ever since i can remember, my grandmother had this 1967 230sl sitting in her garage, after 16 years of sitting idle with no starting, or anything else she decided that if i could get it running again that i could have the car.
after finding this out i did countless hours of research about these cars, and read every manual and repair book i could get my hands on, developing a sense for this car inside and out.
excited to get it running,the first thing i did was put in a new battery, and fresh gas, (not even draining god knows what was in the tank) and began cranking the motor, after 3 minutes or so of off and on cranking the car came to life, drove it home, and since then its been a very good car considering its age,
everything on this car is original from rubber seals to hoseclamps, all engine and trans #'s match , it had 97,000 original miles when i got it. but since everything was original, alot of stuff ending up showing signs that parts needed to be replaced. in the past 7 or so months ive owned this car i have done quite alot of matienince (IMO) but for a 43 year old car its not bad, ive replaced all fluids(powersteering, rear axle, tranny, engine, coolant and brakes),brake lines, friction pads, and had to rebuild the front calipers (seals were completly destroyed) and adjusting the parking brake and rear shoes. the flexible coupling on the sterring shaft also had to be replaced (frustrating job...), it needed new differenital mount, wheel bearings and shift lever bushings. in the engine ive replaced all hoses and clamps, checked valvle clearances, adjusted thottle linkages, and ignition timing, new plugs and wires, idle adjustment, i drained the transmission, and put in a new pan gasket and filter( there was no filter in the tranny to begin with?!?!) puzzled me at first.
now after all the work was done, ive been doing little cosmetic things on the car just to make it look a little nicer,such as new brake lenses, (the old ones were in very bad condition).
it runs very well, starts first try cold, and pretty well hot. transmissions shifts smooth and correctly, overall a great car that i have grown to appreciate and respect. now this car may not seem practical for your average 16 yearold teenager, but i love working on my car, its almost an escape when im stessed out or pissed off. i take very good care of my new car, making sure everything is perfect and working, i proudly do all the work myself which gives me a feeling that i actually own the car. i also drive this car like a grandma because im afraid of messing something up haha....i plan to keep this car until the day i can't get in it, but i would like to hear some helpful adivce from those old timers out there on how to properly care for and maintain these cars,
here are some pictures
an yes those are subs in the back.
