Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => General Discussion => Topic started by: xcashewx on June 21, 2009, 02:27:52
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ever since i can remember, my grandmother had this 1967 230sl sitting in her garage, after 16 years of sitting idle with no starting, or anything else she decided that if i could get it running again that i could have the car.
after finding this out i did countless hours of research about these cars, and read every manual and repair book i could get my hands on, developing a sense for this car inside and out.
excited to get it running,the first thing i did was put in a new battery, and fresh gas, (not even draining god knows what was in the tank) and began cranking the motor, after 3 minutes or so of off and on cranking the car came to life, drove it home, and since then its been a very good car considering its age,
everything on this car is original from rubber seals to hoseclamps, all engine and trans #'s match , it had 97,000 original miles when i got it. but since everything was original, alot of stuff ending up showing signs that parts needed to be replaced. in the past 7 or so months ive owned this car i have done quite alot of matienince (IMO) but for a 43 year old car its not bad, ive replaced all fluids(powersteering, rear axle, tranny, engine, coolant and brakes),brake lines, friction pads, and had to rebuild the front calipers (seals were completly destroyed) and adjusting the parking brake and rear shoes. the flexible coupling on the sterring shaft also had to be replaced (frustrating job...), it needed new differenital mount, wheel bearings and shift lever bushings. in the engine ive replaced all hoses and clamps, checked valvle clearances, adjusted thottle linkages, and ignition timing, new plugs and wires, idle adjustment, i drained the transmission, and put in a new pan gasket and filter( there was no filter in the tranny to begin with?!?!) puzzled me at first.
now after all the work was done, ive been doing little cosmetic things on the car just to make it look a little nicer,such as new brake lenses, (the old ones were in very bad condition).
it runs very well, starts first try cold, and pretty well hot. transmissions shifts smooth and correctly, overall a great car that i have grown to appreciate and respect. now this car may not seem practical for your average 16 yearold teenager, but i love working on my car, its almost an escape when im stessed out or pissed off. i take very good care of my new car, making sure everything is perfect and working, i proudly do all the work myself which gives me a feeling that i actually own the car. i also drive this car like a grandma because im afraid of messing something up haha....i plan to keep this car until the day i can't get in it, but i would like to hear some helpful adivce from those old timers out there on how to properly care for and maintain these cars,
here are some pictures
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/EGOmaniac77/mitvchell002.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/EGOmaniac77/mitvchell003.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/EGOmaniac77/mitvchell004.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/EGOmaniac77/mitvchell005.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/EGOmaniac77/mitvchell006.jpg)
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h158/EGOmaniac77/mitvchell001.jpg)
an yes those are subs in the back.
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I wish I had one of those as a first car... you're a lucky guy! Now just read lots of history here on the Forum and in the Technical Manual (http://www.sl113.org/wiki/Main/HomePage) and you are well on your way to being an expert!
Think of it, in 2060, in 50 years time you'll be able to tell your grandchildren all about your 90 year old car, how you used old manuals and this 'internet thingy' we had then to maintain it. Shame though that gas has become so expensive that you can afford to run it anymore... and by the way, use of combustion engines is outlawed because of emissions!
Good luck ;)
Peter
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The car looks great, not sure about the camera. It looks like the front bumper may be pushed down on the sides a bit. Looks like your grandma really liked to listen to her music loud!
Be careful with the air control knobs. You have the original colored ones and they are hard to find as replacements. The new ones are black.
If all is well with the mechanicals on the car, you don't need to baby it. In fact, they really don't like it. I usually shift around 4K rpm or so and the car just gets smoother and sweeter the faster I go. Make sure your tires are newer. If the tires are your grandma's, change them, even if they look good. The rubber gets brittle and can burst. Go with 205/70-14 tires. I saw some Kumho's on www.tirerack.com , very well rated for $56 or so a tire. Blackwalls will look good on your light car.
I noticed your steering wheel cover. www.wheelskins.com makes a nicer one and I can give you the dimensions if you're interested. About $30 from some Ebay vendors.
Enjoy.
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Oh its the camera? I thought I was getting misty because of the story... :o
Have fun with the car and cherish the fact that Grandma had good taste.
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Congratulations on your car, great to see another one make it back on the road.
Just some thoughts:
- you may want to have the engine condition checked at some point (compression, leakdown etc tests)
- as you get accurate readings of fuel consumption, this will tell you a bit about engine tune and potential tuning problem areas common to these cars
- regular required maintenance is important, just as regular (not too ginger) exercise
- many more involved maintenance jobs, like rear axle seals and bearings, are actually not bad if you prepare yourself (all information on this site and in the usual-suspect-books) and allow for sufficient time.
I have found that, in contrast to my first car which was a Triumph Spitfire, once things are done properly they stay that way for many years and miles (on the Triumph, many things done properly would nonetheless break down quickly again). Aside from some initial teething problems when I first bought mine, the car has never let me down even on the longest of trips.
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Pretty lucky with the start up. My car sat for only 7 years with a full tank of gas. I had to replace the tank.
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I think this is for real ...
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Only Cashew knows for sure -- I guess. But where does the "scam" come in? -- he didn't say anything about selling did he? Only thing that puzzles me is: Cashew, you are dang talented for 16 -- with all the work you have performed on the car. Future MB Tech? Maybe Dan sees this as the set-up -- Grandma's car -- rarely driven -- recently serviced -- and just around the corner is "but now I must sell..." But Cashew, you would never want to sell this little gem would you? (how much?)...
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You've just been scammed guys..........
In what particular way would we have been scammed then, Dan?
He's been posting here for 6 months now, asking questions... a bit elaborate for a scam I would suggest.
Peter
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Because I speak "Caron" I can tell you that he means the story isn't true, but "we" have chosen to believe it...that is the scam...perhaps not the most appropriate or elegant choice of words, but hopefully most should have understood the gist of his comment. "We" took the bait, hook line and sinker, as the old saying goes.
That being said, I'm here to tell you this. There is absolutely no way on earth that a W113 can sit for 16 years and start up and run. I don't know about any other claims, but that one can't be true. It goes against the nature of what happens to gasoline in that time period; that I certainly will not believe. I saw what happened to my car after sitting for not quite as long. Sure, a little starting fluid and a spark will get you a short burst of running, but idle and running require reliable fuel storage (i.e. tank), delivery (i.e. lines), pumping (fuel pump) and injection (FI pump, lines and injectors). Gasoline sitting for so long compromises those necessary items. I don't believe it.
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I am going to try and start a 1960 190SL that has been dormant since 1988 tomorrow. I sure hope it goes as well!
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I missed the part where Cashew is supposed to be 16 years old...
Anyway, this is getting as interesting as the soap operas that our maid used to watch back home when I was a kid. Keep it up, fact or fiction, I'm intrigued now!
Andres
PS: Good luck with the Starting Michael! I'll keep my fingers crossed
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I missed the part where Cashew is supposed to be 16 years old...
He alluded to it via this statement:
... now this car may not seem practical for your average 16 yearold teenager, but i love working on my car, ...
Let the soap opera continue...
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I always thought it was a bit odd that his Grandma would have installed those subwoofers...
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I missed the part where Cashew is supposed to be 16 years old...
Anyway, this is getting as interesting as the soap operas that our maid used to watch back home when I was a kid. Keep it up, fact or fiction, I'm intrigued now!
Andres
PS: Good luck with the Starting Michael! I'll keep my fingers crossed
Hey hey! It started! The fuel was rotten (of course), but after a purge and running a new supply of fuel directly to the carbs it ran (quite well). Now to pull the tank and clean the carbs really well.
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...the operative word(s) being "run fuel directly to the carbs"...
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I wondered when someone would pick up on that.
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To all you non-believers. I can vouch for cashew's story of his first car, because being his father I watched, helped and learned
about his car and went through all the frustrations with him. The car did sit for sixteen years with a mere drop of gasoline in the
tank. Everything we could think of to check and recheck prior to starting was done and done throughly. I myself
could hardly believe it when it started, it was a thee kodak moment of the century. The look on his face was priceless.
So in short, even a sixteen year old can have his 15mins. of glory.
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I think this is for real ...
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How lucky you are!!!
I didn't notice that you bought new tires yet. I have to agree with John that is one of the first things to do. If they were Gramma's tires, I would do it today!!! Not only is it the safe thing to do, but if one blows apart like an old tire will do, it can really mess up the body as it flaps around the wheel while you are trying to stop.
Forrest
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To all you non-believers. I can vouch for cashew's story of his first car, because being his father I watched, helped and learned
about his car and went through all the frustrations with him.
And on behalf of the club... welcome to you both, and apologies on behalf of the non-believers...
Peter
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Long live PPP !! Preposterous Pagoda Persiflage. ..
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thanks for the advice,
i replaced all the tires because the car sounded like a chariot from all the flat spots, everythings been going good so far, ignition timing needed some attention and had to completely rewire the starter system, (someone in the past by-passed the starter interlock by hooking a wire straight from the starter to the ignition),
ive also had to strip down and clean the sludged up tach, get the radaitor rodded out (shop said it was 50% clogged)... also to my suprise the exhaust was barely hung on, one bolt on each header and only one support bracket on the futhest part of the exhaust,wow so had to get all that taken care of. and the last thing was the flex disc was destroyed, some crazy clunking noises engaging gears.
and i have one question why would you think this is a scam? yeah i was supprised as well when the car actually started, no idea how. but it did have a CO rating of 7.5% :o and also i AM 16 believe it or not hahaha
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Congrats and welcome to the site (6 months later...).
Nice ride you got there! Is it your daily driver? Not sure I could leave it in a high school parking lot and actually concentrate in class, lol.
As for the scam, don't worry about it. They're just jealous they didn't have a Pagoda at 16 for their first car. ;)
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I agree with Chan. Jealous. Now keep us up-to-date on your progress!
Peter