Sleeping Beauty

[ABikePeddler]

Well, it's been a heck of a 6 week process but after a 21 year hibernation I have awoken our 1965 230SL thanks solely to this sight (and my patient wife).  This is my first post and it really is more of a salute to all the great people on this sight who share their vast insight into these wonderful cars.  I could go on and on about just how important finding this forum was to this cars resurrection but suffice to say that without this incredible website, this car would have continued to sit.  That is not to say this car isn't incredibly meaningful to me but more speaks to the difficulty in this day and age to find qualified techs that can properly maintain and service a car such as this.  My ownership ties to this car began in 1967 when it transported me home from the hospital after my birth. At the time my father, oddly, insisted on buying a sports car while my mother was pregnant which, as you might imagine, did little to amuse her.  But the little car grew on her and she eventually took the reigns winding the odometer up to 181,000 miles before her untimely death in 1991.  After her passing the car sat in my fathers garage as my father couldn't bear to drive it and I, being all of 24 years old at the time, didn't have interest in the car.  Ouir Pagoda is a California girl as you can see and she's spent a great deal of her life near the beach here in Southern California which has not done the chrome any favors but the body and floorboards are A+.  But the fact that the last time this car was started Magic Johnson was still running the court and Wolf Blitzer was giving play by play on George Bush Sr's own full court press... well it speaks to the amazing quality of these cars.  So to get her started I knew that was going to take a methodical and detailed approach.  I expected the worse and was pleasantly surprised to find the half-full fuel tank was very clean!  As I worked forward I found the fuel pump gummed up with what can be best described as gelatinous old fuel so I researched everything needed to rebuild the pump. After installing all new fuel lines I realized the radiator was shot so I sent it to Gernold at SLTech (Maine) and he re-cored the cars original radiator. While the radiator was out I replaced nearly everything I could access.. water pump, thermostat, alternator belt and all filters.  Once car was all buttoned up (yesterday) the first attempted restart failed.  My biggest fear was that the Injector Pump was locked up with fuel varnish.  I finally dug into the IP today and thanks to some heavy duty De-carbonizer from a local West Marine dealer, I was able to free up the rack and all 6 IP pistons.  And at 7:07pm this evening after a few cranks, she fired right up posted full oil pressure and warmed up to dead center on the water temp gauge.  Sure the left headlight is DOA, the tires are nice and square and the brakes are probably nothing more then wet goo... but she started!  So thank you to everyone here for all the incredible database of information.  Although some of us just lurk in the shadows, all this information is hugely beneficial to the preservation of these great cars.

[Garry]

Thats a nice story and we look forward to hearing more from you as the car is prepped for its first ride after such a long sleep.

Keep the pictures coming and asking questions if help is needed.

Garry

[kampala]

Congrats!  A very nice read.  Sounds like you will have it rolling and stopping very soon ... enjoy. If by chance you have it fully driving prior to the end of this year and venture north ... please send me a Personal Message as I am about 100 miles north of you in the South Bay and would join you for a coast ride. 

Oz

[Flyair]

One more back to life Great story,
I hope that your nickname of bikepeddler will change soon - as you will become more a more addicted to the California girls, as you nicely put it. At least I hope that this nickname does nor represent the way you intend to move your Pagoda.

In case you wish to modify the car by installing pedals to become the first peddler-friendly green Pagoda, make sure you write about in Research&Development section

[w113dude]

That is a good story and a fantastic ending with the car starting. Now we have one more on the road.

Happy driving.

[Jonny B]

There are a number of us Pagoda-ites here in SoCal, hope we can meet in person some time.

[49er]

 Great story and continued success in "re awakening" your sleeping beauty. I went through a similar exercise a couple of years ago (http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=529.450) and was amazed how well the car came back to life. Since then it went back in the shop for some more work (new motor and sub frame mounts, viscous fan, shocks and some other minor stuff) Now, my wife and I have enjoyed many a "new" mile in our old friend. I will be looking forward to reading of your progress and seeing pictures of your car. Pretty cool that your first ride in a car was in this Pagoda:-)

John

[snowyt 69]

I own Sleeping Beauty's sister it would seem. Her name is Snow White. I didn't name her. The previous owner to me did, but when I found out her name, I liked it, so I kept it.
Snow White also came out of hibernation, but only a ten year sleep. That was two years ago. She looked remarkably similar on the day I bought her to the picture you have posted.
The only thing I would do differently than I did was not to be swayed by the apparent clarity of the fuel that drained out of my tank. It is not difficult to remove the tank, and it is not terribly expensive to have it cleaned. Not sure if you have done this already, which if you have, you are smarter than I was!
You are doing a proper job of waking up your car. Fluids. Hoses. Pressure hoses especially. Filters. Step by step and take your time.
Love the fact you came home from the hospital in this very car!
Trumps my casual, "Well actually I bought it at a yard sale," every day of the week.
Best of luck.

[KevinC]

Great story. Keep the pics coming. Brian Peters in your city does great work with 113's. If you dont know him already here's his site...

www.motoringinvestments.com
 

[ABikePeddler]

Thank you for the nice reception. I didn't expect such a nice response.  I feel like I know everyone on this board as I probably have read more then 300 threads and more then 4000 posts this past 6 weeks.  Everyone that chimed in on this post is someone I recognize as I have read so much of your previous contributions to this forum... I really appreciate each and every one of you for this information you share.   

Here are some pics from today when I pulled her out of the garage... She is quite arthritic with some very stiff wheel bearings and the brakes pretty much go to the floor. All of it is solvable... 

Surprisingly, she seems no worse for wear from an electrical standpoint.  All signals and interior lights work (unless I open the glovebox.. then the interior light fuse pops. I will pull the glovebox and under dash interior light to try and find the culprit. Will also send the clock out to Palo Alto Speedo to git' one dem new fangled Quartz movements installed.  This car has never had a working clock dating back to, well, the Nixon era. 

[ABikePeddler]

[/quote]

Great story. Keep the pics coming. Brian Peters in your city does great work with 113's. If you dont know him already here's his site...

www.motoringinvestments.com
 

I am aware of Brian Peters but have a friend who swears by a guy named Alain Gillot www.alaingillot.com who apparently works in the same building where Motoring Investments is located.  So I am a bit confused by the apparent relationship between the two businesses and have emailed both of them but have received no response.  That is not how I run my business but oddly, it does seem to go with the territory with Mercedes mechanics.  Having grown up with two vintage Mercedes in our household, we spent a good deal of time having them serviced (especially the 53' 300 Cabriolet) by a guy named Kurt in North Park (San Diego) and he was far more interested in working on the cars then answering the phone. That, in my opinion, is probably a good omen when searcing for a vintage Mercedes mechanic.



 

I hope that your nickname of bikepeddler will change soon - as you will become more a more addicted to the California girls, as you nicely put it. At least I hope that this nickname does nor represent the way you intend to move your Pagoda. In case you wish to modify the car by installing pedals to become the first peddler-friendly green Pagoda, make sure you write about in Research&Development section

Funny.  It would probably have been an easier project to install pedal-car pedals in the car then it was to actually work on that FI pump!  Username stays as bicycles are my employment and passion

Great story and continued success in "re awakening" your sleeping beauty. I went through a similar exercise a couple of years ago (http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=529.450) and was amazed how well the car came back to life. Since then it went back in the shop for some more work (new motor and sub frame mounts, viscous fan, shocks and some other minor stuff) Now, my wife and I have enjoyed many a "new" mile in our old friend. I will be looking forward to reading of your progress and seeing pictures of your car. Pretty cool that your first ride in a car was in this Pagoda:-)

John

John,

I had read your entire story of your car about a month ago while doing my research.  Such a neat story and I was really touched to see how there are a handful of owners on here that appear to be original or VERY long time owners.  That reminds me the painful story of how we came into our 230SL - Our cousin John Sloan had a 10 year old sports car he was trying to sell.  He was asking around $7000 for it at the time which my father thought was too expensive especially when he could buy a 2 year old used Mercedes 230SL for around $3800.  My dad went for the newer car.  Eventually John Sloan sold his "old" 300SL Roadster.  Sometimes I can barely stand the sight of my dad. 

I own Sleeping Beauty's sister it would seem. Her name is Snow White. The only thing I would do differently than I did was not to be swayed by the apparent clarity of the fuel that drained out of my tank. It is not difficult to remove the tank, and it is not terribly expensive to have it cleaned. Not sure if you have done this already, which if you have, you are smarter than I was! You are doing a proper job of waking up your car. Fluids. Hoses. Filters. Step by step and take your time.

Trumps my casual, "Well actually I bought it at a yard sale," every day of the week.
Best of luck.

That is fantastic you got your car at a YARD SALE!  That trumps just about, well, anything!  Fantastic.  And yes, I have been painfully slow and deliberate in the process of waking this car up.  Even with all the information on this sight, there is still the challenge of working though all the acronyms.  "The CSV might be affecting the FIP if the WRD isn't DOA".  English people! English!  But eventually I figured it out.  Still, I have to rant.  The 3 toughest bits of info to dig up from this site: 1) The size of the injector pump pistons (only 5mm in size), 2) The fact that if you make a home made tool to pull the check valves out of the injector pump the threaded end needs to be made from a 12mm x 1.0 thread pitch nut and 3) ANY INFO on the old NLA fuel tank level senders (you know the kind... with the big float).  Mine was frozen solid with varnished fuel and there seems to be no info on the site about diss-assembly, cleaning and repairing the old senders. I was able to gently open mine up and get it operational again. (For the record, the sender's electrical contacts are accessible by removing the cover plate via two small screws.  The contacts for the unit are under this plate and are delicate so take care not to damage any of the internals. There appears to be no gasket to keep fuel from entering the senders housing.  Like our fuel pumps, I suspect the senders electrical contacts are designed to be immersed in fuel.   Those crazy Germans!

[w113dude]

You have a lot of chrome pieces that have to be redone. Oh well, serves you right for living by the ocean in perfect climate.

But really I would just clean up a bit and drive it for a while just the way it is before you start with the chrome plating, That's when real depression will appear. 

[Iconic]

working though all the acronyms.  "The CSV might be affecting the FIP if the WRD isn't DOA".  English people! English!  But eventually I figured it out.  

ABikePeddler,
Thank you for bringing another Pagoda back to life.
We look forward to hearing about your first drive !!!!
As far as those acronyms go, or anything else, I see you've read quite a bit of the material on this site, but if you are stumped, don't waste a bunch of time, just ask and someone will be thrilled to help you out.
The fact that your first ride in a car was in this car is very cool.
As you have read, many of us have stong emotional ties to our cars.

Enjoy the ride.
(BTW, my Camaro and I lived in PB, SD (Pacific Beach, for those that live far away) for a year in '81. It was a great time.)

[ABikePeddler]

As far as those acronyms go, or anything else, I see you've read quite a bit of the material on this site, but if you are stumped, don't waste a bunch of time, just ask and someone will be thrilled to help you out.

Ha! Nice try!  I know enough from reading this (and any other forum) that most any question I might have would inevitably get the "use the search function... it has been discussed at nausium...".  All kidding aside, I will certainly ask if I have any questions.  This is what I like about my mid-engined 1959 Morris Mini (Cooper)... for all intents and purposes there is but one club member.. me.  So if I have a dumb question I can tell myself to go to hell.  It's a symbiotic relationship that one is.

(BTW, my Camaro and I lived in PB, SD (Pacific Beach, for those that live far away) for a year in '81. It was a great time.)

San Diego has changed a LOT since 81' nearly doubling in population in that time frame and the cost of living (home prices!) followed suit making this one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S.  I am very jealous of those living in many other parts of the country. Was recently back in Connecticut.... went to Lime Rock Park... about packed up my stuff and moved! But I am a winter person at heart so maybe that is why.

That 68' Camaro is my absolute favorite. Fantastic car.

You have a lot of chrome pieces that have to be redone. Oh well, serves you right for living by the ocean in perfect climate.

But really I would just clean up a bit and drive it for a while just the way it is before you start with the chrome plating, That's when real depression will appear. 

This is another tidbit to this cars story.  Car currently has 181,000 miles.  Car had what I'd call a 8/tenths restoration in 1988 (new paint, new chrome, rebuilt engine and 4-speed manual trans) at 168k.  So the car was parked in very nice condition with only 13k on the drivetrain which makes the neglect all the more painful. So you are oh so correct about paying the price for ignoring the car especially near the beach. But I'm on the case now and that will change.  Much of the chrome is shot and will need to be re-done but you are right... going to just get her running and drive her for awhile. Loosen her up.  Not going to stress over the quality of the chrome. This car will never be offered for sale in my lifetime so what I do with it is solely for my enjoyment and nobody else. I have to say, I've been interested in the polished stainless steel bumpers for these cars.  Very few people on this forum seems to have taken the plunge and purchased them so information about their color (tint) and quality seems hard to come by. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Pagoda-W113-230SL-250SL-280SL-stainless-steel-bumpers-230-250-280-SL-/350501255619?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3A230SL&hash=item519b80b9c3&vxp=mtr

[w113dude]

I just finished a restoration project for a coupe model and did buy the stainless steel after market parts, the quality of stamping and polishing is not there lots of waves that you'll never see in original MB bumpers, for the amount of money that they cost I would rather re-chrome the bumpers than buy after market ones.

The way to maintain chrome from corrosion is to always keep it clean so the salt in the air wouldn't have a chance to do damage.

[ABikePeddler]

I just finished a restoration project for a coupe model and did buy the stainless steel after market parts, the quality of stamping and polishing is not there lots of waves that you'll never see in original MB bumpers, for the amount of money that they cost I would rather re-chrome the bumpers than buy after market ones.

The way to maintain chrome from corrosion is to always keep it clean so the salt in the air wouldn't have a chance to do damage.

Thank you for the more detailed info on the SS bumpers.  Very helpful.  One question.  Was the color or "tint" of the polished stainless steel the same as chrome?  I have heard it isn't an exact match and has a yellowish hue.

Agreed... The salt air is a B!@$#!

[w113dude]

The SS bumpers don't have the sheen depth as chrome, looks a bit dull, they did not fit all that well either in addition to wavy look which is result of not having been sanded and polished properly.

[snowyt 69]

I wouldn't despair too much about the state of your car's chrome. Snow White's were similarly pitted, the colour of pewter, and they sure weren't going to win any awards. At the same time, they were the least of my worries when I bought the car.
While I was uncovering Beings From Another Planet in my collant passeges and what not, I simply removed the bumpers, front and rear, the grill and surrounds, both the seats, all the wheels and chrome bits around the door openings and everything I could get my hands on and brought them inside. It is way too cold in the winter in Ontario to do this kind of work in the garage. Your polishing compound will literally freeze in ten minutes.
There are pictures of my results somewhere near the end of the thread "Barn Find." I never did publish the "before" pictures, as it took me a while to figure out how to post pictures at all! But I have the before pictures if you'd like to see them. They are not far off what I see in your pictures.
And really, when you get right down to it, cosmetics are just that.
I am sure there are a million products on the market that would do the trick. I used Maguire's Ultimate Rubbing Compound, same as on the body of the car. When I got rid of the worst of the pitting, I switched to Chrome Polish of some make that escapes me.
The chrome now looks, in a word, great. At least to my eyes anyhow, which to me is all that matters.

Oh...and to give you hope in your slow revival.
I didn't even attempt to start Snow White until I'd owned her four months.
When I got her road worthy, I got exactly 20 miles before she began to act up.
Dirt in the fuel tank was the culprit.
I didn't do the gas tank in the first place because I was being cheap.
Got everything sorted six months after I bought her.
Since then I have done basically nothing but cosmetics.
Twist the key, and she fires instantly.
Doesn't leak fluids from anywhere.
Doesn't stall. Doesn't overheat.
Sure I change the oil and filter. Fill with gas. Putter and make her look pretty.
Having never owned a Pagoda, the ownership experience for me has been a pleasure.
I wish you the same.

[ABikePeddler]

There are pictures of my results somewhere near the end of the thread "Barn Find." I never did publish the "before" pictures, as it took me a while to figure out how to post pictures at all! But I have the before pictures if you'd like to see them. They are not far off what I see in your pictures.

Yea, post those pictures. (I did a search on "Barn Find" but couldn't find your specific posting...) I'd like to see the before and after pics as I can't imagine that the chrome on my bumpers is even remotely saveable.  The actual surface is so pitted as to be flaking off.  Surprisingly, the chrome around the window trim and headlights will clean up it appears.

Oh...and to give you hope in your slow revival.
I didn't even attempt to start Snow White until I'd owned her four months. When I got her road worthy, I got exactly 20 miles before she began to act up. Dirt in the fuel tank was the culprit. I didn't do the gas tank in the first place because I was being cheap. Got everything sorted six months after I bought her. Since then I have done basically nothing but cosmetics. Twist the key, and she fires instantly.
Doesn't leak fluids from anywhere. Doesn't stall. Doesn't overheat.  Sure I change the oil and filter. Fill with gas. Putter and make her look pretty. Having never owned a Pagoda, the ownership experience for me has been a pleasure. I wish you the same.

Somewhere on these boards I read a brief thread about whether these cars are useable as a daily driver.  The general consensus was that they were not.  I totally disagree with that as I know for a fact they can be used as an everyday car.  My mother drove this car for 17 years... everyday.  It only let her down one time when the cars original fuel pump gave up the ghost in 1988.  The W113 cars durability and reliability is much better then one might expect especially with us being spoiled with the current state of reliability in this age of the bio-degradeable car. Heck, my 2005 E55 AMG Wagon has even left me stranded which only goes to show that even new cars aren't without their faults!   True, the Pagoda unfriendly fuels and oils of today make it a bit more of a challenge to keep these cars happy but once you figure that out, these things are great.  I can't wait to get this car dialed in so she has a less lumpy idle and takes less cranking to start like yours. A happy Benz is somehow very comforting because once they are right, they tend to stay that way if driven regularly in my experience. I am going to really start enjoying this car now. 

Eric   
 

[snowyt 69]

I had a hard time finding my thread too.
Here it is.
http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=13815.0
You can follow it from here.
This was the beginning, or basically where you are now.
Snow White I now consider to be a daily driver. No, I don't take her to the mall or pick up groceries in her.
But when the sun is shining and I have a place to take her, well away we go.
I have put just shy of 10,000 kilometers on her since I brought her out of her sleep (she is a Euro spec car, and reads in kilometers). 6,000 miles give or take. Plenty of time for her seals, starter, and what not to complain.
None of this is an issue with my car.
Others have other points of view. I only know what I know. And I know that I can drive Snow White anywhere I want, at any time I want.
It can be done.
Again, best of luck.

[Bonnyboy]

I too had a sleeping beauty which I resurected after a long sleep - you can follow my threads by searching my name.

My rear bumpers and mirror and more was rusted like yours and I took the "it can't get any worse" attitude and took 0000 steel wool and wd40 to the chrome and it looks much better - nowhere newar perfect but presentable until I can get a rechrome.

Good luck - they are fun to drive...

[ABikePeddler]

Exciting!  This week was able to get to some inspection time on the brakes and suspension.  Replaced the front pads, inspected and ordered new lines and calipers/rotors (just to be safe) as well as a new master cylinder.  Car is going to need new exhaust system hangers (donuts) but it seems all the ones I have purchased are to small (or I am way to weak to stretch them far enough!)

Anyways, was able to take the car on some drives of ever increasing distances as my confidence in her increased with each time she fired right up in the morning and every long idle at a traffic light (without stalling, bucking or any other off-putting histrionics.).  She is running shockingly good.. as if the years did not affect her.  I changed the oil and filter already after the first 10 - 15 miles and will probably do so again as I get some more miles on her.  I plan on taking the car into a mechanic to have them do a thorough lube of the chassis as well. 

My past profession was in the field of auto detailing so the moment I was REALLY waiting for was to give the car the cosmetic once over.  And while the chrome is not going to win this car any awards, I was ShOcKeD at how well it came back after all these years sitting in the damp ocean air.  The car has had one repaint in it's life (1988) and has held up remarkably good save for my error when removing the hood which chipped the paint both on the hood and the front of the car itself.  Bummer but in the overall scheme of things, I am just so happy (and grateful) to have the car running again.  Here are some before and after pics...

[ABikePeddler]

And a few of the rear of the car...

[ABikePeddler]

Passenger side front bumper is the worst in terms of flaking and damage to the plating.  Grill is badly pitted as well as is the side view mirrors stem and doors upper chrome moulding. 

[ABikePeddler]

Last ones... I promise.

The top is the cars original and is in dire need of replacement.  Seats were refinished around 1982 in a bad quality leather which has not held up well.  Car had a pretty comprehensive re-freshening in 1988 which probably accounts for it rebounding from a 21 year stint of no exercise.  Next on agenda is research and order some new tires and to install the new brakes!