Got the 81 Mercedes home did a few checks and snapped some pics. Body wise I'm surprised at how solid the car actually is all the rust is just surface with only light pitting the under body is also solid, so body and paint is going to be straight forward. Front suspension, brakes and steering is where the main mechanical work is going to be plus I need to look at the drive shaft and rear end, there's a loud rubbing sound coming from underneath when the car is moving in reverse. The interior is in very good condition with the rear deck the exception, it was hacked up to fit some large speakers so I'll need to fix that and really give the interior a good scrub. Well on to a few pics. Like I said the rust isn't too bad. Another 5 cylinder turbo diesel. Drivers' seat needs some stitching in the pleats but there's no rips. The dash is in great shape. And the butchered rear deck. The factory spare which has never been on the car. It'll take me some time to get the car sorted out but I think it will make a nice daily driver.
Looks like a fun project! I really need to get back on mine this weekend. Good luck with everything and keep us posted.
Nice! I would imagine it should get fairly good fuel mileage, too. Maybe around 21 around town/ (Don't know how that translates to those 'Canadian' gallons - or are you guys pumping liters these days?)
Litres these days, if my 85 TD wagon is any indication it should run 9L- 100 km or roughly 29 imperial mpg + on the highway. Around town I only fill the 85 every 3 weeks or so which equates to 3/4 tank of diesel. It may be a snail off the line but I am liking the fuel economy.
I think I'll call the 300 SD "Johnny 4" since I seem to be disassembling it. Gutted the interior, the power seats were bloody heavy to lift out by myself. Rust is getting a bit excessive under the trim so I'll see if I can get new new front fenders before doing any cutting & welding on these. It took a fair amount of time to remove most of the false fire wall so I can clean and deal with some surface rust. Next is to remove the vacuum reservoirs so I can take care of the surface rust at the weld seams.
Are you going to put some Dynamat down on the interior floors? I'm actually very surprised Mercedes didn't use some of that stuff on these....
Mercedes did pretty good with their carpet and underlayment, but the diesels still need some, especially with the turbodiesel. So I agree on Dynamat or equivalent.
I may just to help they are pretty quiet inside already, Mercedes put in pretty thick sound deadener on the floors & trans tunnel plus there is a double sided foam covered false firewall just behind the engine that runs across the engine compartment.
I heard a rumor somewhere where they said these full-size 80s Benzes are killers on the demo derby circuit. I'll bet it's true, seeing how they were built......
I've been getting a bit further along as work and weather allow me, grinding out surface rust and treating the metal is also taking time. But it's time for some progress pics. I still have grind and treat the left side of the car but the right and rear are sealed and ready for block sanding. I should be able to work on the front end and left side in a few days, I decided to see if I can get a pair of good/new front fenders before I try to repair the originals.
Wound up welding the front fenders up, squared and blocked everything then painted the car. I spent most of the day cleaning and slowly installing trim. Pic time. First off the front fender work, the welding and filling are self explanatory.
Primed then paint. I used a high build urethane primer and acrylic urethane paint, I prefer using single stage paints for any work. And today once I started installing the trim As it sits now waiting for tomorrow.
Es ist ausgeseichnet! Excellent body work, and with the new paint, it is totally fresh and looks almost new.
