Author Topic: My 280SL (Read 13870 times)

Bearcat · « **on:** February 04, 2005, 05:06:43 »

This is my baby....as per the factory 1970. Interesting history...a UK car...a wreck in 1996..restored in Cyprus 1997....returned to Northern Ireland..I bought in Feb 2003..I have since resprayed it...all new elecs..goes like a dream
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280 SL RT Front
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280 SL Left Front
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280 SL Front
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280 SL Dash
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1970 280SL
2000 S500
1998 E300TD Est

Ben · « **Reply #1 on:** February 07, 2005, 06:44:13 »

.........now all you need to do is take it out and drive it !!

Regards,
Ben in Ireland.
'64 230SL 4sp.

hauser · « **Reply #2 on:** February 07, 2005, 20:32:31 »

Looks like the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car[:0]!
1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

joelj · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2005, 08:59:21 »

Nice car. I've got a white 280 sl as well.
Its nice to know that you restored it after its wreck. You the MAN!

Bearcat · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2005, 13:23:29 »

the car was restored when i bought it. It was bubbling on a door so i totally resprayed the car to have a uniform finish...think i've poured another 7k euro into the car. The 280 engine is bullet proof and i just keep the oil clean.

Cees Klumper · « **Reply #5 on:** February 16, 2005, 22:56:56 »

Just one remark - usually the rocker sills are painted flat black, not only to protect against stones etc but also this gives the car a much more 'slender' / lighter look. It seems that in the UK/Ireland, there are quite a few cars that have the sills in body color which, if it is a particularly light color such as yours, really makes the car look quite different.
Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

rwmastel · « **Reply #6 on:** February 16, 2005, 23:48:49 »

quote:
Originally posted by cees klumper

Just one remark - usually the rocker sills are painted flat black, not only to protect against stones etc but also this gives the car a much more 'slender' / lighter look.

Not to nit-pick, as my car is not nearly in as good as shape, but the battery guard is white as seen from the front. That should be black so when viewed from the front, everything behind the grille is black. I don't know how easy or difficult that would be. I've never even had my battery out, let alone tried to paint in that area!
Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both tops
1994 E420

Douglas · « **Reply #7 on:** February 17, 2005, 00:48:41 »

Easy to fix both the area behind the grill and the rocker panel covers. One afternoon with a paintbrush, a can of satin black paint and some masking tape and no one will be the wiser.
Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

Bearcat · « **Reply #8 on:** February 18, 2005, 18:19:50 »

well spotted...the battery panel was missed and annoys me. I will attend to that hopefully sooner than later. The rocker sills I am going to leave...
any thing else? the one thing i hated was a modern radio in the car...auto wagner in germany sorted that.

Douglas · « **Reply #9 on:** February 18, 2005, 22:34:58 »

Is that a chrome rear view mirror I see hanging from the windshield?
Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

Bearcat · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2005, 07:33:14 »

re the chrome mirror...yes is the answer...it is actually the original mirror that came with the car...many 113s today are ruined with retrofitted plastic mirrors that look gastly.

wildatheart · « **Reply #11 on:** March 27, 2005, 05:33:40 »

quote:
Originally posted by Bearcat

re the chrome mirror...yes is the answer...it is actually the original mirror that came with the car...many 113s today are ruined with retrofitted plastic mirrors that look gastly.

I pretty sure that the later SL's such as yours were fitted with plastic covered mirrors, though I am sure somebody here will be able to give a conclusive answer.
Jaap
1970 280SL
1971 BMW 2000 Touring
1965 Volvo 122S
1986 Ford Capri 280 Brooklands

Douglas · « **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2005, 07:36:06 »

Jaap is correct. Unlike the 230 SL, the 280 SL originally came with a plastic mirror.
Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

Bearcat · « **Reply #13 on:** March 27, 2005, 13:57:31 »

well done...i wonder where it came from and me all cosy in the thought it was the original! have to say the plastic mirrors look cheap and nasty, anyway about to purchase a new hood and seals to finish it off.

Douglas · « **Reply #14 on:** March 28, 2005, 07:52:17 »

Agreed. The old 230 SL chrome mirror is far nicer. This was just one of many ways that these cars were cheapened over time.
Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

wildatheart · « **Reply #15 on:** March 28, 2005, 12:19:05 »

quote:
Originally posted by Douglas

Agreed. The old 230 SL chrome mirror is far nicer. This was just one of many ways that these cars were cheapened over time.
Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

What other many ways of cheapening took place? I certainly prefer the fatter wheels and all round disc brakes of the later models.
Jaap
1970 280SL
1971 BMW 2000 Touring
1965 Volvo 122S
1986 Ford Capri 280 Brooklands

hands_aus · « **Reply #16 on:** March 29, 2005, 05:04:52 »

Jaap,
If you like the chrome of the 230SL but like the other later standard features then you should buy an early (before number 2980) 250SL.
They have all the chrome of the 230SL but have the larger fuel tank (82litres), 4 wheel disk brakes, the later/cheaper style injection pump thermostat, attached soft top handles, plastic covers for the front sub frame mounts, larger/thicker sway bar, six inch wide wheels. The list goes on but these are a few examples that attracted me to my early 250SL.
Bob Smith (Brisbane,Australia)
RHD,1967 early 250 SL, auto

TA250SL · « **Reply #17 on:** March 29, 2005, 23:21:03 »

Other early 250SL features include the hard door pockets in place of the elastic pouch, a passenger sun visor mirror, the horn pad with a chrome trim ring, interior chrome is polished rather than matte finish, the wiper arms and blades are polished chrome, the carpet is wool instead of synthetic, and the lack of bumper guards.
Tom
1967 250SL
Los Angeles

wildatheart · « **Reply #18 on:** March 30, 2005, 00:26:09 »

quote:
Originally posted by TA250SL

Other early 250SL features include the hard door pockets in place of the elastic pouch, a passenger sun visor mirror, the horn pad with a chrome trim ring, interior chrome is polished rather than matte finish, the wiper arms and blades are polished chrome, the carpet is wool instead of synthetic, and the lack of bumper guards.
Tom
1967 250SL
Los Angeles

...but these are all features on my late SL, too. So which SL's don't have these?
Jaap
1970 280SL
1971 BMW 2000 Touring
1965 Volvo 122S
1986 Ford Capri 280 Brooklands

Douglas · « **Reply #19 on:** March 30, 2005, 05:47:23 »

Tom has just listed some of the cosmetic differences in late-model US-spec 113s, although the late-model Euro-spec SLs should also have a matte silver finish on the wiper arms with "skeletal" blades in the same matte silver finish.
Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

TA250SL · « **Reply #20 on:** March 30, 2005, 20:54:07 »

I think the Euro Pagoda's escaped most of the US mandated changes we are discussing. I believe they began in August of 1967.
Tom
1967 250SL
Los Angeles

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Author Topic: My 280SL (Read 13870 times)

Bearcat

Ben

hauser

joelj

Bearcat

Douglas

Bearcat

Douglas

Bearcat

wildatheart

Douglas

Bearcat

Douglas

wildatheart

TA250SL

wildatheart

Douglas

TA250SL