Sanden Air Conditioner

[Garry]

A '65 230SL I am looking at tomorrow and probably going to buy has a Sanden Airconditioer and I assume rotary compressor fitted.  Can someone tell me it this is a much later fit.

Also note in the photo the Becker Mexico with a cassette player.  Again I thought the Becker with a cassette was a 70's radio?

Garry

[66andBlue]

Garry,
the radio is indeed for a later car, it has the knobs for a 280SL. But if it works, leave it in and change out the knobs.

[Larry & Norma]

Yes it looks like this radio has a larger slot than standard so difficult to change back.

[ja17]

Actually the hole in the dash is the same size for this radio. It has the correct vintage look, and is a good alternative but not exactly original with the casette. This unit  first appear a year or two after the Pagoda and was quite popular in the W107 SLs. Changing back to a earlier version should be no problem at all. However, it looks original to all except the expert observer. I would not hesitate to use it except for concours shows.
 

[scoot]

Actually the hole in the dash is the same size for this radio.

Just for clarification, a 1965 230 SL should have an opening sized for a small-faced becker, which this radio is not.  In the middle of the 250SL lifecycle the hole was enlarged to the size of a normal-faced becker, such as this Mexico.  To put the "correct" radio back in, you would need to replace the panel that has been enlarged, which seems impractical or at least expensive, and with little benefit.  I wouldn't make the change, but I would certainly notice that the car had the wrong radio if I were at a car show...

[ja17]

Opps!  Yes, I missed that the radio was in a 230SL.  Just saw the "280SL" in Garry's signature.  Early style knobs will fit on this radio also.

[Garry]

I have not had a chance to remove and see what has happened with the hole size in the dash as the car is now sitting 100 miles away having an engine rebuild.  One of the things I noticed with it that is nott on my 280SL is that the dash has an overlapping join in it between the radio and the instruments.  I checked out thelews photos on his 250 and he has the join as well. maybe something that changed between the 250 and 280?

The question is, does that segment come out easily as this would then give great access to the instrument cluster and the heater slides one of which on mine has dropped the cable to the heater valve?

Garry

[George Des]

The panel on the 230SL for the radio has a pre-cut slot and is removable from the dash. A lot of people fit new radios to them and find they need to enlarge the radio slot. I did this many years ago amidst the CB radio rage. Putting the car back to its more original state, i was stuck with a dash section with a bigger than normal slot. The solution was to find a piece of new sheet steel and to cut, form and drill it using the original as a template. This was not hard to do.

[66andBlue]

...  The question is, does that segment come out easily as this would then give great access to the instrument cluster and the heater slides one of which on mine has dropped the cable to the heater valve?

Garry,
on my LHD 230SL it is indeed easier to get to the heater control discs and I would suspect that it is the same for your RHD.
Take a look at Figs. 83-2/4 and 83-2/6 in the 1959 BBB and you see how this works on a 230SL.
If you really want to install an early Becker (e.g. Becker TR) than you need not only the correct plate but also a bracket for the amplifier and a bracket on the back of the radio:
http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=9095.

This thread has some to the info and also the dimensions for a LHD radio dash plate:
http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=9134 reply #17.
The dash late is available for LHD cars: http://www.authenticclassics.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=radio+dash+plate
Perhaps he also has them for RHD cars??

If you go reply #10 you'll see a Stereo II in my 230SL which came with the same knobs that are on yours.  It wasn't difficult to change out the knobs so that they fit rest of the knobs - e.g. cigar lighter that appears to be missing in your car.

[Garry]

That is interesting, I will have to look more closely at it when I get it back next month.  The lighter is there with the small rings.  it was out for using a GPS.

Thanks for that info.  I have an earlier Becker here that has a really good face plate but needs reconditioning.