Given the 256 Kb upload limit and unsure how else to share my photos I have put them on Flickr for those interested.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slpagoda/sets/72157611936779359/show/The one photo uploaded is my first red 280 SL and my brothers restored 230 SL Great Ocean Rd Victoria
As a keen enthusiast of the Pagoda I have admired the camaraderie that my fellow enthusiasts have shared through the Pagoda SL group. Cautiously I share some of my experiences with fellow enthusiasts, given on some occasions the frowned upon views held by some with regard change from the factory specification
This is my third “Pagoda” My first car was a 1968 280SL Auto, followed by a 69 280 SL manual 4speed, and this I plan on being my last Pagoda a 250SL Auto - special.
There is always much argument as to which is more collectible, which has better handling or faster acceleration with the list of comparisons going on endlessly. I for one find some small variances in the different incarnations, however not significant to push me in one direction or another. Perhaps of all the differences I do like the thought of the 250 & 280 having rear disc brakes. However prefer most of the details associated with the 230’s, primarily the bright work.
Some time back Jeremy Clarkson “Top Gear” reviewed the W113 in series 3 episode 8
http://www.topgear.com/uk/tv-show/series-3/episode-8 with some fair comments; . In short he complained that the performance was lacking and all the engine did when you put your foot down was make more noise with little extra go. I had on several occasions taken my SL’s up to the 160Km before fear of a police person and their revenue gun brought me back to the speed limit. However I have always felt that the rattle from the mechanical injection and the general engine noise detracted from long distance cruising. To dull the drone of the air passing above the softop and the engine noise I often had the stereo up so much that a conversation required a seesawing of the volume control.
For a long time I have been a traditionalist; leave it as it came from the factory, other than perhaps installing a contemporary sound system. I dislike cutting holes or drastically changing the appearance of the car. However I have broken my own rules on this project and have yet to decide whether it was the right or wrong thing to do.
Before I get to the changes perhaps an insight as to why?. I recall the first Pagoda we bought. My brother and I live in Melbourne and he had eyed a 230SL from a deceased estate in Adelaide, approximately 900Km’s west of Melbourne. We made the initial call, The son in law was selling the old boy’s pride and joy. It was Thursday evening and we set off at the foolish time of 4pm, arriving in Adelaide after a refuel and a quick bite around 1am, only to discover that most of the local motels are all locked up at around 11pm. An hour later we found Norman at what looked like the Bates motel and crawled into bed.
The following day after a hearty breakfast along the shores of Glenelg we set off to find the old boy’s pride and joy. Well the son in law had applied a little poetic license in the description. The paint was all faded the interior was well past its prime and overall the car looked tired, although the engine and drive train all performed admirably. The problem was that we had been looking for a while and the drive over had put us in frame of mind where we were a little too keen.
So after a period of initial negotiating we said that we were off to Lunch and that we would consider our offer. I think we were $3000 apart. Its Friday Afternoon and in those days the banks closed at 3.30pm. So back we went explained how much the restoration was going to cost and finally agreed to split the difference. Now we had to madly dash off to the bank to with draw the good part of $30,000 ( for my American cousins, cars here are expensive) in cash, rush back and check the transfer papers were in order, there was still enough registration on the South Australian Plates, call Insurance companies and obtain a cover note. All done. Now how do we get it back to Melbourne, we had no idea where the local transport depot’s were or who actually transported cars, and the few places we called the secretary in her Friday afternoon enthusiasm said” ees gone for the day darl, you can catch im on Mundee”
Great here we are late afternoon on a Friday with a car. Not much left to do other than down to the local servo, check the fluid levels, tyre pressure, yeah the spare, its got a jack and hit the road.
As the clock nudged 2.30am Saturday morning I could see the lights of the Westgate bridge in the distance. We had made it! What surprised me was that we made it home without a single hiccup. The lights all worked, It ran like a treat, no overheating, no burning of oil, no mysterious clatters or grinding. From that day on I have always respected the marquee.
So now back to my project. In all the time that my brother and I have owned pagoda’s we have been keen to glean as much knowledge as possible, we were both Members of the local MB car club and SL register, having countless discussions about the SL’s in question. Albeit I loved my car I always found that after a long drive, I felt a little tired. Being aware of this I tried to deduce why. When I drive my every day VW Passat, I can get in and hop out a 1200km’s later feeling not too different to the beginning of my journey. What was the major difference? Noise, vibration and the seats
With my other SL’s I noted that the rev counter often ran around 3300 rpm at about 100km/h ( 60mph ) It always felt as though the engine wished to give more however the gearing said this is it. Where as with the late 80’s 300E the whole thing was quieter and managed the same speed at several hundred rpm less. A few years earlier I remember reading an article in Thoroughbred and Classic car April 1996 where a Mercedes 450V8 was shoe horned into a 113. However the battery had to be placed in the boot, there were modifications to the transmission tunnel and a quite a number of small details that needed to be attended to. Then I read about Mechatronics and how they could transform your old Pagoda with the runnings of a current MB, however from the photos that I saw the auto selector was no longer original and a number of other minor cosmetic changes had taken place. Furthermore it was not practical to send a car from Australia to Germany. Thus I decided upon the drive train from a 1989 300E SOHC ( the twin cams tend to have head gasket issues) I elected to purchase a whole car and take parts that I needed rather than just buy the drive train, It proved a wise decision with wiring harness engine management system all being needed. The primary choice of this model is that the engine management system is not integrated into the cars other functions and therefore easier to integrate into the Pagoda
My goal was to improve the experience with as little external visual change as possible. However I do concede that I have made the following changes
Drive train/ Engine bay
300E SOHC 3 litre with mated 4speed transmission
Vitreous coated the exhaust manifold in and out for improved gas flow and better heat dispersion
The front half of the exhaust to the cat is from the 300E the rear is from the SL
Installed the E class radiator with ac condenser
E class fuel pump
Replaced sprung bonnet stay with a gas strut
Altered the accelerator pedal for a hung style as opposed to the original floor mounted
Installed rubber door grommets for additional door wiring
Done away with the original seats in favour of C class seats. Adding the E class arm rest
About 50 kilograms ( 80lbs) of Acoustic matting bonded to the floor pan with a special bitumen sandwiched foam beneath the carpets.
(Perhaps a little over the top, you could now interrogate a Guantanamo inmate in the car in the heart of New York and no one would hear a thing)
Engineered retractable seatbelts into the cavity behind the door pillar,
Installed remote central locking that is hooked up to an alarm immobilizer, Saves fiddling with the keys
Increased the height of the rear parcel area to hold a concealed 12” sub woofer
Installed acoustic mating all the way up the fire wall, wheel arches, floor pan, door skins, to cut noise and vibration
Installed a new evaporator beneath the glove box, then retro fit an original Mark IV under dash ducting system. Not as nice as the American Frijking but little other choice for RHD
Courtesy lighting in the foot well with safety lights in the doors
Upgraded the headlight globes to H4 halogen and the brake lights to LED globes
Original tyres were a 185/75 R14. My preference is 205/65 R14 however due to the limited sizes in white walls have gone with 205/70 R14 . This is close to the original height whilst also applying more rubber to the road. Under heavy braking the nose dive results in the rear lifting and sprung axle altering the camber of tyre and road surface, hopefully wider tyres and a lighter front end will provide for more surface adhesion
For those wondering about the color well it’s a black with red pearl through it. For 80 percent of the time it looks black other than in bright sunshine or under halogen lighting. Im calling it “Molten Onyx” its very subtle definitely not “bling bling”
The interior is a combination of Leather and vinyl. I elected to do the door trims in vinyl for ease of cleaning based on the light color. The leather is an Austrian aeronautical grade with fire retardant and UV stabilizers called Snowcorn. A light creamy beige. As a keen beach goer I decided to go with a later model carpet as my experience with the loop carpet is that sand always remained at the base of the loop. The new carpet is foam backed so I’m hoping that sand will not penetrate below
Hopefully this presents as a smart clean looking drivers car. It is not likely to do well in a concours due to its lack of originality. However I have kept all the main parts removed, seats, drive train etc and as no surgery was done to the car, so technically the process could be reversed
This project is definitely not for the faint hearted and there were times that I wondered whether I had pushed things a little too much. Albeit I had allowed a generous restoration budget inclusive of the acquisition of the 300E, the overall project exceeded my budget. However it was my objective in not compromising in reaching my end goal. A classic with contemporary performance.
Other considerations which I may implement
Progressive or coil over springs, (Im not fond of the nose dive)
KMH odometer if I can find one
New Fuel cap
Additional wing mirror
A new chip for the engine management for increased horsepower
Add cruise control if I can work it into the interior
