Star Shots! - Show us your Ride

Post by **W114 Coupe** » Sun 17 Jun, 2012 2:16 pm

Hi Everyone,
I am a new member to the forum so I wanted to say hello. I have included a photo of my 1969 W114, 250C I bought it about three months ago for less than $4k and am thrilled with it. As you would expect for her age she has a few character marks here and there but seems to be pretty original which is how I plan to keep it.
This is my second MB, I used to have a W116, again a great car but the coupe is, in my opinion so much more exciting. There is nothing like driving with all windows down enjoying the pillarless styling of the car.

Thanks to the internet and this forum I have discovered that the dimmer control on the dash cluster is most likely the reason my dash lights don't work and that broken metal straps are why my doors will not stay open, so thank you to all who have assisted.

I am interested to know if anyone has any idea how you would set about trying to fix the vacuum system that operates the seat back locks which I believe are supposed to engage when the engine is running and doors are closed? I would love to get it fixed, as with no seat belts in the back it doesn't seem wise to have rear passengers. I am guessing that putting seat belts in the back is probably a much cheaper option but I fear it will take away from the cars authenticity. I have poured over the internet and looked through the parts manual for the car but can't find a diagram or solution. No doubt it will be a job for a professional but I would love to know. I look forward to any advice.

IMG_0611.JPG

Post by **SHAGGERS** » Mon 18 Jun, 2012 7:37 am

Nice original looking coupe enjoy.

Post by **Benz Hur** » Mon 18 Jun, 2012 12:28 pm

Very nice looking 250C! Pictures of the interior?

Post by **John Green** » Mon 18 Jun, 2012 12:45 pm

W114 Coupe wrote:Hi Everyone,
I am interested to know if anyone has any idea how you would set about trying to fix the vacuum system that operates the seat back locks which I believe are supposed to engage when the engine is running and doors are closed? I would love to get it fixed, as with no seat belts in the back it doesn't seem wise to have rear passengers. I am guessing that putting seat belts in the back is probably a much cheaper option but I fear it will take away from the cars authenticity. I have poured over the internet and looked through the parts manual for the car but can't find a diagram or solution. No doubt it will be a job for a professional but I would love to know. I look forward to any advice.

There will be threaded holes in the parcel shelve and under the seats for seatbelts. They just bolt straight in.

The vacuum seat locks are switched from the door light switch. The most common leak is from the diaphragm under the seats. Start a thread on the seat locks and I are sure we can talk you though it.

Post by **W114 Coupe** » Mon 18 Jun, 2012 1:17 pm

Hi John,
As requested, here is a few more photos :)

IMG_0148.jpg

IMG_0149.jpg

Post by **ansteadeh** » Mon 18 Jun, 2012 2:43 pm

Twins!! Looks like mine......

Post by **W114 Coupe** » Mon 18 Jun, 2012 9:15 pm

Hi ansteadeh,
Yours looks immaculate!! How long have you had yours? I note it is manual, Is it fun to drive?

Post by **ansteadeh** » Mon 18 Jun, 2012 9:35 pm

Had it about 3 yrs. Building a motor for it at the moment. PO cooked it and abandoned it. Have only driven it a very short distance before pulling out the motor.

Should be good when finished

Post by **Benz Hur** » Mon 18 Jun, 2012 9:57 pm

ansteadeh wrote:Twins!! Looks like mine......

Make that triplets! My '70 250CE is white as well, but with dark green/black interior. It's not going to remain white though...

ansteadeh - did you buy your car from a guy on the forum out Toowoomba way?

So jealous of the manual trans! But that's my first mission with this car.

Viva la 114 Coupes! :love4:

Post by **W114 Coupe** » Mon 18 Jun, 2012 11:35 pm

Hello my new amigos ( being that there are now three of us ) do either of you have the pneumatic seat locks in your cars? If so do they work well or am I fixated on something that even in the best working order isn't that great?

Post by **ansteadeh** » Tue 19 Jun, 2012 8:55 am

Sorry I cant answer the question re the vacuum in the seats as I hevent really had it running long enough to check

BenzHur - yep it is the Toowoomba car that was advertised on this list a few yrs ago.

Post by **Benz Hur** » Tue 19 Jun, 2012 2:47 pm

Re the vacuum seat locks mine work fine for the most part - sometimes get stuck when my 7 y.o nephew is in the back and when I stop the car he prematurely tries to push the seat forward before I've turned the engine off and opened his door! But I think that's more of a 7 y.o boy problem than a 40 y.o car problem. I think it's an ingenius mechanism, but that's Mercedes for you. Perhaps send Mercmad or John Green a private message asking about it, they will know how to daignose and likely fix the problem.

ansteadh - that was a good purchase! Manual 114's seem few and far between. How did you find the action of the shifter and the clutch when you had the car on the road? Are they a heavy clutch?

Post by **ansteadeh** » Tue 19 Jun, 2012 3:46 pm

Clutch is not heavy at all. It is exactly the same setup as my manual 240D. The gearboxes look identical in size and linkage fitment etc. MB must have bene on a good thing as there is 10 yrs difference between my 250CE and the 240D

Post by **Benz Hur** » Tue 19 Jun, 2012 8:38 pm

Thanks for the inside info ansteadeh, good to know!

Post by **Mercmad** » Wed 20 Jun, 2012 8:19 am

yes the linkage etc is the same , all very basic and simple and I have the dimensions somewhere to make bronze bushes for the rods to make the shift more accurate . The shift is a bit balky when you when you try to drive fast ,not smooth like more modern trannys. The big advantage is that they are indestructible .
The USA seems to have a lot and possibly south Africa. I know someone who has a new 5 speed ($$$) .

Post by **Giles** » Wed 11 Jul, 2012 7:08 pm

Giles wrote:My daughters W114 coupe from the panel shop. She loves this car, still misses the sedan though.

Now with a new front left hand guard,a backyard spit and polish, a white series 1 steering wheel, two new rear sway bar links and a car stereo fitted by yours truely.

IMGP0085.JPG

IMGP0089.JPG
Regards,

Giles

Car sold today, got an offer that was too good to refuse and my daughter is happy. Now she has a 21st century economical car with only 67K Kms with AC that works.

A guy asked me a fews ago would I be interested in selling the car, I said no at the time but my daughter has been concerned that the car will get damaged as she has no off street parking and works shift hours as well as Uni. The guy who bought it offered a good swap or cash, I took the swap and all parties are happy. Now I can get back to work on my coupe.

Sad to see it go but at it has gone to another good home and it's local.

Regards,

Giles

Post by **Benz Hur** » Wed 11 Jul, 2012 11:24 pm

What was the swap for?

Post by **Giles** » Thu 12 Jul, 2012 9:45 am

Benz Hur wrote:What was the swap for?

2002 one owner Nissan Pulsar sedan, one elderly gentleman owner and as mentioned low 67,000 Kms. Auto, air, power steering, central locking , four new tyres and no accident damage. Looks, drives and smells like new. My daughter is happy, I'm pleased as the car won't require the same attention as the coupe would have and less to concern ourselves with.

Cars with higher mileage were $7-8K and cars with similar mileage were $8k private and $10k yard. The seller manages a local stealership, so no doubt he picked up the Nissan for a song, but what was important that there wasn't a change over price nor transfer fees as he paid them.

Regards,

Giles

Post by **benznewbie** » Tue 01 Jan, 2013 6:03 am

I just got my 72 250C back from the shop after some expensive transmission works. She shifts very smoothly now. After that expense, I'd like to tackle a project I can do myself.
That said, I'd like to refinish the wood trim. From experience repairing German table radios I know Germans used a polyester based finish which was nearly indestructible. The underlying wood expands and contracts at a different rate than the finish eventually cracking it. They applied it thickly, almost a mm! Normal finish removers have no effect on it. Sanding is out of the question, as the veneer is extremely thin.
So the question is, how do I remove this old, stubborn, cracked finish?

Post by **swells64** » Wed 20 Feb, 2013 9:50 am

_99A0757.JPG

This is my 1975 W114 250 (M130 engine) with 100k on the clock! Originally purchased in the UK it was shipped to Australian 1980 with no rust. Interior is unmarked and perfect. I bought it in November and have had the carbies rebuilt, full service including gearbox, new engine mounts and drive shaft coupling. I also sourced some genuine Mercedes rear retractable seat belts from Germany. Everything is stock except for the modern `Becker' look-a-like stereo that has ipod connectivity and a dual cone rear speaker. This is a magic car that shames some modern vehicles in terms of braking and steering.

Post by **SBW108** » Thu 02 May, 2013 8:12 pm

here's a few pics of my recently acquired 280e

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php8l8ge4AM.jpg

phpdhzY30AM.jpg

Post by **John Green** » Fri 03 May, 2013 9:33 am

W114 Coupe wrote:Hello my new amigos ( being that there are now three of us ) do either of you have the pneumatic seat locks in your cars? If so do they work well or am I fixated on something that even in the best working order isn't that great?

Go here: viewforum.php?f=7

Click new Topic and call is "vacuum seat locks". The reason for this is that it makes it easier years after for someone else to follow the thread of the seat lock repairs. if we bury it in the "Show us your ride" section it is much harder to follow.

Post by **Increase** » Mon 26 Aug, 2013 3:15 pm

Here is my baby, W114 280 1973

Drivers Side.gif

Passenger Side.gif

Internal Front.gif

Internal Rear.gif

I have a few things to tidy up, I'm loving it..

Post by **zacks280** » Wed 11 Sep, 2013 11:38 pm

Hi, this is my W114 280CE that I've been working on for 3 years
:dance:

Post by **Giles** » Thu 12 Sep, 2013 8:30 am

Look in' good Zack. Can you post more photos please. I like the centre console, did you do it yourself or was it borrowed from something else?

Giles

Post by **scorchi0** » Thu 12 Sep, 2013 10:07 am

Giles wrote:Look in' good Zack. Can you post more photos please. I like the centre console, did you do it yourself or was it borrowed from something else?

Giles

Looks like its a non-A/C console Giles.

Trent.

Post by **zacks280** » Thu 12 Sep, 2013 11:18 am

Hi to all and thanks for your comments Giles
just a bit about the car,it is a fully factory optioned,built 4/73 last of the twin bumper version with sunroof,first purchased by a Darling Point lady 9/74
I bought it for my wife(she liked the looks) and it ended up as my project ,my brother (mechanic with 30ye exp) helped with some problems like front end ets
the car has all new parts fitted,bushes tyre rod ends,new MB shocks,K-Mac springs,new exaust,the A/C was converted and new compressor & pulley fitted,recoed the diff and power steering pump,it had minimal rust which was all done,new side windows & door seals, boot seal,hood lining,new orig sunroof panel and seal kit,new orig(got it from Germany)roof liner and visors,hence the mirror on drivers side,new carpet and underlay,
the seats,steering wheel,ashtray,centre console switch panel,arm rest are all leather,leather head rests with 9"monitors,touch screen cd/dvd,mp3/4, bluetooth,Alpine digital processor
total dolby sound,12V Inverter,PS3 in the boot as we have two kids and they love the car
the paint is Porsche olive pearl,18" rims,I have the orig bunt rims,the spare still has the orig tyre on it

Giles the console is original retrimmed but the armrest part is a 1984 corolla console retrimmed and refabricated to have a cup holder(necessity these days)
Trent what do you mean by A/C console??

Post by **AMG** » Thu 12 Sep, 2013 11:51 am

Nice Colour Zack, although I am not a fan of the lorinser style wheels. IMHO the car would look cooler with something a little more period-specific in that department.

Nonetheless it's looking good. Compact coupes are always nice to look at.

Post by **scorchi0** » Thu 12 Sep, 2013 12:04 pm

zacks280 wrote:Trent what do you mean by A/C console??

Ha, I didn't even notice the arm rest! I assume that's what Giles was referring to originally...

Anyway, The cars fitted with factory air conditioning had a different console style, around where the radio sits. A non A/C car has a flat console, whereas cars fitted with A/C have a console that sticks out further.

Non-A/C

Factory A/C

Post by **zacks280** » Thu 12 Sep, 2013 1:54 pm

http://imgur.com/a/anSU0
(for more images)
Here is some more pictures of the interior

Post by **zacks280** » Thu 12 Sep, 2013 2:15 pm

Thanks for the photos Trent,
I have posted some more pictures, all the switches on centre console are original and have not been moved,that is how they came,I thought that the A/C was fitted in Australia,but it was specified in built order with other options,there are A/C switch,hazard lights,speaker control,auto aerial,temp regulator for a/c,sunroof switch,there is also an optional rear window heater switch

Post by **New123** » Thu 12 Sep, 2013 8:32 pm

Zack, that's really nice! Thanks for the interior shots. One day I hope to have mine looking somewhere near that good! :occasion5:

Post by **Giles** » Thu 12 Sep, 2013 9:23 pm

I like the modernism of the interior without loosing it's class. Nice work, inspiring for my next project.

As far as the rims are concerned, if they work and keep the car tracking true, good on you for your choice.

Giles

Post by **zacks280** » Wed 18 Sep, 2013 3:42 pm

Hi to all again,by the way my name is Michael,Zack is my 1o year old
he calls it his hence the zacks280,
Trent, searching some mercedes records with my WIN I found that the car was ordered with full extras,where cloth inserts were more expensive then leather???!!!
even the sunroof switch is optional so are the 4 windows,auto aerial,speaker control,& rear window heater.sunroof,a/c
here are some prices from 1973 dealers catalogue
Automatic trnsm-$420 Power steering-$200 Electric w-$238,Sunroof-$240, Metallic Paint-$180,Bunt Rims-$430,Sunroof switch-$27,Rear Window heater-$65
MB-Tex/Cloth interior-$390,Headrests-$65!!Central Locking-$70,A/C-$175,Auto aerial-$23,Speaker switch-$129(mine has all of them fitted)
Bloody expensive for 1973!!!
My car was fitted with York compressor which was changed with conversion to new system so I am not sure where it was originally done here or Germany
The whole switch panel on the photos is original wrapped in leather,all the switches were not moved,they all work except speaker & rear heater controls

Post by **justbenz** » Fri 27 Sep, 2013 9:57 pm

Here's my 1973 280E.

I'm the third owner of this lovely vehicle. Bought 1.5 years ago for 2k. 185,000 documented kilometres.
Having fun and games at the moment with djet fuel injection trigger points...

Post by **Jake** » Sat 28 Sep, 2013 7:41 am

Great looking car justbenz, I love it in red :dance:

Post by **cuisses** » Sat 28 Sep, 2013 8:37 am

I'm the third owner of this lovely vehicle. Bought 1.5 years ago for 2k. 185,000 documented kilometres.
Having fun and games at the moment with djet fuel injection trigger points...

2k for that? You certainly were not robbed. Worth it for the paint-job alone.

What is the problem with the fuel injection points? Is it the dreaded "bounce", so you get an extra pulse to two of the cylinders?
In which case you have 2 options - buy a new set ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$), or bend them carefully.

Post by **ADHD** » Mon 25 Nov, 2013 2:28 pm

Here is my 1974 250 the day I bought it:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10614591 ... vtP28fr7ag

Post by **Giles** » Sun 19 Jan, 2014 8:09 pm

Here's where I'm at with the latest coupe, Indigo.

Have put some of the Rally Coupes bits on it as this one is taking priority at the moment. My fogs within the headlights were only 35 watts bulbs but the Hella 160's are 50 watt which brings me to ask. Does anyone know if there is a relay for the original fogs? If so it would be very simple to wire from the headlight assembly.

I've put the Rally Coupe reconditioned headlights in with the park lights rewired to where the fogs were.

Also put the Rally coupes grille and number plate surround on.

New plates coming soon, probably put on the UBR-114 plates on for the time being.

image.jpg

Giles

Post by **New123** » Sun 19 Jan, 2014 9:50 pm

Looking good! ... but Ginger must be feeling a bit betrayed..

Post by **Giles** » Sun 19 Jan, 2014 11:22 pm

New123 wrote:Looking good! ... but Ginger must be feeling a bit betrayed..

No doubt she'll be further refined and stripped down to the bare essentials. If there's one surety in life, it's a red head.

Giles

Post by **Jake** » Tue 04 Feb, 2014 7:55 pm

Since the insurance Co have written of my wifes damaged 190D , I have had to bring the 300D back into service, it's been stored in the shed for the last 5yrs or so. I really hope she doesn't like it too much :) I was hoping to be able to use it during my retirement from 2016.

Post by **Haydos** » Tue 04 Mar, 2014 1:29 pm

Here is my ride

Post by **SBW108** » Tue 04 Mar, 2014 6:15 pm

cool. i like it :occasion5:

Post by **Chalda** » Fri 30 May, 2014 4:59 am

Several years later, the red baron flies again.

Yours, Christian

Post by **Jake** » Fri 30 May, 2014 5:42 am

Great shot , interesting lighting with the low sun angle . It's always a joy to see another w114 saved.

What are the bits on the boot lid? Can you give us some detail of what you have done there . Thanks.

Post by **Jake** » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 1:56 pm

It's been quiet here lately , so here is a pic of my stuff as I was doing some shed space sorting out.

The blue and the yellow cars are mine

The red and the orange are my wifes

ok, so I have to change the date stamp on the camera .... better next time :)

Post by **mason_luke** » Thu 08 Jan, 2015 10:49 am

heres my current coupe :)

Post by **351w114** » Sun 11 Jan, 2015 12:32 am

Hi guys, my names Frank and thought i would share a photo of my w115 230.4 . I bought it at a stock car and had it lowered on some 20" wheels. Its a little rough around the edges but drives well and gets heaps of looks because of the wheels and stance.

Post by **mason_luke** » Sun 11 Jan, 2015 2:55 pm

351w114 wrote:Hi guys, my names Frank and thought i would share a photo of my w115 230.4 . I bought it at a stock car and had it lowered on some 20" wheels. Its a little rough around the edges but drives well and gets heaps of looks because of the wheels and stance.

Thats awesome frank, judging by your username am i right to assume you have, or plan to drop a 351 v8 into that bad boy? i would love to do this to a coupe :D