New member introductions

[Jonny B]

Rich, Welcome to the community!

Try using the Search function to answer your question about spares. There is a LOT of information.

Take a look at Pagoda Notes issues:

Volume 9 No 2
Volume 13 No 1

These are available in the technical manual.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hi Rich,

Nice to see you here and welcome again yo our group! Did you get the welcome package okay and my forerunner e-mail with some helpful links?

Re; Parts I use Budds Benz for parts

Check here ===> https://www.budsbenz.com/catalog/230-250-280-sl

Dieter

[Revelstoke]

Hi Rich,

Nice to see you here and welcome again yo our group! Did you get the welcome package okay and my forerunner e-mail with some helpful links?

Re; Parts I use Budds Benz for parts

Check here ===> https://www.budsbenz.com/catalog/230-250-280-sl

Dieter

Thanks for the welcome and the Budds Benz referral! Have received your forerunner email and will await the mailed out welcome package...thanks again.

[Bonnyboy]

Welcome to the group. 

Great picture of the Port Mann bridge.   I find that all I have on hand is an oil filter, fuel filter and spark plugs.  I keep some fuses under the parcel shelf in the car but have never needed them.  I was able to source the oil and fuel filter from Lordco.  I drive top down most of the time so have leather wipes in the trunk to remove bird poop.

Enjoy

[BritshIron]

Aloha! I am Robert P. Smith, retired with my wife and son in Volcano, Hawaii. I have been a hobby car collector, off and on, for 50+ years. I just purchased a restored 1967 250SL California Coupe. I also recently joined the Pagoda SL Group as a full member, and added my car to the Registry.

I'm really impressed with the Pagoda SL Group, and hope to be speaking with many of you all through the forum. I owned a 1973 450SL years ago, but this is my first Pagoda, and I'm thrilled! See details below:

1. Member Name: Robert P. Smith
2. Year/Model:1967 250SL California Coupe
3. Colors:Body and Hardtop Light Ivory (670 H), Upholstery Bronze Leather (218), Tonneau Cover Brown (437)
4. VIN: 113.043 12 004078
5, Engine Number: 129.982 12 002073
6. Options: California Coupe (417), Automatic Transmission and Power Steering (426), Front Safety Belts (431), Automatic Antenna Without Radio Set and Interference Suppression W/O Radio Set (535), Garnich Mouldings on Hardtop (600), Tonneau Cover (288) in Brown Color (437), Leather Upholstery in Bronze Color (218)
7. Mileage: 74,034 (total mileage unknown, TMU)
8. Built in Hanover, Germany area, September 29, 1967. Shipped from Germany to Hawaii by active US Army Major in 1979. Barn find on Hawaii Island in 2013. Completely restored 2017.

Mahalo nui loa! (Thank you very much!)

Robert

[Jonny B]

Robert, welcome to the group! We are at the ready to help with questions, issues, etc.

[Husam]

Hi

Nice to meet you all, I just purchased a late production 1971 280 sl. The car is now in Jordan and was imported around 3 years ago from the US, it is an American spec car. How can I find out more information about the history of the car, ownership etc. The car has no manuals or original documents.

Husam

[Jonny B]

Husam,

First of all, welcome to the group! This is the place to learn about the car.

Second, I would highly recommend you spend the US $30 for full membership which gives you access to the technical manual. This is an awesome resource for the car.

History of a particular car is a more difficult kind of thing. The previous owner would be a good starting point if that is possible. I don't know about availability of ownership history from the car licensing etc authorities out there. Local laws may preclude getting past data (privacy laws and all that).

Finally - post a picture! We just love pictures.
Again, welcome
Jon

[Pirublues]

New here. I don't have a 113 but I'm looking at saving one from the body shop I send some work to. Joined to do some research.

I have a manual 67 250se w108 and I'm wondering what parts/if any parts can go into a w113. I'm not keeping the m129 or trans in the w108 (swapping in a m272 or m113) so I think it's drivetrain would serve w113 well.

[ray15626]

Hello from California. After looking for more than a year, I finally got a 1969 280SL from the original family that owned it. Looking forward to working on it, and making it perfect mechanically. Any tips where I can purchase a parts manual.

Ray

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hi Ray,

Welcome to our site!

Visit Bud's Benz here ---> https://www.budsbenz.com/catalog/230-250-280-sl

They have a nice Parts Catalogue.

eBay has parts catalogus sometime for sale for the w113

Dieter

[Mike Hughes]

That's a lovely car, congratulations!

Now that you have found it, think about upgrading to a full membership so you can take advantage of the wonderful compilation of technical information available to full members, not to mention Pagoda World magazine several times per year.

I hope your new Pagoda gives you as much joy as mine has me!

[Jonny B]

Ray

Welcome!

There are several catalogues to be aware of from MB:
10808 - Chassis and Body spare parts list US Version Edition A as of October 1972
10202 - Chassis and Body spare parts list, Edition C, as of January 1972
10145 - Engine Motor type 130 Edition A as of January 1968
10180 - Engine Motor type 130 Edition B as of March 1971

The later editions are probably the one to look for. eBay is your friend, but these will not be cheap

The Haynes manual for the Pagoda is also an excellent shop manual

I will also offer the advice to join as a full member. Access to the tech manual is worth the small price.

[kiloMikl]

Hello, everyone
I'm new here 

[Jonny B]

Welcome to the group!

Do you have a Pagoda? Are you looking for one?

If you have one, please post a picture or two, we just love to see photos.

[stratamarr]

Hello all, I am a proud owner of a '69 280sl, white and blue (two-tone). Bought from my uncle's estate, he bought it new in '69 (after trading in a 1961 190sl !!). It has 86k original miles, he used it as a daily driver for about 10 years and then infrequently through the '80s. It was parked in my grandmother's garage since about 1988 and left there until this year when I finally rescued it. Yes, this is a barn find. I had no idea what happened to the car over the years, this was quite the surprise after he passed. The reason I know it was around 1988 was because of the inspection sticker still on the window.

My uncle was a mechanical engineer and after about 4-5 years of servicing the car at a mechanic (I have some receipts), he did a lot of the maintenance himself. I don't think he Frankensteined anything on the engine or car, save for an after-market radio he put in below the dash, which is definitely going to be removed.

This is an un-restored car, still has most of the components as original. Have not encountered many missing parts. Intact grille, seats are not ripped, engine looks ok if dirty, headlights/taillights intact, etc. However there is paperwork on two accidents this car has been in, left front and right rear. There is also a substantial amount of rust in the rear panels. I've checked under the trunk lining and thankfully there's only mild rust. Small rust spots and seams of rust all around the car. So that will definitely need to be addressed.

It's currently with Oldtimer Restoration where they got the engine to turn over -- very happy to see that. Going through the first round of mechanical servicing right now.

Hope to get this on the road for summer 2023 and enjoy it -- rust and all.

[Jonny B]

Welcome to the group! The folks here are always ready and willing to help with questions you may have. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the search function. There is a lot of information on the site on all aspects of Pagoda ownership.

I admit to being curious about a couple of things in the engine bay photo. Did your uncle like blue? The top of the power steering reservoir, the battery hold down, the brake booster and the master cylinder are all painted that color.

What are the two boxes at the bottom of the photo? One by the batter and the other tucked in behind the brake booster.

Be sure to keep your eye on the cover for the distributor. Those tend to go lost and are quite difficult and expensive to find, especially an original one with the metal snaps such as the one on your car.

Again welcome, I think you will enjoy the ride!

[stratamarr]

Welcome to the group! The folks here are always ready and willing to help with questions you may have. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the search function. There is a lot of information on the site on all aspects of Pagoda ownership.

I admit to being curious about a couple of things in the engine bay photo. Did your uncle like blue? The top of the power steering reservoir, the battery hold down, the brake booster and the master cylinder are all painted that color.

What are the two boxes at the bottom of the photo? One by the batter and the other tucked in behind the brake booster.

Be sure to keep your eye on the cover for the distributor. Those tend to go lost and are quite difficult and expensive to find, especially an original one with the metal snaps such as the one on your car.

Again welcome, I think you will enjoy the ride!

Thanks for the welcome Jonny B. I'll admit, I didn't think much of the blue in the engine bay but he must have loved blue very much to have painted some of the components!

On the two boxes, the one by the brake booster, I did a bit of internet sleuthing and found out it is a capacitor discharge ignition system. Why he felt this was needed in this 280sl may be a question for another part of the forum. The other box by the battery is a mystery, I'll have to probe a bit when I pick up my car from the shop.

Yes I have read here about how rare it is to find original distributor covers as well the little spacers near the top of the insulation pad. Maybe he did Frankenstein the car after all, but glad to see at least some of the original and rare parts still exist.

[Tomnistuff]

I have seen blue battery holddown frames berore.  One of the suppliers sells them painted that color.  I don't remember which.
Tom Kizer
Blue booster ??

[rwmastel]

New here. I don't have a 113 but I'm looking at saving one from the body shop I send some work to. Joined to do some research.

I have a manual 67 250se w108 and I'm wondering what parts/if any parts can go into a w113. I'm not keeping the m129 or trans in the w108 (swapping in a m272 or m113) so I think it's drivetrain would serve w113 well.

Pirubluse,  Are you still working on acquiring the car from the body shop?  Maybe post a new thread under general discussion.

[Jack the Knife]

Hello everyone,

I've longed for a Pagoda ever since seeing them around with some regularity in my hometown of Vero Beach as a kid. I'm happy to say I finally did get one, quite by accident, while at an auction to actually buy a BMW E9 that went RNM. I saw this (effectively) one-owner 230SL sitting over in the corner, and I was certain it would go out of my budget. Well, it's in my carport now, and I can thank low turnout for that!

This is my first foray into Mercedes after having only driven BMWs prior, though I don't think I'm straying too far from my roots with Paul Bracq. Indeed, he designed a much more sporting pagoda-type car that BMW sadly never built. Looking at it really makes me smile, and its dauphinblau/light blue color is really on brand for me. I'm thankful that the first owner (1964-2016, then inherited by son, who kept it sitting until sale) kept almost everything with the car. And what a small world, too, considering he was head of sales at Stewart Warner Alemite. I'm in the mining business, and we buy a lot of products from Alemite today! The car was delivered at the factory where the first owner then toured all over Europe with his wife and the local MBCCA president out of Chicago, who was evidently German and acted as their guide in Germany. The first few thousand miles were put on in Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, before being shipped home to Chicago and driven to Indiana, then later Charlotte I believe when he became head of sales. With 82,000 original miles, a cognac mbtex interior in decent shape, and evident pride of ownership for so long, I think I made a really good buy in this market for Civic money.

I've been reading posts on here for a while, long before having an account, and I am highly inspired by the work Dan Carron, Joe Alexander, and GGR have done on their respective vehicles. With this car, I intend to do a sort of homage to the 230SL Rallye, with everything being reversible of course, but with a heavy performance and cosmetic bent towards the sports/rally cars of the era. In addition, I am hoping to do a few unseen upgrades to the cooling, ignition, and various other things. I'm very excited to join this group, and I am in awe at the depth and breadth of knowledge and sheer talent exhibited here, which leaves me very eager to learn from you all. And I'll need it, for at 27, I suppose I'm amongst the younger Pagoda owners, and this is my first venture into what I'd consider a truly older vehicle.

Jackson

[rwmastel]

Hello Jackson!  Welcome to the group.  I was 33 when I bought my 230SL (22 years ago!).

You'll find members here who strive for maintaining originality and others who modify their cars for their needs.  I'm in the originality camp and wonder why you would take an effectively one-owner car with presumably no modifications (such a very rare thing!) and modify it.

There are a lot of members in FL, so you should probably try to organize a little meet & greet with fellow owners at a coffee shop or someplace (with a nice open parking lot!).  Looking at other cars and talking with fellow members will be a great way to learn about these cars.  Just put a thread in the Events forum.  If you have access to the Members list, you could sort by location, find FL members, and directly invite them.  Even if only a couple other members attend, that's a great start to making friends and learning and appreciating your SL.

I hope you enjoy many years of motoring happiness with your Pagoda.

[Jack the Knife]

Hello Rodd,

Thank you for welcoming me!

I would certainly share your belief that the car ought to be kept just the same if it was truly, truly, truly original, because as you say, that is a very uncommon thing in just about any kind of car. But it does not have a squared-off exhaust, and the first owner some time in the 90s did indeed cut some holes for speakers in the parcel shelf (though not in the dash! car didn't come with a radio, but he did put a 90s Japanese cd player in there and for some reason screwed the cover plate into the glovebox). But these are such minor, minor things. Those parcel shelf speakers are going to go, and I'll do something about the faceplate (I think he put it there so it would look like the 300?), but I have an Aurora-converted Becker Europa that should be here tomorrow that I am excited to put in the car. And that's my intention here -- looking the part, but functioning better, if possible. Drill no holes, etc.

I think there are two other Pagodas around here, a silver 280 and a tobacco 280. Handsome cars, for sure! I look forward to meeting some other owners some time.

[Fabio]

Hi everybody from Milano Italy.
I just bought a 230 SL.32.000 original miles. Waiting t o get an Italian license plate.
I also own a 280 SE w 111 convertible low grille and a  1988 560 SL .
I am eager to drive my 230 SL and shre with you my feeling
Regards to everybody

[rwmastel]

Fabio
- Sounds like a great car!  Post some nice pics of it.
- We were having a discussion here about Italian cars, finding history, etc.  https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=35879.0