No Neutral.

[Dirtrack49]

I have just acquired a 1966 230sl that has been in my family for nearly 42 years. My mother, in the past 15 years, only had the car driven when she felt it should get some sort of attention from the local Mercedes Benz mechanic. The last time this vehicle was in the shop, it received a new battery, new tires, tune up and new fluids. I am guessing this was approximately 3 to 4 years ago. The automobile has only 86k original miles.
A few days ago, I checked the vehicle out and found the battery was beyond recovery with a good deal of acid on the terminal.
I attempted to push the car out of its garage by placing the automatic transmission in neutral. The problem is, the vehicle is frozen in place. My first thinking is that possibly the parking rear drum brakes are not releasing. Or, the transmission is not going into neutral since the engine is not running. Or, worse case scenario, the engine is frozen, which I would think is highly unlikely.
Being a new member, I used the search on the forum and could not resolve my problem. What do you think would be the most logical way to go about finding out what is wrong?
Any and all help concerning my current dilemma is most welcomed.

Thanks,
Tom L
66 230sl

[Larry & Norma]

Should go into neutral without the engine running. Was it left with the handbrake on? I f so that is probably your problem

[Dirtrack49]

Yes, it was left in the garage with the handbrake on. Any tricks as to how to free it up on these vehicles? I suppose I could remove the rear wheels and drums? Or, maybe there is a way to release the brake drums from under the vehicle?
 
My big problem at this point in time, is to get the vehicle on a car carrier where I can bring it to my shop. Once that is accomplished, I can begin a routine of inspection before attempting to start the engine. I certainly will need to dump the fluids, especially the gas that has probably been in there for 3 or 4 years. I am sure I will run across many items that will need attention. Unfortunately, no matter how much pleading with my mother, I was never able to convince her of the necessity to take better care of this vehicle. It is truly a shame, since I am a collector of several makes and thrive on the hobby of car collecting.

Tom L
66 230sl

[twistedtree]

My cars were all frozen in place when I bought them.  A pull with a winch broke them all loose.  If that's not possible, you could try a breaker bar on one of the lug nuts to try rotating the wheel, but I was unable to get enough leverage.

[xcashewx]

same thing happened with my car during storage when the handbrake was left on.
the trick i used was have about 2 people, and push the car in the forward direction and then reverse. a few trys at this with some strong people should break it loose

[ja17]

Yes,

Just moving the car about one car length and rotating the wheels, may release the stuck brakes. If the tow hook under the car is still solid, you can gently pull the car with a tow strap and another vehicle. Make sure the shifter is  in nuetral . Just moving it ten feet or so should do the trick if it is going to be an  easy fix. Better yet, if you are able, start the car and see if it will move on its own.

[Dirtrack49]

Thanks all, good news, I got the parking brake to let loose by rocking the car back and forth.
Even better news, the vehicle only has 76k original documented miles on it! Not that I would ever consider selling it in my lifetime.
I believe I might be able to bring this car back with a minimal amount of restoration. I want to keep it as much factory original as possible.
I will be looking forward to using this forum in the near future and appreciate everyones input.
Thanks again,
Tom L