113,266 miles (13,266 miles shown)
250SL motor
Asking $29,900. Offers are welcome. The car is garaged at my home in Washington, DC.
I was smitten at first sight in 2019 when an acquaintance suggested I buy her father’s non-running 230SL. It had sat for a “few years” in their garage. Her father was a car guy but neither her nor her husband were, so it wasn’t being driven. Correction: couldn’t be driven by the time I saw it. My brain ignored the rust in the undercarriage pans near the sills, my ego convinced me I could bring this car back to life and make it a solid driver, and fell I in love.
I joined the Pagoda SL Club, poured over every technical article – I can almost quote the engine linkage tour by heart – and soaked up everything. I worked through all of the major systems to ensure it would be a reliable driver. All. Of. Them. (See below.) I eventually got it to the point where it moved under its own power. I have driven the car around a block, in a parking lot nearby, and on and off a flatbed tow truck. One of my last tasks was replacing the shifter linkage bushings and, while I was at it, what the heck, I may as well adjust the linkage as well. Under the car, confirming it was in neutral while the motor was running, I bumped the shift lever arm on the trans and knocked it into gear without a foot on the brake pedal. I quickly tried to move it back and knocked it into reverse. Something broke and now it doesn’t shift. The transmission needs attention. (Also, I suspect the trans vacuum diaphragm is leaking. About 30 seconds after a cold start it starts to smoke.)
After 4.5 years, having driven it about one quarter of a mile, and now it won’t move, I surrender. I’m not enjoying this car. It is a painful and humbling admission, but it is time to sell.
Parting thought and plea – This is the first Pagoda I’ve tried to sell and, given the condition, I have not been able to find comparable sold vehicles to help guide my asking price. I welcome all feedback, advice and council from Pagoda SL Group community about how best to sell this car. I plan on listing it with Hemmings.com in about a week.
Motor:- 250SL motor (installed in early 1970s per prior owner)
- Valve adjustment (with new valve cover gasket), re-torqued head bolts
- Rocker arm ball studs’ wear checked (all good)
- Good compression (cylinders 1 through 6 in psi = 160, 162, 165, 155, 155, 162)
- New motor mounts
Fuel & Ignition Systems:- New fuel injectors
- Pump is good, generates 14psi and flows 2.0 L in 30 sec
- New plugs & coil
- New thermo time switch
- Installed NOS warm running device (wax-filled cylinder)
- Adjusted timing, throttle linkages, and replaced main transverse shaft’s brass bushings
- New gas cap gasket
Lighting:- Everything works
Intake:- New filter
- New intake boot
- New vacuum line from intake to distributor
- Painted air filter housing
Transmission:- New transmission mount
- Fluid and filter change
- New shifter bushings
Drivetrain:- New differential mount
- Removed 40+ years of black grime (an unpleasant task while installed)
Suspension & Wheels:- Shocks look good, pass bounce test (probably replaced by prior owner)
- Cleaned steel wheels & painted gloss black, polished rims
- Polished hubcaps (need to be repainted)
Charging & Electrical system:- New alternator and voltage regulator
- Cleaned all engine bay grounds
- New fuses, new fuse box cover gasket
- Cleaned, repaired and painted battery tray
Cooling system:- Re-cored radiator, painted fan shroud
- New water pump
- New fan clutch, cleaned fan
- All new hoses and clamps
- New expansion tank pressure cap
- New thermostat
- New temperature gage in dash (Celsius)
Brakes:- Rebuilt rear brakes with new cylinders, internals, and shoes
- New rear soft lines, and rear hard lines
- Rebuilt front calipers (pads and discs good)
Body:- Paint is faded, chipped where hood misaligned and/or opened too far
- Replaced missing hood torsion bar, over travel strap, and all brackets with new
- Hard top in good functional condition, needs paint polished
- Soft top frame is like new, soft top is in tatters (likely not used in decades)
- Toneau lid is in excellent condition
- Evidence of mediocre collision damage repair in engine bay rear-left side of engine bay (occurred in 1970s per prior owner)
- Body cut lines are even, passenger door needs alignment (sits proud/outboard)
- Grill has a crack in the interior-left side
- Missing one lower sill trim piece, three pieces not mounted and kept in trunk
- All glass is in good shape
Interior:- Doors cards are good
- Dash has sun damage, wood needs refinishing
- MBTex seats have cracks, need reupholstering
- Rear view mirror silvering has flaked off
- All gages work, speedometer needle center disk fell off (see pics)
- Non-period correct radio is an eyesore
- Carpet is presentable
- Heat & vents work, sliders are very stiff
- Clock isn’t running
- Turn signal indicator plastic end is cracked
- Complete original tool kit (?) (See pics)
Undercarriage:- Rust in undercarriage pans near sills
- Trunk and driver floor pans appear to have been replaced
Other work performed in my tenure:
- New firewall grommets
- New exhaust system rubber hangers
- Rebuilt and remounted left horn
- New transmission shift lever bushings
- All new fluids and filters (motor, transmission, power steering, fuel, brake, coolant)
- Replaced all belts
- Replaced missing constant speed solenoid threaded disc with a new one
Issues (in rough order of importance to have a solid driver):- Mechanical –
o Transmission needs attention to shift again and new vacuum diaphragm
o Cold start system perfection has eluded me (possibly due to trans fluid ingestion via failed diaphragm)
o Brake hard lines from engine bay to rear have light rust near rear axle
o Tires (better safe than sorry)
o Refurbish (clean & lube?) heat and vent sliders, cables and flaps
o Differential leak
o Replace brake and indicator bulbs with modern, extra bright LED (for safety)
- Cosmetic –
o Paint is faded
o Missing one side sill trim piece
o Seats need reupholstering
o Hubcaps need repainting
o Rust in undercarriage pans
o Evidence of mediocre collision damage repair in engine bay rear-left side of engine bay (occurred in 1970s per prior owner)
