Total restoration question

[IXLR8]

Hi--

I'm picking up a 1965 230SL in June.  It has all the K&K panels welded in for the floor and quarter panels.

I plan to re-do all the rubber parts on the car--boots, hoses, sub frame mounts, motor mounts, flex disc, transmission mount, differential mount, etc.

I also plan to re-do the shocks and the total interior.

I have read that the paint job is the last thing that people do in a restoration, but it seems to that I should strip the car as much as possible of all interior trim, exterior trim, door handles, lights, etc. and get it painted first.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Also, the original color is Signal Red with Parchment interior, but I was thinking of changing it to BlueGray (162) or Horizon Blue (304) with Navy Blue leather interior.  The interior leather and new blue carpet set come with the car, not yet installed. Should I go Blue or stay with the red?


Thanks in advance for your help.

Joe

[Nate]

Joe,

Congratulations!  It sounds like you may be headed towards a full restoration.  If that's the case, I highly recommend you start off with a rust-free example that has not had rust repair.  You will end up spending far more than you think you will have invested at this point, and you and yours will sleep much better at night.  My $.02.

[bpossel]

Hi Joe,

Did you already purchase this one?

If the car is driveable, I recommend taking your time and driving her for awhile.  Do a lot more research and take your time.
I drove mine for over 4 years and gradually replaced pieces and parts over time and had fun driving her in between each repair job.

I then decided to do a repaint and totally strip the car.  As long as you are up to the challenge, totally removing all parts from the car will give you a better end result.  Putting the car back together again was not as easy as I had thought it would be.

If the original color is red w/parchment, I would recommend staying with this.  This color combo is very attractive on these cars.

With patience and the help of this group, you will have a good shot at it if you decide to go forward.
Good Luck,
Bob

[lurtch]

Hello Joe,

My car is a '66 230SL. My Pagoda epic is very similar to what Bob did with his.  I found mine on eBay in 2004. It was a deteriorated mess but there was NO RUST due to the fact it was an Austin, Texas car. After determining that the head was shot and then replacing it with a rebuilt one from Metric Motors, I have been able to drive and enjoy the car while simultaneously performing a "rolling restoration".  Now, in year five, it is getting closer to being a finished product. In the beginning, after living with a it a while, I decided I hated the Middelblau vinyl and the Parchment paint. It is now DB172 metallic anthracite with a maroon leather interior.

Good Luck with yours,

Larry in CA