Star Shots! - Show us your Ride

Post by **69 280 SEL** » Wed 12 May, 2010 8:06 pm

Future plans are to restore the merc back to completly original. so far work done, new tyres, engine flush and new seals, wheel bearings replaced, fuel pump replaced, extreme cleanign and polishing.

Post by **IH8** » Sun 06 Jun, 2010 10:17 pm

I love that colour!

I went for another drive today.

Post by **11SLI** » Sat 12 Jun, 2010 1:41 pm

took mine out for a thurs night drive with a few mates :)

Post by **saa** » Mon 14 Jun, 2010 5:07 pm

great looking car 11SLI

Post by **CraigB** » Mon 14 Jun, 2010 5:40 pm

Yep, gorgeous! Do you mind if I ask the colour code? That colour is probably going to be the saviour of my sunroof car. Drives like a dream, only relatively minor rust repair but needs a full respray. So basically it is worth bugger all and by the time you paint it lucky to get that money back and so it has been hanging there as potential parts. But that colour to me looks so stunning that I figure to paint that colour would suit the interior colour and make a package that would guarantee me covering costs, and if not pretty easy on the eye to be sitting in the shed anyway.

Post by **drew56cus** » Tue 15 Jun, 2010 7:51 am

X3 on that colour 11SLI - looks great.

Post by **Rennen** » Tue 22 Jun, 2010 6:35 pm

Be nice to see some of you Brisbane guys at the next Cars & Coffee. Only two MB's at the last one - mine and AMG 6.3. Polar opposites :P

Post by **GNGSTA** » Fri 09 Jul, 2010 11:57 pm

Hi guys, I've been lerking here for a while and I thought I would like to show some pics of the W108 I had about 15 years ago.
it was a 280SE that I rescued from the jaws of a wrecker added a set of Americana's and asplash of paint and then drove it till the wheels came off.
It was a 1969 model with floor shift auto (reverse pattern) and power windows ex factory.

Lately I've been getting the urge to find another one of the long V8 type with all the fruit to have a play with and restore.

Enjoy the pics.......pre digital cameras.

Post by **basvdoorn** » Thu 12 Aug, 2010 12:05 am

I am From Holland
And for two years I drive a merc 280 se 2.8 from 71
And my steer is on the wrong side well over here of course :lol:

Love my car but some parts are difficult to find because its a right steer car.
Still looking for the first part of the exhaust and a right mirror.

Here some pics

Post by **IH8** » Thu 19 Aug, 2010 12:57 pm

Nice car. That colour is interesting!
How'd you end up with a RHD car, in a LHD country, with no drivers mirror?!

Post by **basvdoorn** » Thu 19 Aug, 2010 9:57 pm

IH8 wrote:Nice car. That colour is interesting!
How'd you end up with a RHD car, in a LHD country, with no drivers mirror?!

Hi IH8
Thanks the car is repainted in the original color ( i think)

Well nobody want to drive it.
So the car end op behind the store where i found it.
And it was a nice price for a new hobby two years back.
The mirror on the car is from a beetle or somthing i am looking for original.

Bas

Post by **benzfan** » Thu 19 Aug, 2010 10:28 pm

If you ever migrate Down Under, you must bring the car with you and then the steering wheel will be on the correct side and you'll have a beaut Mercedes as well 8)

Post by **vhhemi** » Sat 18 Sep, 2010 9:52 am

Here is my 67 250se. Its been my daily driver for 4-5 years.

Post by **AMG** » Sat 18 Sep, 2010 10:30 am

Nice colour.

Post by **vhhemi** » Sat 18 Sep, 2010 3:55 pm

Thanks Joe, I really like the orient red combined with white interior.

Post by **IH8** » Sat 18 Sep, 2010 6:02 pm

vhhemi wrote:Thanks Joe, I really like the orient red combined with white interior.

Hey mate. Is that all original paintwork? Same colour as my car, more or less! And isn't it just such a great colour! :love4:

Mine's had a re-spray and while the colour match is pretty close, I think my colour matching skills might have been better than the PO's!

Post by **Dweezil** » Sat 18 Sep, 2010 6:31 pm

VHHemi,

I'm not usually a fan of red or bundt wheels, but that 108 is stunning. More pics please! Did you buy it in such good condition or do some resto yourself?

Dweezil

Post by **Boyracer** » Sat 18 Sep, 2010 8:07 pm

I like it!

Post by **vhhemi** » Sun 19 Sep, 2010 11:42 am

Yeah Im not a fan of red cars either, yet I sometimes find myself sitting and staring at this car. Strange, I dont know why it suits the car so much.

Post by **vhhemi** » Sun 19 Sep, 2010 11:51 am

I was pretty happy to see another car like mine when I saw yours IH8. Only seen two others in our colour since I got it. It is the original orient red. Mixed by the book. I got the car about 6 years ago from a deceased estate. It was in good nick but had a bit of rust in the front guards, crows feet on the boot and the paint had darkened a lot over the years of being exposed to Mildura sun. It had also been sitting for 8 years so I have done quite a bit of work to it over the years. But it has been my daily driver for 4-5 years so I have been working on it gradually. Am looking forward to finding a place in the garage so that I can work on the few little things that need attention. I have got a W116 to use as a daily driver now, but I need to do the timing chain and get it going (could be a painful task!).

Post by **vhhemi** » Sun 19 Sep, 2010 11:55 am

Before the bundts... I still have the original rims and hub caps in the shed. It does seem to drive better with bundts on it though. Would like to see what the original rims and caps look like with white walls on them.

Post by **vhhemi** » Sun 19 Sep, 2010 12:01 pm

Before the paint job. It was quite presentable, shame about tiny rust holes in the bottom of the front guards and crows feet. Replaced window rubbers at the same time

Post by **vhhemi** » Sun 19 Sep, 2010 12:13 pm

My favourite picture of it. After a nice drive out in the country.

Post by **Rennen** » Tue 21 Sep, 2010 7:59 pm

I love it! Great colour combo and a powerful argument for bundts & whitewalls :)

Post by **MR300TD** » Tue 21 Sep, 2010 8:13 pm

That is a fine selection of cars!

Post by **Phil T** » Fri 22 Oct, 2010 5:58 pm

Hi everyone

Just became aware of this forum. Here is my 108 which I have owned for 15 years and made a few changes along the way. 350 Chev, turbo 350 trans, Ford 9" diff. Total ground up rebuild to new condition finished 5 years ago. I'll be happy to provide more info on the mods to anyone interested.

regards

Phil T

Post by **Phil T** » Wed 27 Oct, 2010 9:36 pm

Hi

I already submitted details of my 108 but it hasn't appeared yet. Is this being approved or do I resend?

Phil T

Post by **CraigB** » Wed 27 Oct, 2010 10:39 pm

Hi Phil

Sorry for the slow welcome. This one wasn't approved either but I think they are all done now. I would have to say there is a lower % of people on this forum into modded cars, but still people like Gwunta and others that are right into it. I can appreciate the workmanship in your car, but tend to be more of an 'original guy'. Very tasteful mod wise though with the wild stuff hidden under the bonnet. And you have those funny stainless deflectors on the door windows. I think I still have a set of them around somewhere but I rarely see them. I love period accessories like that.

But each to your own and happy to help with advice if I have it on what bit was on which model which might help. You might find the odd critic on here too, but I am of the belief that even if we have a small group sharing thoughts, then they should be fair game for the mod area and of course sometimes easier to get answers in the other bits. Also things you have worked out might be useful to those trying to keep as close to original. Anyway, sorry it took 3 days to get a response and welcome.

Post by **Phil T** » Wed 27 Oct, 2010 11:59 pm

Hi Craig

Thanks for the welcome. I'm open for chat with anyone about my car which has given me a great deal of pleasure and will for a long time into the future. Over the years, I've had plenty of conversation with loyal Merc lovers about my Chev conversion so I'm relatively immune to negative inputs. I'm a simple guy. Cars are made of metal. And some other minor stuff. They wear out. They rust away. They nearly all end up in the dump or metal recycler. Very few stay on the road for more than 40 years. At the end of the day, your average Morris Minor is worth more than your average 108 so it is pretty pointless getting too stressed about the purity of these things. I support anyone who loves their classic car enough to keep it on the road no matter what they do to it. My car is a sweet, reliable cruiser that I plan to hand over to my sons in my will in about 30 years time, if I can last that long. In the mean time, if anyone is interested in how I solved the clearance problems with the power steering/starter motor and steering linkages/oil pump, or how I made up the rear suspension, give me a yell. By the way, I took Gwunta for a ride in my car the other day and I'm in touch with him whenever he needs a hand with his car, which is looking very interesting. Might end up with twin trubos on mine one day, just for the fun of it.

regards

Phil T

Post by **drew56cus** » Thu 28 Oct, 2010 7:41 am

Hi Phil,
Your car looks great. There are a few of us on the finnie area that are doing V8 conversions at the moment - there are 4 in progress in Brisbane! 1 x MB 4.5, 1 x MB 5.0, 1 x Lexus, 1 x Mopar.
we would love to know more about how you tackled the steering and rear end. I was going to put a 302W in mine but shied away from touching the steering. The MB rear end has always been a source of frustration for me as you can't lower it without getting that weird looking camber happening.
Cheers, Drew

Post by **Phil T** » Thu 28 Oct, 2010 10:27 am

Hi Drew

The Ford would be a much easier swap because it has a front oil pmp and front sump like the Merc engine. You won't have clearance problems with the steering linkages like the Chev. I had to make a custom front sump with front oil pick up and find a compact oil pump to get clearance. As for the power steering box, a stock chev starter motor would not fit so I used a reduction starter motor which is commonly available and much more compact. The motor is almost central in the car, maybe 10mm to the left to get the required starter motor clearance. Don't know if the small starter is available for the 302W but it probably is. You could explore a 304 Holden V8 which has the starter on the left and good clearance around the steering box. May require some sump mods. There is a Finnie in Perth with a V8 which I think is Ford. Don't know much about it.

Phil T

Post by **Phil T** » Thu 28 Oct, 2010 12:19 pm

I forgot to mention the diff. It was a major engineering exercise to install the new 9" rear end. I did it mostly because I enjoy an engineering challenge and because I wanted to eliminate potential spares availability problems with the Merc diff. I also wanted to change the diff ratio to a more suitable ratio for the Chev and this is easy with the 9". Just buy a new gear set, pull out the axles, and drop out the diff centre. The diff housing and rear end stays where it is.

Quite apart from the wrong diff ratio, I was concerned that my standard 280s rear end would not handle the extra power and torque of the Chev. When I cut the Merc diff apart and pulled the axles, they are larger everywhere than the axles in my 9" and doubtless have better metal so I would guess that the stock Merc axles would easily handle the extra load. Don't know about all the other bits in the stock rear end.

I fabricated an entire new rear end subframe from RHS to support the new upper links which are Commodore and the new watts linkage which is Falcon, and the new sway bar which is Commodore. This took many many hours of measuring and checking, welding and finishing, not something to give to someone else to do if you are paying for it. It was also necessary to modify the rear guards to clear the tyre which now goes straight up and down, not swing over as before. I initially fitted a one piece tailshaft but couldn't get clearance under the rear floor area because the 9" diff centre goes up and down but the original diff centre did not. I have now installed a 2 piece tailshaft from a V8 Commodore adapted to the 9" at the rear and the turbo350 at the front. With the centre bearing bolted under the middle of the floor tunnel, I have good clearance now at full travel.

All the brakes and steering on my car are completely stock. People will challenge that the brakes should have been upgraded because of the extra power. My view is that the Merc brakes are already very excellent 4 wheel disc brakes, better than almost any car of the day and they were completely adequate to pull the car up from well over 100mph that the car could do in stock form. I am a simple guy. I just like driving my car like a normal car. I don't race it, I don't do gymkanas, I don't drag race it, I don't drive it at 100mph. Mostly the extra power goes to accelerating from 60 to 80 around the city. Or for sitting on 2900rpm at 110ks on the freeway. The brakes are completley adequate.

My recommendation is to fit a V8 Merc rear end and live with the swing wheels. Don't bother with the 6.3 rear end which doesn't fit easily and you won't need its strength with a 302w. The best would be a rear end from a 3.5 or 4.5 108.

Post by **dewolf1** » Fri 29 Oct, 2010 5:12 pm

Phil,

Bloody beautiful..... I'm a car guy and appreciate cars in any sort of condition, modified or otherwise. kick a$$ job mate

Scott

forgot to add, I'd love to put an XR6 Turbo motor in a 114 or 108

Post by **Phil T** » Fri 29 Oct, 2010 9:36 pm

Hi Scott

XR6 turbo would be fun. These things really go hard and can be made to go much harder with easy turbo boost and intercooler upgrades. I am surprised people don't consider the RB26 2.6 litre Nissan Skyline single or twin turbo motor. It would be an easy fit , is easy to get parts and can be built with unlimited horsepower. These are beautiful strong reliable engines, every bit as good as the standard of engineering in a Merc engine. Import engines from Japan with low miles are quite cheap and aftermarket bits are much more readily available than for Lexus v8.

Thanks for your feedback

Phil T

Post by **W108-1967 250S** » Sat 30 Oct, 2010 12:51 am

1967 250S found on internet in Adelaid. MB 158 "Weissgrau" with parchment MB Tex seats. Good history records and books, including man' cert', built in Stuttgart. Car was very original but needed cleanup. Was running and drivable before strip down. Restoration now underway. When I saw in the photos it still had the spare wheel hanger pin in the boot and still had the clip holding the speedo cable onto the handbrake cable pulley bracket, I knew the car was pretty unmolested! I'm busy with front sub assembly and engine bay re-build. Three Point Classic in Brisbane are doing the engine. Would love to have had a crack at the engine, but workspace is limited. The last thing I wanted was to have it lying around in 6 cardboard boxes.
Looking forward to the day when my German girlfriend and I can go out on a date!

Mercedes 044.JPG

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October2010 025.JPG

Post by **drew56cus** » Sun 31 Oct, 2010 9:35 pm

Very nice 250S!
But if that were my car, the white interior would be ruined in a week! How do you keep it so clean?
I can just imagine that "Beauty School Dropout" guy from the movie Grease in his white suit and white shoes with dazzling white teeth sitting in there, smiling away!

Post by **Marc** » Fri 31 Dec, 2010 1:18 pm

I posted some pictures earlier in one of the threads in the forum, but I thought this would be the best spot for everyone to take a look.

--- 280SE, 3.5, 1972 ---

sofia01.jpg

sofia02.jpg

img_0126.jpg

Red is my wife's favourite colour, so she was quickly sold on the interior; she named the car "Sofia"

Post by **mercalisciuos** » Fri 11 Feb, 2011 9:56 am

thank you all for posting your pictures.. this is my favorite of all mercs ... has beens for such a long time after seeing a sky blue driven by Nat young( surfer) cruise past me way back n the early 80's ... thanks love t

Post by **gwunta** » Sat 26 Mar, 2011 1:05 am

Howdy guys, Im having a quick break from uni work so I thought I would post up my two. Firstly, let me say that Phil's car is INCREDIBLE. Having gone for a ride in it I can vouch for its power and handling capabilities. It rides what I think is better than original, pulls up really well and has the right amount of power for a nice street cruiser. Phil, its an absoute credit to you mate and I love your philosophy on cars in general mate.

First car is the much maligned twin turbo chev powered W108 I bought here in Perth for $600. Yes, its different, yes Mermad hates it, yes its probably a ltitle over the top but I still love her dearly. A lot of engineering and fabrication has been involved with this car and she's still not on the road yet. Its been to a few car shows and never fails to raise eyebrows. It features a 6.3L W109 diff, modified VP Commodore steering rack, aftermarket power windows and central locking, a rebuilt 350 ZZ4 chev engine with steel crank, SRP dished pistons, hydraulic roller cam, roller rockers, Eagle rods and ported and polished heads. A TPI intake manifold coupled to a pair of T3 turbos, turbosmart FPS-800 fuel regulator, Bosch 044 fuel pump, 60lb siemens injectors, Nissan 300zx twin turbo intercooler, custom Aussie Desert Cooler ali radiator, Davies Craig remote mount water pump, twin 12 inch thermo fans, B&M Quicksilver shifter, Turbo 350 trans, 2200 RPM Stall convertor, custom gearbox crossmember and Magnaflow hotdog mufflers. Where possible I have used 3" stainless steel for the pipework and braided stainless hose and anodised ali hose ends for the hose work.

A stock sunroof was fabricated in and the interior features a 10" touch screen hooked up to a laptop computer located under the passenger side seat. The laptop interfaces with the ECU, providing me with live engine data on the touch screen. The laptop is also connected to the Alpine stereo so that I can watch videos and play music from either the slot loading DVD drive, the Alpine deck or from the 500Gig hard drive in the laptop. Connected to the deck is a set of 6" Vibe audio splits in the front doors, a set of 6x9" Vibe's in the parcel shelf, a 10" Old style Rockford Fosgate sub in the parcel shelf and for good measure, a set of Kenwood Stainless 12" subs in the boot and a set of 12" Vibe audio subs in the boot. Powering all that is a 5500W five channel Speaker City amplifier (for the Kenwood subs), a 3000W 2 channel Vibe audio monoblock amp for the Vibe subs and a 1000W four channel Vibe audio amp for the 6x9's and 6" splits. A 620 Cranking Amp battery sits in each of the wheel wells in custom fabricated brackets and boxes to ensure that I can start the thing if I decide to crank the stereo for a while.

Here's a link to a video I made of the build from start to just after these pictures were taken. She's come a little further since these pics. Anyway, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSdObqp8f7E

Second is a nice stock W109 with factory air conditioning, air bag suspension, parchment front seats, factory power windows and central locking and an injected 2.8. This one will be brought back to original condition over the next few years to keep the purists happy. Nah, its a fairly rare car so worth keeping original and I have built up quite a collection of W108 and W109 parts - they've taken over my games rooms as well as the garage now lol.

The idea is to use both as wedding cars. The twin turbo 108 pushing out around 600rwhp for the boys to ride in while the 109 is well suited to the girls with a little more room and a few more creature comforts.

Post by **danny6479** » Tue 29 Mar, 2011 10:37 pm

yeh, nice airbags!

Post by **Smiley** » Sun 01 May, 2011 10:04 pm

A few years ago someone offered to help with parts for an old '62 220SEl' I was toying with, subsequently I changed projects.
Yes their have been some tears , and there are times when it would be easier to throw money into the street. Nothing compares to staring out over dash through the three pointed star as you purr along the road.

1970 300SEL 6.3 litre, True Black, the mafia staff car.

Not much to say really, She is straight, 168000 miles, has a pretty good maintenance history.
She had been locked away for about 10/15 years in Manly and I was the only person who didn't want to scrap her, and so I am now her proud protector.

I would like to put chrome wheel arches and steel wheels with hubcaps, the chrome on black effect is something special.

Post by **Rennen** » Tue 03 May, 2011 9:18 pm

Smiley wrote:A few years ago someone offered to help with parts for an old '62 220SEl' I was toying with, subsequently I changed projects.
Yes their have been some tears , and there are times when it would be easier to throw money into the street. Nothing compares to staring out over dash through the three pointed star as you purr along the road.

1970 300SEL 6.3 litre, True Black, the mafia staff car.

Not much to say really, She is straight, 168000 miles, has a pretty good maintenance history.
She had been locked away for about 10/15 years in Manly and I was the only person who didn't want to scrap her, and so I am now her proud protector.

I would like to put chrome wheel arches and steel wheels with hubcaps, the chrome on black effect is something special.

How about I do you a favour and swap the horrible wheels you have for a set of original steel rims??

Post by **Dweezil** » Tue 03 May, 2011 10:22 pm

Smiley wrote: Not much to say really, She is straight, 168000 miles, has a pretty good maintenance history.
She had been locked away for about 10/15 years in Manly and I was the only person who didn't want to scrap her, and so I am now her proud protector.

You'll obviously be bringing this magnificent beast to the Sydney get-together, wherever and whenever that may be? :drool:

Dweezil

Post by **Smiley** » Sat 07 May, 2011 10:27 pm

Rennen wrote:How about I do you a favour and swap the horrible wheels you have for a set of original steel rims??

Evening Rennen,
Whilst Samford is some ways away, I'd certainly entertain the idea of swapping a set of wheels. Appreciate the offer.

Smiley

Post by **Greg in Oz** » Sat 07 May, 2011 11:33 pm

Smiley wrote:
Rennen wrote:How about I do you a favour and swap the horrible wheels you have for a set of original steel rims??
Evening Rennen,
Whilst Samford is some ways away, I'd certainly entertain the idea of swapping a set of wheels. Appreciate the offer.

Smiley

Without wishing to put a damper on you guys wanting to swap wheels, just be aware that the steel wheels for the V8 powered W108 and W109 were wider than those for the 6 cylinder models and had vanes on the inside to assist cooling the brakes.

Post by **Smiley** » Sun 08 May, 2011 7:38 am

Smiley[/quote]
Without wishing to put a damper on you guys wanting to swap wheels, just be aware that the steel wheels for the V8 powered W108 and W109 were wider than those for the 6 cylinder models and had vanes on the inside to assist cooling the brakes.[/quote]

Thanks Greg, won't be rushing into anything just yet.

Whilst I have owned this old girl for the past 8/9 years and have read and read and read, I am still very much a novice and appreciate all comments.

I have watched this site for a long time and enjoyed the technical stuff you blokes put out there for eacch other which is why I finally pulled my finger out and registered. Every days a learning day.
Regards

Post by **AMG** » Sun 08 May, 2011 9:05 am

Greg in Oz wrote:
Smiley wrote:
Rennen wrote:How about I do you a favour and swap the horrible wheels you have for a set of original steel rims??
Evening Rennen,
Whilst Samford is some ways away, I'd certainly entertain the idea of swapping a set of wheels. Appreciate the offer.

Smiley
Without wishing to put a damper on you guys wanting to swap wheels, just be aware that the steel wheels for the V8 powered W108 and W109 were wider than those for the 6 cylinder models and had vanes on the inside to assist cooling the brakes.

Yes, BRAKES. those 108/9 brakes need all the cooling they can get.

Post by **Bates280s** » Tue 10 May, 2011 8:06 pm

My '71 280s - I think it is Dark Tobacco in colour.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1117565160 ... directlink

Tidying it up bit by bit =D

Post by **Marc** » Wed 11 May, 2011 11:19 am

Lovely car, Chris! Beautiful colour. Thanks for posting.

Post by **Marc** » Wed 11 May, 2011 11:22 am

Here are two photos of Sofia dressed up as a wedding car outside St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. The dress up was done because my brother in law got married :boohoo:

IMG_5373.JPG

IMG_5374.JPG