Star Shots! - Show us your Ride

Post by **351w114** » Sun 11 Jan, 2015 3:56 pm

At the risk of upsetting some members here , I Certainly am.
Spoke to an engineer and got the go ahead. Probably start mid year. Just researching rack and pinion alternatives as the factory steering will not accomodate the engine.

Post by **mason_luke** » Sun 11 Jan, 2015 6:38 pm

351w114 wrote:At the risk of upsetting some members here , I Certainly am.
Spoke to an engineer and got the go ahead. Probably start mid year. Just researching rack and pinion alternatives as the factory steering will not accomodate the engine.

Much excitement from this end! my next coupe will more than likely be a 250 with the twin carb engine, would love a 302/51 mated to a manual in the next one! the w114s are such a good classic base to put some power behind imo!

Post by **Jayman_7908** » Mon 19 Jan, 2015 10:26 pm

Hope this works, bill gates I am not....father/son project, 1972 merc 250, first MB, I like it! Body is good, bit of passenger side rear quarter cancer, but very minor, dash has a few cracks, seats all good, that's about all I know so far, had it for 1 day!!engine has "noise" in the top, bad knocking, timing chain seems a tad loose, I'm not an engine guy so I will learn as I go, idles ok (apart from the noise) hope to learn some stuff here from you guys, who by the way have some awesome cars.!!

Post by **CraigB** » Mon 19 Jan, 2015 11:55 pm

Welcome. So have you had it running with rocker cover off and seen chain flapping? If you are checking with car stopped, the tensioner operates with oil pressure from engine running (I think!)

My top tip to check though is the valve clearances. The adjusters are an interference fit - no lock nut, just tight. But over time they can get loose and work themselves wide. If you did find one very wide, what you want to do is pop the rocker out, put a socket bit over the adjusting ball and check the tension. I can't remember the spec but will soon know if this is the problem. New ones aren't cheap but if you can find another motor/head to raid you can just try some and easy to check. This is all speaking from experience. My 280sl I was driving on the open road and as slowing down for a town heard this terrible noise and pulled up. I was convinced from the noise that the cam chain tensioner was gone. Towed it home, rocker cover off and couldn't see the problem so i started with cover off and could see straight away what it was. I then popped off all the rockers and found 3 under spec - replaced with spares i had and never had a problem since. Hope this is all it is - easy fix but not something i was looking for. And best practise you should use a special 17mm spanner or good quality crows foot, but for years i did get away with a good quality spanner. Good luck and feel free to paste this into a new thread under w114.

Post by **Jayman_7908** » Tue 20 Jan, 2015 7:28 am

Thanks very much for the info there Craig, I wil try and check that on the weekend, hope it isn't anything to major, but the car was very cheap so I shouldn't complain! Will let you know how I go. Hanks again.

Post by **pva68** » Wed 18 Mar, 2015 10:50 pm

Here is my '73 280CE. had her a few weeks. Had some cancer cut from rear section behind doors. New seals in window and doors. Need a replacement air con switch and then get the air cold and then....

Post by **New123** » Sun 17 May, 2015 6:48 pm

I've had Calvin for over 2 years now and realized that, even though his story is being told in the "Project Calvin" thread, I've never put any pics here. Got out and about today and took some new pics. The project continues, but he's starting to look pretty good. Enjoy!

Post by **Giles** » Sun 17 May, 2015 9:17 pm

Looking great Toby, looked like a great day for a drive and to take some photos.

How are the brakes?

Giles

Post by **cuisses** » Sun 17 May, 2015 10:24 pm

Great colour combo, and looks good with a white wheel.

I like the bullet hole in the left rear panel. Robbing banks is risky, but you have to support your Mercedes habit somehow I suppose.

Post by **New123** » Sun 17 May, 2015 11:11 pm

Giles - The brakes are ok, but not great. I figured they just needed a bit of exercise to really get seated in, but I wasn't totally satisfied with the bleed session. I think we've recently discovered the problem though, eh? :Doh:

Cuisses - Hey, that does look like a bullet hole

, but alas, it's just a rusty spot. Looks like someone sanded it down to the metal and never finished the job. Just one of many "spots" that I will be taking care of soon. :whistle:

I do like the colour combo also! :dance:

Post by **New123** » Wed 20 May, 2015 4:44 pm

OK, rear brake calipers now on the correct sides, and bled again. MUCH better! Nice firm pedal and good stopping power.
Gee, the little things really DO matter! :dance:

Post by **T-Modell** » Wed 20 May, 2015 8:08 pm

Looks great Toby, I like the colour combination! One question, just out of curiosity: was the single exhaust standard with the 250CE? I thought they had the double exhaust as well?

Regards
Thomas

Post by **New123** » Wed 20 May, 2015 8:27 pm

T-Modell wrote:Looks great Toby, I like the colour combination! One question, just out of curiosity: was the single exhaust standard with the 250CE? I thought they had the double exhaust as well?

Regards
Thomas

I've wondered about that myself. I've seen them with both types and I'm not sure which is correct. Was the dual exhaust an option, maybe?

Post by **Giles** » Wed 20 May, 2015 8:43 pm

I'm not 100% on this but I think that the twin system was only for LHD cars.

If anyone has any photos of a RHD twin system I'd like to see them.

Giles

Post by **cal_280** » Mon 28 Sep, 2015 8:53 pm

Hey guys,

Long time reader, first time poster.

These are mine and my dad's benzes!

The 108's are the old boys and mine is the 114. He has numerous 108's lying about....and other benzes........ - over 30 on the last count!

The 114 is a '73 280E, the 108's are a 280SE 3.5 (it has a 4.5 in it) and a 280S - all original & pretty much a concourse car.

We bought the 114 for my first car nearly 15 years ago and I thrashed it about for a few years and then it sat around for a while until I decided to fix it back up for my wedding.

The paint is a rover colour - 'Nightfire red', it's been lowered (if you didn't notice!!) and I've got a few sets of rims for it. It's got the original motor with extractors and a custom exhaust, Cold air intake and thats about it. It's got a factory roof too :)

Most of the credit goes to my old man who is pretty good with the spray gun and good at sourcing parts when we need them.

Post by **JordanByrne** » Mon 25 Jan, 2016 4:06 pm

mason_luke wrote:heres my current coupe :)

Mate where did you get your roof basket! exactly what im looking for

Post by **AMG** » Mon 25 Jan, 2016 6:17 pm

So many nice examples of 114's especially the coupes! Loving them all :love4:
Thanks guys for posting pics of your beautiful compacts!

Post by **LOW114** » Tue 13 Sep, 2016 11:14 pm

Recently purchased this W114 280E. Very clean example

MB Spares have had a good look over it so just need to tidy up some small issues. 1 major one is suspension but the boys at MB will soon adjust the height back up. Nice summer cruiser

Cheers Jon

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Post by **AMG** » Thu 15 Sep, 2016 9:03 am

That is a lovely looking compact. :occasion5:

Post by **pastelgrey300D** » Thu 15 Sep, 2016 11:25 am

^ +1 - the whitewalls and venetian are really nice touches! I wish someone made rear Venetians for Finnies!!!

Post by **Lance** » Thu 15 Sep, 2016 11:36 am

People with taste know that W114s are the best looking Mercs.

Post by **New123** » Thu 15 Sep, 2016 12:49 pm

Welcome! Nice looking 114!

It is quite refreshing to hear someone who wants to correct the past suspension modifications.

All too often, the first post from a new owner of a classic MB is "What's the best way to lower it? Should I cut the springs or install air bags?"

Post by **T-Modell** » Thu 15 Sep, 2016 4:24 pm

Great car, congrats! Looks like horizon blue (304)? Then I have the matching twin ...

Thomas

Post by **LOW114** » Thu 15 Sep, 2016 7:54 pm

New123 wrote:Welcome! Nice looking 114!

It is quite refreshing to hear someone who wants to correct the past suspension modifications.

All too often, the first post from a new owner of a classic MB is "What's the best way to lower it? Should I cut the springs or install air bags?"

Thank you. I definitely want it to sit a little lower then stock standard however as it is its way too low. I want to enjoy the smoothness they deliver on the road!

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Post by **LOW114** » Thu 15 Sep, 2016 7:55 pm

T-Modell wrote:Great car, congrats! Looks like horizon blue (304)? Then I have the matching twin ...
Thomas

Thanks. Yes it's Horizon Blue, just with the roof sprayed to give it a two tone look. The two tone is growing on me and definitely sets it apart.

Photos of your compact?

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Post by **T-Modell** » Thu 15 Sep, 2016 9:20 pm

LOW114 wrote:
T-Modell wrote:Great car, congrats! Looks like horizon blue (304)? Then I have the matching twin ...
Thomas
Thanks. Yes it's Horizon Blue, just with the roof sprayed to give it a two tone look. The two tone is growing on me and definitely sets it apart.

Photos of your compact?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have a look at my avatar

Post by **Giles** » Thu 15 Sep, 2016 10:43 pm

Very nice W114 Jon.

Giles

Post by **EllEsssGuy** » Tue 20 Dec, 2016 7:39 am

Hi Y'all,

Here is an initial shot of my new project. 1976 280 automatic. US model. The color is a bit unfortunate, but it makes up for it with absolutly no rust and a very nice bamboo interior. The car is wearing CLK wheels now, but no pics of that just yet.

Post by **cuisses** » Tue 20 Dec, 2016 12:00 pm

That car looks great. There is nothing wrong with the colour - it is a period colour and that was the fashion back then - a lot of brown and orange and dull green. Nobody complains that the Mona Lisa isn't wearing a baseball cap and a lot of bling.

On the other hand, those US bumpers take a lot of getting used to. They make it look like it had a Volvo for a father.

Post by **Knobby** » Thu 12 Apr, 2018 9:52 pm

My first visit to Ozbenz - what a great source of info!
Posting my 1970 250CE. In good running order with the original Webasto sunroof and power windows. Missing some parts but thats all part of the fun!

1FA575DF-9AFF-4651-B1A5-966AB2A4C766.jpeg

Post by **Ambo** » Sun 03 Mar, 2019 10:04 pm

There are some inspirational 114s here.

Post by **beerbaron** » Thu 02 May, 2019 6:17 am

Picked this up not long ago
my first merc
needs some work though ,so on the look out for rust repairs

Post by **Stephen250C** » Sun 27 Oct, 2019 10:22 am

Found this over the holiday break at the begiining of this year. Sorted the brakes out now and enjoying the ride.

Post by **balistc** » Fri 03 Jul, 2020 2:56 pm

Not too much activity on this forum, but I thought I'd chime in anyway!

My first foray into vintage Benz ownership, this 1970 Mercedes W114 250.. We were originally chasing an old Holden, but they're either junk or too expensive. So after having a few mates who own old Mercs (and really enjoy them), I started looking.

I looked at a couple, but as expected, they were absolute basket cases. I wanted a project that was usable, and I was lucky enough to find this one quite quickly after I started my search (3rd car I looked at).

What got me was the total lack of rust, and the fact that its a 6 cylinder.. I have looked extremely hard and other than some inconsequential surface rust on the boot floor under the rubber mat (which I've since had rubbed back and repainted), there is NONE I can find. Even the floor pans look absolutely brand new inside and out.

This car was repainted (closed door) many years ago by the looks of it and the body is really good.. to the point where I wouldn't really need to do anything to it unless I wanted it to be concourse. The interior is nice, apart from a couple of small bits that need replacing or refinishing. It also needs a temp gauge as the old capillary one doesn't work that well, a tailshaft flex joint and a wheel bearing.. other than that she's really nice and I plan on just doing a couple of bits and pieces as time goes by to keep it running and sympathetically restore some parts of it that are a bit tired (new rubbers throughout, for example).

Previous owner spent huge money fitting brand new Zenith carbs, fuel tank, booster and master cyl, tappet adjustment, service, etc. She runs beautifully, I think a little rich but we'll get to the bottom of that at some point.

I've polished it and added the whitewalls. I also have some period correct retro series number plates coming for it.

Cheers!

Here are some pics:

Post by **CraigB** » Fri 03 Jul, 2020 9:27 pm

Welcome. Car looks fantastic and a lucky find in that condition. I'm working on my first W114 at the moment and one place I would recommend to look is the sides of the plenum chamber. To have a proper look and feel you would need to pull wiper arms and the intake panel. If it has the original fasteners, they are plastic and have a plastic rod down the middle of them (a 'spreader'), that you can push out with a fine punch, then pick them up once you have pushed it through..... probably not well explained but will probably make sense if you look at it. And if i had one rust free in that area, i would still spray some tectyl / cavity wax in there. Also inside the rear of the front guards, there is a splash panel with 3 screws holding it. They collect mud and its a good maintenance thing to pull the panels and hose them out every now and then. Another good place to check for rust but great if you don't have it. But once again a good place to spray some preventative wax and also inside doors etc.

Post by **Nabstud** » Sat 04 Jul, 2020 1:01 am

That's a cracker! Did you get it from around Maylands? I drove past it twice in a couple days working in the area, it was parked on the street and looked like a super straight car.

Post by **balistc** » Sat 04 Jul, 2020 11:04 am

CraigB wrote: ↑Fri 03 Jul, 2020 9:27 pm Welcome. Car looks fantastic and a lucky find in that condition. I'm working on my first W114 at the moment and one place I would recommend to look is the sides of the plenum chamber. To have a proper look and feel you would need to pull wiper arms and the intake panel. If it has the original fasteners, they are plastic and have a plastic rod down the middle of them (a 'spreader'), that you can push out with a fine punch, then pick them up once you have pushed it through..... probably not well explained but will probably make sense if you look at it. And if i had one rust free in that area, i would still spray some tectyl / cavity wax in there. Also inside the rear of the front guards, there is a splash panel with 3 screws holding it. They collect mud and its a good maintenance thing to pull the panels and hose them out every now and then. Another good place to check for rust but great if you don't have it. But once again a good place to spray some preventative wax and also inside doors etc.

Thanks Craig.. The plan is to take that intake panel off anyway as I have a dodgy blower fan by the looks of it. It may have had a coating at some stage as I've found brownish residue (like fish oil) in certain places when I've been digging around underneath trim etc.

Nabstud wrote: ↑Sat 04 Jul, 2020 1:01 am That's a cracker! Did you get it from around Maylands? I drove past it twice in a couple days working in the area, it was parked on the street and looked like a super straight car.

The last owner only had it for 10 months before he was forced to sell (he was in Inglewood) and apparently he bought it off some older guy who lived in the North Perth area also.. So maybe it was parked in Maylands for a bit? Not sure.. But yes it's very straight! It's not perfect but it's a good solid base for a useable classic benz. I'm looking forward to doing a few bits and pieces to it and getting it absolutely spot on. It's why I got into a classic car to start with :)

Post by **Nabstud** » Sat 04 Jul, 2020 2:52 pm

Sweet. When ya get into it start a thread with lots of pics...

Post by **Clunky76** » Sun 05 Jul, 2020 9:20 pm

Dark blue 280E project - not exactly a star shot but the starting point for a rather large project.

Car has been off the road for over 30 years - my father in law's car, the one my wife grew up in. All rather sentimental. He had replaced the head gasket and got it going about 7-8 years ago. Fresh fuel, new filter and a cleaned up fuel pump and away it went. All fluids done since.

Paint is awful. Brakes mostly seized (now mostly rebuilt), no structural rust found (yet), engine runs pretty well. Needs new carpet, seats are okay, no cracks in dash.

Post by **beerbaron** » Tue 07 Jul, 2020 8:07 am

240d now

Post by **beerbaron** » Thu 09 Jul, 2020 7:04 pm

CraigB wrote: ↑Fri 03 Jul, 2020 9:27 pm one of the cars is owned by me :)

Post by **Clunky76** » Tue 08 Sep, 2020 9:34 pm

Update on the 280E.

Post by **AMG** » Tue 08 Sep, 2020 10:55 pm

looking a lot better!

Post by **beerbaron** » Sat 03 Oct, 2020 7:23 am

Post by **Nabstud** » Sat 03 Oct, 2020 3:41 pm

Looking good, not a very common colour!!! Any more details?

Post by **T-Modell** » Sat 03 Oct, 2020 5:20 pm

Looks great; I'm normally not a fan of white walls with the W114/115, but with the contrast to the red it looks great imho.
Thomas

Post by **Clunky76** » Sun 04 Oct, 2020 6:51 pm

AMG wrote: ↑Tue 08 Sep, 2020 10:55 pm looking a lot better!

Thanks, some progress but a long way to go. It's pretty rugged up close!

Post by **beerbaron** » Sat 23 Jan, 2021 7:12 am