Restoration object: '67 600 SWB

[Julian]

Hi

A few years ago, I came across a '67 600 SWB which needs to be restored.

Body is solid (superficial rust) All chrome is good including front / rear bumpers (no dings / rust flaking. Front seat leather is cracked. Wood needs to be restored around windshield + sides) I didn't have a chance to turn the engine over but no parts seem to be missing. Car is in a very original state. Owner now wants to sell it for US$35000. Car is in Europe.

Sadly, it's too expensive and too much for me to restore.

All I would ask is a 10% finders fee on purchase of the car.

If anyone is interested, PM me your email / home tel. no) for a few pics.

[Benz Dr.]

We've gone through three of them so I kind of know them well enough. Most parts are still available but are very expensive. This is like a separate car company; nothing precedes it and there was nothing built after the end of production in 1982 even remotely like it. 35K is a lot for a car that would likely need everything, and a 10% finders fee are both optimistic.  

[ja17]

I observed a 600 specialist from MB factory doing a PPI on a low mileage, good driving 600 one day. After several hours of inspection he exclaimed "This is a very good car, it only needs $25K to $30K of minor repairs." !! This says it all.

[JN]

Any pictures of it?

JN

[MikeSimon]

We did one of them some 15 years ago. never again. The suspension is a nightmare.

[ja17]

They are the only cars in the world which can develop oil leaks (hydraulic fluid), from the doors, seats, climate control, sunroof and trunk and much more.

[PeterPortugal]

I was looking at some 50's Caddies recently ...don't these also use hydraulics to power a lot of the "goodies" ??

[Jonny B]

I did not dig deeply, but was curious after the post. Cadillac, Packard, Buick, and I would suppose others used hydraulics for the windows, seats, top and other items. This was in the late 40s and into the 50s.

[Benz Dr.]

They do, except it's a very different system.  The Caddi uses a starter motor to run the hydraulic pump and the 600 uses a small belt-driven pump to charge up an accumulator. You can easily cycle a window up and down a dozen times or more without starting the engine; silently I might add.

[mdsalemi]

We did one of them some 15 years ago. never again. The suspension is a nightmare.

A former president of the MBCA, Murdoch "Doc" Campbell, used to own a 600. He joked that the car was so big because "you needed to have room to take your mechanic with you".

But I digress. The guys like Mike Simon and Dan Caron know that when the pneumatic and hydraulic components of these beasts (and some other larger MB sedans of the era) are working well, life is good. When they fail, it can often be a horrible and costly situation, which has me thinking...

1. The original Austin/Morris "Mini Cooper" (not the earliest 1959 versions which has just rubber buffers) had a simple hydraulic system called "hydrolastic suspension". That was carried over to larger vehicles such as the Austin 1200, Maxi, etc. However when the servicing tools became hard to come by (along with the skill set needed for service) others developed conventional suspension systems for these cars, using springs and tube shocks, etc.

2. The original MG-B (and other before it) used a very weird "lever shock" instead of a conventional tube shock we are all familiar with. When these became hard to find or costly or both, others developed tube shock upgrades.

So, I wonder if it would be possible to dispense with a costly and troublesome suspension system on these behemoths and install a conventional shock and spring arrangement? Surely more difficult things have been done in the automotive aftermarket...

[Vander]

I recently owned and sold a 600 and I don't think the air suspension was that bad to work on. I actually thoroughly enjoyed working on a 600, it was a lot of fun! We did all new air valves, air bags, had the main belt driven pump out for seals. Etc.

(Went through the hydraulic system and other components as well)

Sure the parts were expensive compared to let's say a Pagoda, but I went into it with that expectation. If you know what you are getting into before you start, and set realistic expectations it's not that bad.

I think eliminating the air suspension on the 600 would change the entire car, and be a horrible decision. Driving the 600 with new air suspension and new tires made it float down the road like a dream.

[PeterPortugal]

Good to see a bit of love for the 600 !!

When you think what they cost new, vs a Pagoda, they look like a bargain now !