Topics

1

Fintails / Swing Axle Boot Replacement Tools

« on: July 13, 2020, 10:28:09 PM »

Goody, goody, gumdrop! I plan on replacing the rear axle boot on my roommate's 1965 W111 220S, and he got a great deal on these special genuine Mercedes swing axle boot replacement tools. One is boot staple pliers, part number 111-589-06-37-00, and the others are two spring compressors for removing the central compensating spring to access the boot, part number 111-589-00-31-00.

2

Mechanical / Which W108 Swing Axle Has The Best Ratio For Use In A W111?

« on: June 25, 2020, 10:55:25 PM »

My roommate has a 1965 W111 220S and the rear axle is leaking badly. We know a guy who has a bunch of W108 parts cars he wants to get rid of, so we were thinking of installing a disc brake rear axle and larger brakes up front.

What gear ratio would be ideal in this car? It came with a 4.08, but wonder if something with a lower gear ratio would be better. But, I also don't want it turning it into a slug.

I've got a 1965 W111 220. The early ones had a 3.92 rear axle, and the later ones had a 4.08. The front half is a 1965, and the rear half is a 1960 (made from two cars cut in half and welded together). It will be interesting to see what axle is in it.

I plan on installing an OM617 5 cylinder turbo diesel engine in my 220, and plan to convert to rear discs as well. I figure on that car that a 3.27 ratio axle would be the best that I find. Any thoughts? I'll be using a 4 speed column shift manual transmission from a fintail.

I've also been trying to find out what gear ratios the different W108 models came with.

3

Parts / For Sale: 13" Ponton/Fintail/Pagoda Wheel Set

« on: June 21, 2020, 04:53:08 PM »

This is a set of 4 matching 5"X13" wheels from a 1965 Mercedes-Benz W111 220, all date  stamped 11/64. These are on an Arizona desert car, with only surface rust. There are no visible dents on the outside. The tires will be dismounted at my cost before shipping.

These should fit 1950s Mercedes  pontons, 230SL pagoda roadsters, and 1960s fintails.

Asking $150 plus shipping from Surprise, Arizona, USA.

4

Parts / For Sale: W112 300SE Air Cleaner

« on: June 14, 2020, 10:37:15 PM »

I'm selling a used air cleaner (part number 004-094-30-02) removed from a 1960s Mercedes-Benz W112 300SE coupe, but it should also fit the W112 300SE sedan. I bought it to install in my W111 sedan, but it will not fit due to the shape of the hole in the panel on the side of the radiator being wrong (see last two pictures for the comparison between a 300SE and a 220SE).

This one still has the removable extension, part number 000-094-30-08. The clip on the backside is missing, but it can't be seen when installed, and the one clip is more than enough to hold it in place.

The air cleaner needs a good cleaning, but most of the paint seems to still be there. The lid is a bit rusty, but the seal is intact. There are some small dents underneath where they can't be seen, and an area underneath the funnel where it was cut through.

$200 USD plus shipping from Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

5

Parts / For Sale: 2 Rear Windshields For W110/W111/W112 Sedan

« on: May 22, 2020, 04:58:46 PM »

I have two rear windshields for sale for the W110/W111/W112 sedans. They are non-tinted and made of laminated glass.

$100 each. Local pickup only in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

6

Vehicles / A W112 300SE Coupe And A Nice W111 220 In The Wrecking Yard

« on: May 22, 2020, 12:43:12 AM »

I was at a wrecking yard a couple hours away from my house in Arizona and saw some fintails. This is the same yard where I scored the sunroof top. They've got a 1965 W112 300SE Coupe. Someone didn't know what they had.


Huge M189 fuel injected 6 cylinder engine with air compressor for the air suspension.


It appears someone already got the air bagged disc brake rear axle.


Sunroof mechanism is all there and doesn't seem rusted.


Rough interior, but still some scarce parts.

7

Parts / Someone Is Parting Out My 220 And Selling The Parts On EBay!

« on: May 14, 2020, 08:28:57 PM »

Well, this is strange... This is clearly the same door that is currently on my 220. It wasn't on the car when I got it, but I installed it, and it's on there now. Check out the unreal price of $1,490!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/142903616459?epid=1323553502&hash=item2145b823cb:g:1boAAOSwofdbcNzW




Picture from the ad:


Picture of the door before I put it back on the car:


Picture of the door on my car:

8

Vehicles / Ambulance At Pick-N-Pull

« on: April 24, 2020, 12:19:09 PM »

So sad... I can't believe it. I followed this ambulance for a while and somehow it ended up at Pick-N-Pull in Canada. I could use a few parts off of it.

https://www.picknpull.com/vehicle_details.aspx?VIN=RNDpoGIGJeZy1W6D95xWUreBi

https://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=581255&country=ca



I guess the owner gave up on it. Such a shame because it could have been pieced back together with a non-rusty sedan and a good metal worker.

This is how it looked when it was in service:

9

Vehicles / 1967 W110 RHD Universal Is Finally Up For Sale

« on: December 19, 2019, 01:21:33 PM »

Well, well, well... Some of you may remember this right hand drive wagon I was trying to buy a year ago that was in a field in New Mexico, but the seller stopped responding:

Here's a right hand drive 1967 W110 Universal. The seller contacted me and didn't know what to ask for it but said I was welcome to make an offer. It's rust-free, complete, and runs. I told him I was interested in it and didn't hear back for a while. I figured it would be an awesome car to daily drive to replace my 1980 W116 300SD while I restore the Universal I currently have. I didn't even have a chance to make an offer and when he responded, he said he decided to list it on eBay for top dollar and would start the bidding at $10,000. So, I imagine it will show up there if he gets around to it.




The same seller has a 230S with a sunroof for $1,500. But once again, I'm not getting any response to my emails. Maybe it will show up on eBay, too. Oh, well. It looks like it has rust issues, anyway.



As you can imagine, I'm pretty bummed out about not being able to make anything happen. I have the money, but people won't take it for whatever reason. And then on the other hand, I'm finding cars that would kinda-sorta work, but then they are a long distance away and the sellers want top dollar for them. I search Mercedes forums, classified ads, eBay, and Craigslist nationwide daily. It might get to the point where I just give up on fintails because it's getting too difficult and too expensive these days.

It's finally listed on eBay, but it's currently in Texas. The paint sure cleaned up nicely. https://www.ebay.com/itm/174129690977?ul_noapp=true

10

Fintails / W111 Coupe With W116 Front End

« on: April 06, 2019, 09:41:57 PM »

Very, very interesting. https://www.ebay.com/itm/223473657447?ViewItem=&item=223473657447


It's so bizarre, but someone did a seamless job of it (from the outside). The inner fenders are something else, and it looks like the entire floor section is home-made. It's not even the first time I've seen such a thing.

11

Fintails / Sightings

« on: March 31, 2019, 01:19:44 AM »

This thread is for fintails that you have seen in person as you've been going about your daily life. I saw this W110 190D in a parking lot as I was stopping to get Indian food at Udupi Cafe in Tempe, Arizona.

12

Cosmetic / Transplanting And Repairing Seat Nets

« on: March 01, 2019, 08:37:31 PM »

I want to install seat nets from a W123 into a fintail. Where can I get the rivets to do so, and how do I install them? Also, where can I get suitable, durable, round bungee cord to fix the tops so they don't sag?

13

Fintails / Will The W110 Taillight Bulb Holders Fit The Early W111 220b Stepped Taillights?

« on: February 21, 2019, 04:29:01 PM »

Will the taillight bulb holders that fit the W110 chassis fit the early stepped taillights on a W111 220b? I know they aren't "correct", and they seem like they would fit on the body, but I wonder if the bulbs will fit behind the lenses without interfering.

I have a pair of broken stepped 220b taillight lenses, which I will need to replace at some point, and the original bulb holders are bent and messed up. It appears the bulb holders that fit the W110 chassis (second picture) are sturdier and easier to find.

14

Progress / Saving A 1965 W111 220

« on: January 22, 2019, 01:15:02 AM »

I have a rusted out 1967 Mercedes W110 230 Universal wagon that I want to restore, so I've been looking for a non-rusty 1967 or 1968 W111 230S sedan with a sunroof so I can make it into my dream car; a W111 sunroof turbo diesel-powered wagon. There's one that I've been interested in buying for ten years, but it's never worked out and I haven't had any success in finding the right car despite aggressive searching.


Nearly two weeks ago my membership in the Facebook fintail group was approved and I introduced myself. Someone within the group named Troy sent me a friend request and then messaged me saying that he was local and had a complete 1965 Mercedes W111 that he would give to me for free, because his wife wanted it out of the yard, and he wanted to see someone do something with it, rather than scrap it. He said that if I take it, I'm welcome to do whatever I want with it, including restoring it, parting it out, selling it, or trading it. He forewarned me that it had no title, had flat tires, and was stuck in gear. He sent me the following pictures:





I thought it was a great opportunity, but I was really set on a 230S with a sunroof and didn't want to settle for less. I also have limited space and didn't want to bring it here in case the perfect car comes up for sale. But, the body and chrome appeared to be in really good condition, it has the correct bumpers for a wagon, and it at least had a firewall-mounted brake booster and was better suited than an earlier car would be. The cat eye taillights are also really neat, and the price was right. I felt like I would regret it if I passed on it since people seem to want thousands of dollars for rusted out, incomplete cars and it would be good security in case "the right car" doesn't come along at a price I can afford. There's also the possibility that I might be able to trade this one plus cash for the brown sunroof 230S I've been wanting for years. I also made sure that my roommate was okay with me bringing it here.

15

Parts / Wanted: W111 280SE Coupe/Cabriolet Radiator, Oil Cooler, Shroud, Or Measurements

« on: January 16, 2019, 12:32:22 PM »

I have a theory that a W111 280SE coupe/cabriolet radiator, oil cooler, and fan shroud will fit in a W111 sedan. I know you guys all own one of these. Can someone tell me how wide the radiator opening in the body is for a W111 280SE coupe/cabriolet? The sedans are 23 1/4" wide. It appears to me that the coupes and cabriolets (excluding low grille) are the same. I'm going to be installing a turbo diesel engine and need an oil cooler, and also want it to look stock. It appears the radiator attaches to the body with three screws and a rubber pad in between, while the oil cooler attaches to the body with two screws and a pad in between.



When I looked up the parts on EPC, I get:

Radiator 111 501 00 01

Oil cooler 108 180 02 65

Fan shroud 111 505 01 55

Does this seem correct for a high grille W111 coupe/cabriolet 280SE? Let's use VIN number WDB11102512000330, for example. It's also worth mentioning that the 220 and 250 did not have engine oil coolers mounted next to the radiator, but the 300SE W112 may have. A low grille version would have a wider radiator opening, like a W108, which is 27" wide. I'm also going to be using one of those air cleaners to connect to the turbocharger and so it sucks in cold air from behind the grille.