay my goal is complete and fair disclosure. If you buy this car and are not familiar with vintage Mercedes diesels, the glow plugs are the slow glow series type, you pull a handle like pinball lever and inside when they are warmed up a coil behind what looks like a salt shaker top glows, then you pull further to engage the starter, once started you let go. It starts usually on the first try, no fuel or oil leaks, it is old school so there is an idle adjustment knob and it takes a while to warm up. Bottom line, the average guy off the street cannot figure out how to start it so expect the delivery company to need help, once you know how it works it is a simple system and I will include writted instructions for the delivery agent you choose.
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