I want to share my experience. I always wanted a 113 Mercedes. Finally I landed one after many years.
I live in Houston TX and bought a 1966 230sl that was parked in a warehouse for 20 years. The car was complete and parked as a runner. All the documentation and manuals indicate it has 75000 miles. Have receipts for repair until 20 years ago. The interior shows its age from just standing. The body and floor pans are solid, has no rust. The paint is faded and has a couple of dings from having stuff around it. The soft top is like new.
Four Saturday’s ago I tackled the car by starting chronologically as follows;
1. Removed the tanks and emptied out 10 gallons of stale fuel. The entire neighborhood was stinking. This was my first experience of what old fuel can do, it was just not a simple flush, and there were lumps of tar like substance. I did some research and found this is normal in this case. I did not want the task of cleaning the tank with acid; I found a place in Houston that uses the Renu process. It came back two weeks later like new with a lifetime warrantee. Cost = $400.
2. I cleaned out the sender unit with POR cleaner (amazing stuff). Some delicate soldering of the cut wires and it now works. I put in a new fuel filter in the tank.
3. Replaced the AT linkage bushing only to find the linkage fouling against cross the member. Figured out the mounting was compressed, ordered a new one, found the old one was compressed by 1.5 inched. Gear selection works fine.
4. Discovered the alternator was to close to the air cleaner cowl, figured out possibly the engine mountings are compressed. Replaced the engine mountings, this raised the engine by 1.5 inches.
5. Removed the fuel pump, stripped it down to the armature. The impellor was seized from the fuel tar. Soaked the components in POR and everything was good as new, even the inlet filter. Assembled at tested it, on the work bench and it tested OK. I need some additional help and will post a thread.
6. Removed the sump pan and visually inspected the crank area, all looked good. Removed the oil pump, checked it in a bath of oil and reassembled.
7. Removed the top (tappet) cover and oiled all the cams and camshaft saddles.
8. Replaced the oil and fuel filters.
9. Removed the plugs, sprayed some WD40 and squirted oil into the chambers. Left it for a week. Turned the engine a couple of times by hand without the plugs to get some lubrication in the bores.
10. The AT cooling hosed that connect to the radiator were brittle and replaced them.
11. Cranked the engine without load a couple of time.
12. Put in new plugs, set the ignition timing. Checked to see if there was a spark at the plugs. NOW I WAS ALL READY AND GO.
13. The engine cranked for 30 seconds without any sign of wanting to fire up.
14. Finally some positive indication of life, some backfiring and sputting and spurting and throwing out rust scale from the exhaust, it slowly started coming to life. Stuck my hand over the inlet (old trick from my child hood days to manually choke the car).
15. The grand finale, it started and without excessive revving, just enough throttle to keep the engine alive, it started idling. I let it idle for 15 minutes to settle in.
16. Checked oil pressure, it was maximum at cold then settled jut below on idle. Engine temp went up to 80 degrees.
17. No oil or water leaks. It sound a little rough but idles without a miss at 850RPM.
Cost thus far excluding purchase price but everything from title to towing to parts, $900.
I have a couple of additional things to attend to before taking it for a drive.
