Author Topic: A New Purchase - 1969 280SE Coupe (Read 5963 times)

PeterPortugal · « **on:** September 02, 2018, 06:37:05 »

Wallace,

This one should make you chuckle. How many greenbacks would I need to spend to make it look like yours??

It cost me 10k (in USD terms) which I am happy about. If it really is rotten then it's a very good parts car but my plan is to restore this beauty.

Regards

Peter

Taleb · « **Reply #1 on:** September 02, 2018, 08:19:59 »

I have wooden dashboard for this car used , let me know if you are interested..

Taleb

PeterPortugal · « **Reply #2 on:** September 02, 2018, 10:21:19 »

Thanks for the offer Taleb.

I have to actually see the car first to assess what needs replacing (it was an ebay purchase from afar....)

wwheeler · « **Reply #3 on:** September 02, 2018, 20:47:42 »

Lets just say you have your work cut out for you. What is your plan on this? At what point will you decide it is a restoration candidate or a parts car? If it appears to be restorable, will you do a resto-mod or a factory correct resto? Decisions, decisions......

Tyler S · « **Reply #4 on:** September 02, 2018, 23:31:51 »

Im thinking the fender lip moulding is hiding surprises.

wwheeler · « **Reply #5 on:** September 03, 2018, 04:08:43 »

I think of rust like an iceberg. You may see 10% of it, but it is the other 90% you can't see that is the problem.

PeterPortugal · « **Reply #6 on:** September 03, 2018, 07:19:26 »

You guys sure are filling me with confidence LOL....

I bought the car thinking I have the following options
1) Just preserve it, put a cover on and sell it as is in 20 years (better than money in the bank).
2) Break it for parts
3) Restore it completely doing as much work as possible myself. If you go for an absolute full WWheeler style concours restoration then this car is probably not that much worse as a starting point than a "driver" which costs 30k with everything useable but worn.

I think my option is going to be 3).....but could switch to 2) depending on what I find.

Then again....maybe Wallace has inspired me to another possibility....Option 4) a RATMOD with an AMG 5.5 V8 maybe....

However I proceed I am in no rush and nothing rots in Southern Portugal.

Onwards and upwards !

mercakungen · « **Reply #7 on:** September 03, 2018, 09:07:41 »

Hello Peter,

Are you aware that those bumpers are from sedan (W108)?

BR,
Matti

PeterPortugal · « **Reply #8 on:** September 03, 2018, 10:49:23 »

I thought they were from the later "flatcooler" version.

There is no haggling at 7.5k pounds so I don't think it would matter much !!

wwheeler · « **Reply #9 on:** September 03, 2018, 15:12:03 »

Quote from: mercakungen on September 03, 2018, 09:07:41

Are you aware that those bumpers are from sedan (W108)?

How can you tell the difference?

As long as you know what the possible upsides and downsides are going into it, you are fine. You know what you are doing. I feel sorry for the guys who buy something with rose colored glasses only to discover they bought a dud. Too good to be true sort of thing. Is this a low grille? Can' tell form the pics.

PeterPortugal · « **Reply #10 on:** September 03, 2018, 15:58:49 »

No it's definitely a high grille.

Having done a bit of googling I think Matti is right about the bumpers but I have a spare set of the correct ones anyway.

Chassis is W111.024.12.002267 and it was in Oklahoma until about 3 years ago if anybody knows of it?

I think the guy I bought it off had those rose coloured glasses on Wallace !!

Taleb · « **Reply #11 on:** September 04, 2018, 08:54:11 »

Restore and enjoy driving it now , don’t wait 20 years you might be dead by then .

cynewan · « **Reply #12 on:** September 04, 2018, 19:37:07 »

The bumpers on the car are definitely for the sedan, the rubber molding on the sedan's goes all the way to the ends of the bumper edges as pictured.
The ones for the w111 low grill, or the 3.5's , the rubber strip goes through the chrome towards the end of the bumper edges.
The correct bumper for the w111 high grill coupe would be the bumpers with no rubber strips. Also, the upper bumpers should have w111 engraved on the bottom

wwheeler · « **Reply #13 on:** September 04, 2018, 21:54:34 »

Ok. I see that now. The W111 rubber strip stops short of the bumper end, where as the sedan goes pretty much all the way to the end. I don't have the rubber strips, but interesting.

PeterPortugal · « **Reply #14 on:** September 05, 2018, 05:31:53 »

It's a pretty common site seeing non standard bumpers on these poor quality cars.

Coupe / Cab bumpers are probably 3 or 4 x the cost of the sedan version on ebay so sellers can make a bit of extra money by exchanging them first. They can also improve the appearance of the car if the new "incorrect" versions are in much better condition than the original ones.

I wasn't aware of the W111 engraving either....I think my 63 cabriolet could also be wearing the W108 version too !

wwheeler · « **Reply #15 on:** September 05, 2018, 15:51:10 »

The other difference I see now is that on the W108 rear bumper, the ends are more square. The W111 rear bumper ends are tapered up more to a point. Not sure if there is any difference on the front bumper.

cynewan · « **Reply #16 on:** September 05, 2018, 17:12:39 »

Wallace, there is a difference in the front bumper as well. If you look at this car's bumper, it has a space / divider between each half of the front bumper (where the front license plate should be) but the one for the w111 coupe doesnt have that space.
The inner part of the bumpers are also different, for the sedans and coupes

waltklatt · « **Reply #17 on:** September 05, 2018, 19:45:38 »

Peter,
It's nice to know that your new 280SE has the Sanden compressor and bracket already installed.
So the A/C should be up and running with little work.
Dash needs to be put back together for this though.
The big job looks to be the interior.
Think there is some rust poke through near the taillight upper parts (hard to see if the dark spots are dirt or holes).
Looks like a worthy candidate to restore yourself or pass onto another collector.

wwheeler · « **Reply #18 on:** September 05, 2018, 20:53:28 »

Quote from: 280slover on September 05, 2018, 17:12:39

Wallace, there is a difference in the front bumper as well. If you look at this car's bumper, it has a space / divider between each half of the front bumper (where the front license plate should be) but the one for the w111 coupe doesnt have that space.
The inner part of the bumpers are also different, for the sedans and coupes

Just learned something new today and now I can go home!

PeterPortugal · « **Reply #19 on:** September 06, 2018, 05:29:57 »

Hi Walt,

Thanks for some good news !...but what is the benefit of the Sanden compressor? My other W111 does not have AC (anymore) so I don't know much about it,

I have completely stripped the dash apart on my other W111. It had some sort of horrible looking aftermarket AC unit fitted which I wanted rid of. That then turned into doing the dreaded removal and overhaul of the heater box and control levers. It snowballed from there into refinishing the wood and going through all the wiring and instruments.

That is one of the reasons I wanted to buy a complete "project car" because it will need everything doing. I'd like to have a hobby which could become more of a very small business when I retire. If I could turn over one car/year and earn 20k from it I'd be happy with that. This car is part of my apprenticeship and potentially a keeper. I don't think there is any money to be made from restoring it.

Regards

Peter

PeterPortugal · « **Reply #20 on:** November 22, 2018, 19:40:48 »

Gents,

My 280se Coupe arrived in Portugal last week. I had a brief look and I have to say it looks really original. It was possibly laid up for a few decades.

I can't say it is 100% correct but if anybody wants any specific items photographed as a reference I will give it a shot.

I am away right now but back home on 15th December.

Regards

Peter

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Author Topic: A New Purchase - 1969 280SE Coupe (Read 5963 times)

cynewan

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