quote:
Originally posted by aussie230sl
Sorry I missed out on Michael Salemi's item on eBay. These Aussie dollars just don't measure up! Still, it gives me something to keep searching for I guess...
Can anyone advise whether these were the same right through the 113 series? I'd hate to get the wrong one and really be guilty of molestation!
Neil Rote, Melbourne Australia
Unrestored '64
If you truly had a complete unmolested vehicle, you'd already have a battery hold down!!
But I digress...
Seriously Neil, sorry you lost out, mate, but be happy the part is ending up in Oz anyway--some Bruce in Western Australia bought it.
That being said, in order to answer the question as to whether or not it is the right one, you'd need to find someone with a reasonably complete early 230SL and see what they have...then you have to make sure that what
they have is original. Not an easy task. Most cars did not escape the work of many mechanics, and to boot, there were simply too many parts changes over the years. Battery hold downs live in a world of acid and don't last. In addition--and this is why yours might be missing--is the original batteries (including the new ones today from MB) are junk and don't last, I'm told. Therefore changing the battery was something that needed to be done periodically--certainly several times over 40 years. Add to that the facts that the battery is reasonably secure without a hold down; needs to be removed periodically for servicing other parts of the car, and the hold down if clamped too tight can exacerbate if not cause the battery to burst, and you have something that mechanics often left out--so they wouldn't have to remove it NEXT time they worked on the car!
What MB has done over the years, even while retaining "original" part numbers, is to change various parts. In some cases it is the design of the part (check valve for brake vacuum); some cases the color, type (brake fluid reservoir) or style (interior light), in others the finish (auto trans filler tube). I can't tell you what if anything they did to the battery hold down, but I've had
way too much experience replacing "original" (old; not necessarily the ones installed at the factory) parts with new and witnessing first hand the changes...in some cases they've replaced a part with another part that doesn't really fit or work (door pull). Don't forget there was also dual-sourcing for many parts (Conti/Firestone for tires; Teves/Girling for brakes, etc.) A bit maddening, but for the most part most parts we need to keep the cars running are still available--albeit some at excessive cost. With MB in the toilet now with profits, and the US dollar with it, expect some changes in dollar denominated parts prices--and these have nothing to do with the Classic Center and everything to do with economics.
What this DOES mean is that all our European friends (maybe Austrialians, too) will find travel here wonderfully inexpensive, and buying things here will be more attractive--particularly used parts and cars--as well!
Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored
