1967 Mercedes Benz 250 S Journal
| Day Eleven: Cleaning |
The car was advertised in the local Want Ad Press for $1500. The owner was very honest about the car and just wanted to get rid of it. He'd been trying to sell it for quite a while and his wife was getting on him to do it soon. The car had been in his family since new. In 1967, his Aunt and her new husband (they were both older people at the time) bought two new Mercedes for themselves: This 250S and a better model, maybe a 300SE. The record book that came with the car showed that it was driving very little until 1978. On May 31, 1978 the car had been serviced at 34,131 miles. Shortly after that her husband died. She parked her 250S in the garage and drove his car. The car sat until 1989 or 1990. She had died at this time and her brother took ownership of the car. He drove the car very little but maintained it well. In 1994 he gave the car too his son because he needed something to drive. At this point the car had just over 40,000 miles on it. He drove it until about a year ago when it began burning oil. He's been trying to sell it ever since. At first he was asking $2000 but then reduced it to $1500. I offered him $500 and we settled on $750.
After seeing the car the first time on Labor Day, I decided I liked it and would consider buying it. I drove down there with my friend Alvaro and did a compression test. The results showed that the engine needed rings. The numbers were low. While we were there, we closely inspected the car. There was no rust anywhere but the front fenders. The right one was pretty bad and might need replacement. The left side just has surface rust and isn't too bad. The engine starts and runs well. We drove it and found the suspension to be soft and in need of repair. The transmission shifts firm but doesn't down shift with increased throttle. The radio, heater fan, and interior lights don't work. The paint is in nice shape but needs waxing. The chrome is very nice, but some parts need polishing. The wood is ok, but could use refinishing. I fell in love with it.
Day One: Pick Up --Saturday September 18, 1999
I arranged to pick up the car today. I packed up my 240D tools and checked the spare tire just in case. I met the owner around 8:30 pm and finished up the transaction. I decided to take 287 home instead of the Garden State Parkway because there would be less cars. I took it slow, about 50 mph the whole way home. The total trip was about 45 miles. The car would belch smoke each time I gave the gas pedal some pressure. This was very useful for tailgaters! My friend following me and the 240D he was driving both reeked of burnt oil! Even though the fan didn't work, I got some heat to blow though the vents and keep me warm. The ride took about an hour. I parked the car at Alvaro's father's machine shop (in the same industrial park that I work) and went home.
Day Two: Clean Up --Sunday September 19, 1999
I cleaned the engine today with some WD-40 and Simple Green. It was pretty messy in there with oil caked on the engine. I also started to wax the car. I did the trunk and hood and they came out great! This car is gonna look great! I drove it around the industrial park a little and it ran rough. I think the plugs are fouled.
Day Three: Transmission Fluid --Wednesday September 22, 1999
My mechanic told me to try running transmission fluid in the engine in place of oil to see if it could free up the piston rings and restore compression. I drained out the oil, installed a new filter and filled it up with tranny fluid. I let the car idle for about 5 hours this way. It was smoking an awful lot at first, but it let up some and continued that way until I stopped it. I then drained the fluid and filled it up with fresh 20-W50. I started it up and it smoked! I tried to drive but it wouldn't move. I pulled out the plugs and cleaned them up a little and it ran much much better. I drove it around for about 5 minutes with smoke pouring out the back. I wish I took pictures! I had to stop because the plugs were fouled up again. It was late so I called it a day without knowing if I actually accomplished anything.
Day Four --Friday September 24, 1999
I pulled the plugs today and cleaned them one by one with the wire wheel on a grinder. I also regapped them. I drove the car around for a while and the smoking got better and better. I'm feeling better about the car. I'm lucky that the car is located where I work, I was able to sneak out and drive it.
Day Five: Little Things --Saturday September 25, 1999
Today was a good day. I tested the compression again and I found it to be 25-30psi higher than before in each cylinder! The transmission fluid worked! I won't have to pull the engine after all! I think the problem is all in the head. For the rest of the day, I worked on fixing some little things. I got the original Blaupunkt AM radio working by replacing a fuse. It sounds great! I also jumped some wires and found that the heater blower works!! This is good news since replacing it is a nightmare. My problem is in the switch, which is fine with me. I repaired the fuse the panel and now the interior lights work great. Then I picked up some 3M chrome polish and cleaned up some interior parts. Wow! They came out great. I pulled the valve cover to see what things looked like in there. Everything looks great, very little wear. I tried adjusting the valves but my defective 14mm crows foot didn't let me get a good grip on the nuts. I gotta get a new one. I drove the car around the park and its running even better. Smooth, powerful and not much smoke. I also power washed bottom of the engine and the front suspension to make it easier to work on later.
Day Six: Compound and Wax --Sunday September 26, 1999
Work on the car today was all looks! I used rubbing compound and carnuba wax to restore an outstanding shine! I still have to do the passenger side doors and the front fenders, but the car looks great! I even went as far as removing the star and "250 S" from the trunk lid to clean under them. I spend most of the day on it, except for the half hour break I took to drive around the park again! The car is running better and better every time I drive it. I also discovered today that the clock (which now works since I repaired the fuse box) runs about 10 minutes slow a day! I'll have to fix that.
Day
Seven: Head Off --Sunday October 3, 1999
I removed the cylinder head today. Yesterday
I tried to replace the valve seals and I decided the time would be better
invested in something that will no doubt fix the car. I also visited the junk
yard yesterday and found another '67 250S! I notice that the cylinder head
looked brand new, so I figured its worth $100 if its good! I pulled the head
(me and Alvaro learning as we went) and found the bottom to be in pretty bad
shape. Oh well, at least I learned how to do it on someone else's car! Today
I carefully took apart the things around the engine and removed the head.
It look nearly all day, but it was worth it. The head looks like its in very
good condition. The cylinders have 0.003" of wear it seems, not too bad!
I'm very happy and I'm thinking of just pulling out the rest of the motor
next weekend and reringing it.
Day Eight: Getting Ready -- Wednesday October 6, 1999
Today I started getting the engine ready to come out. I removed the radiator, alternator (which I broke, see the pic), and a whole lot of other things. I can't get the exhaust manifold off, its just stuck on the exhaust system. I did get off the intake and carbs. I also couldn't seem to get the power steering pump off. I'll try to finish everything off on Saturday morning. I went and checked out our neighbor Al's engine lift.... This is a nice piece of equipment! I'm really looking forward to Saturday. I also dropped the head off at the machine shop today, I told him I'd be back with the pistons and block soon. Stay tuned!
Day Nine: Engine Out --Saturday, October 9, 1999
We removed the engine today. Getting it ready and lifiting it out was pretty easy. I left the transmission in. The real challenge was getting the engine on the stand I rented. Alvaro had to machine and weld some new brackets which worked out really well. The stand itself is kinda scary, it doesn't look like it'll hold the engine up. Tomorrow we'll pull the engine apart. Yesterday I went to the junk yard again and found a stainless steel exhaust system for the car!!! Wahoo!!! It was only $75!!! I'm really happy about that. Heres a few pics of the days events.... The empty engine bay, The hoist we used, The engine half way out, The engine on the stand upside down, and a "custom" tool
Day Ten: Engine Apart --Sunday October 10, 1999
Spent most of the day today striping everything off of the block. Its nearly bare now except for the crack shaft and a few other odds and ends. Removed the pistons today and the rings aren't stuck at all... The engine no doubt needed work, not just transmission fluid. After the block was cleaned and everything was cleaned, bagged, and labeled that we took off, we had to clean up the shop floor. It was stained with all the black "crud" that fell from the engine, the power washer was needed to clean up that mess. Tomorrow, I'll visit the machine shop again with the pistons and the block, if I can get it down there.
Day
Eleven: Cleaning --Saturday October, 16, 1999
Today I took my power washer and lots of degreaser and cleaned the engine compartment. It took most of the day, but it was well worth it. Click on the picture for a larger view. Click here to see what it looked like before being cleaned. After that I started doing some brake work. I replaced the pads and lines in the front and I was happy to find the calipers were in good shape. I found out this week the cylinder head needs valve guides and I started ordering the parts I'll need to get the engine back together.
Day Twelve: Painting --Sunday October 17, 1999
I started to paint a lot of little things: pulleys,
the battery tray, even one of the wheels. They all came out great. I did some
sanding to remove the rust I uncovered yesterday too. I then finished off
the brakes by replacing the lines and pads in the rear. One caliper's piston
was pretty stuck, but a little persuading freed it up without a problem!
Days Thirteen and Fourteen --Saturday and Sunday October 23 and 24, 1999
Not much was really done this weekend. On the 250S, I replaced the steering shock, a motor mount, and I stripped and started painting the hubcaps. I also removed the crankshaft from the engine, something I should have done a while ago. Other cars got my attention this weekend also: On my 240D I changed the oil, flushed the coolant, and replace the heater valve with a $5 junkyard replacement. My friend stopped by with his new 1986 190E's exhaust pipe dragging on the road. We removed the exhaust system, welded it back together, and put it back in... good as new! I finally have all the parts for the machine shop to complete the engine work. I have Deves piston rings, new valve guides, and three new intake valves. I also have most of the other parts I'll need to finish the engine myself, I'll have everything this week I hope. I was to start to reassemble the engine next weekend.
Day Fifteen --Monday November 1, 1999
I picked up the engine block, pistons, crack, and head from the machine shop on Friday afternoon! Everything came out great! I was all ready to put the engine together this weekend but the bearings I ordered never came!!! GRR! So I painted a few wheels and hubcaps instead. Today I carefully masked and painted the engine with a flat black. It looks just great! The bearings finally came today and I'm going to try to start working on the engine Wednesday....
Day Sixteen: Progress --Saturday November 6, 1999
The engine is finally back together!!! I installed the crank last Wednesday, along with the front and rear main seals and chain sliders. Today I installed the flywheel, pistons, oil pump, oil pan, water pump, fuel pump, oil filter housing, oil cooler, engine mounting arms, chain tensioner, and the cylinder head! Wow! Its so nice to see it all come together. Everything was completely degreased and cleaned on the wire wheel before being installed. We worked until about 2am, the longest night so far. My friend Mike helped me all day and Alvaro took over after dinner. Assembly with continue tomorrow!!
Day
Seventeen: Timing-- Sunday November 7, 1999
I set the timing of the cam and distributor today. I did it without any instructions, which was very interesting, but it seems to be correct. I'll be sure when I install the rocker arms some time this week. I also installed the thermostat housing, lower oil pan, and tranny oil cooler lines (which needed some straightening). The engine really looks great, as you can see by clicking on the picture to the left. I'll have to get alot of little things done this week to be sure the engine is ready to be installed this weekend.
Days 18-21: Engine installation --Friday-Monday November 19-22, 1999
The engine is finally back in the car! Wahoo! Last weekend I came down with the flu, which was very upsetting considering the warm weather we had. But it turned out this weekend was even warmer (almost 70)! We removed the hood and mounted the engine on Friday. We had it properly aligned in its place, but not completely bolted in as the sun went down. Saturday we were up early to continue the work. Most of the day was spend trying to connect the transmission oil cooler lines. This was not a fun job. We reinstalled the hood and replaced a power steering hose. I had to leave early to study, so I didn't get as much done as I wanted. On Sunday we fitted the exhaust system into place, which I thought had to be done before the manifolds where installed. I was almost right as I found out today. Today (Monday) I cleaned up the intake manifold and bolted the exhaust manifolds to it. I installed the assembly and connected the exhaust system. I had to drop the entire system out of the car to line it all up. I bought new nuts to hold the manifolds on, but they turned out to use a different size socket. Very strange. As a result, I had to use the original nuts. The engine looks great in its place. Wednesday I hope to finish things up and run the engine. The cooling system has to be installed along with the fuel lines and ignition system. The exhaust system also has to be clamped into place. There's not much more to do, and the toughest parts are done. I'll register the car tomorrow at DMV. My mechanic was nice enough to mount and balance some old (but much safer then what I have) 14" tires so I don't have to worry about flats on the first run. Its clear that I'll have to rebuild the carbs soon. They are terribly dirty and they leak, which is very dangerous. I'll have some pictures up as soon as I can find my digital camera!
Day 22: First Run --Wednesday November 24, 1999
I took a day off from school today to get the car running. I cleaned and installed the radiator and installed all the cooling hoses. Alvaro showed up and we installed the exhaust system again, this time clamping it into place a little tighter. I installed the transmission cooler lines running to the radiator and filled the transmission with fluid. Then I filled the power steering pump and bled as much air as I could out of the lines and installed the fuel lines and a new filter. We installed the battery (which had been charging all day) and we were ready to start cranking! At first we left the valve cover off and the spark plugs out to build oil pressure. I held my breath and turned the key, and the engine turned over!! Everything was lined up correctly! We cranked for about 2 or 3 more minutes before the gauge registered any oil pressure. We keep going a little longer until oil started coming out of the lines above the cam shaft. Then put the valve cover back on and installed the spark plugs and wires. We started cranking again, but there was no fuel in the fuel filter. We disconnected the line at the fuel pump and used a vacuum pump to pull the fuel up from the tank into the line. We tried again, but the pump just wasn't grabbing the fuel. So we disconnected the line at the outlet of the pump and pulled fuel through it and removed all the air. Still didn't work, it just kept cranking. Next, we disconnected the line at the carbs and pulled the fuel through. This didn't work either! I was starting to get worried about the fuel pump. Not knowing what else to do, we just dumped some fuel down the carbs. Varooom! It started right up! It was very rough at first. We wired the throttle open to run at 2000rpm. It was smoking a good amount for the first few minutes, so we stopped it and checked the oil. We added a quart, checked for leaks, and started it up again. Slowly, it stopped smoking and smoothed out. After about 25 mins, we let it idle and it was running pretty good. It was getting dark fast, but we couldn't resist taking it for a drive. We checked all the fluids again, installed the plates and went out. Wow! What a difference! So much more powerful and so smooth. But there was major problem with the exhaust system, it was resting against the side of the engine compartment transferring all the vibrations from the engine into the car and making a lot of noise. We went back and cleaned up. It was a very successful day... the car runs!!!!
Day 23: Exhaust Fix -- Friday November 26, 1999
Yesterday (Thanksgiving) I drove the car from the machine shop home for the first time. I wanted to be ready to bring it by my mechanic to get the exhaust system bent into position. I couldn't resist driving the car around a little bit. And I washed it, in the rain, and boy it was dirty! Today I woke up and Charlie Hart (from the Mercedes Veterans Mailing List) stopped by with the tools I would need to adjust the carburetor's and a chassis manual. It turns out he stopped by much earlier than I expected (7:15 I think) so he left the tools outside for me. Thank you Charlie! I went over the my mechanics to see if he could help me with the exhaust. He was really impressed with the car and that I got it running and he made time for me. I left the car there and around 3pm I stopped back. It was up on a lift, but he didn't do anything yet. It was nice to see the car is really rust free underneath. Very dirty and greasy, but rust free! I came back a few hours later and it was done. He said he was exhausted from bending those pipes! $20 was all he charged me and I was thrilled! I drove it home and it was smooth and silent. Very nice. The carburetors and in bad shape, the car stalls in gear at a light or as you come to a stop. They're getting better, but I have to adjusted them and fix the leaks. I'll change the oil tomorrow and drive the car as much as I can.
Day 24: Carburetor Rebuild -- Saturday December 5, 1999
After trying to adjust the carburetors I realized it was a waste of time. I ordered the kits and started rebuilding them yesterday. I removed them from the car and brought them inside. Using a strong parts cleaner, I cleaned each part. I had them completely stripped down. I replaced all the seals and diaphragms as I reassembled. I finished one last night, and the other today. They look outstanding! I reinstalled them in the car and got it running. It runs without stalling, but they're way out of adjustment and need a lot of work still. I'll spend the day tomorrow working on them. Click here to see a picture of them, the one on the left is done and the one of the right is still very dirty.
Update --Sunday January 2, 2000
Now that finals are over I've had a chance to work on the car. After trying to adjust the carburetors for hours, I decided that I needed some help. I called friend that works for the local MB dealer and does MB repair on the side as well. He said he didn't want to touch the carbs, but he knew someone who would. I brought the car to his house, and picked it up running nicely! Cold starts were still very bad, but after warming up the car drove nicely. I took the car to inspection and passed, then started working with the carbs again! This past weekend, I brought up the idle a little to about 800rpm and started to understand how the chokes work. Today, I did a little more fine tuning to smooth out the idle, and I think I fixed the cold running problem. The chokes are rather complicated and the have too work exactly the same way on both carbs. I also took advantage of the warm weather and washed and waxed the car. It looks much better now! I think I should get a cover for it. Last weekend, I almost bought a parts car, but it didn't work out. The parts I needed (fenders, etc.) were just as bad as my car! In the next few weeks I hope to get the body fixed up. And I'm really looking forward to driving it to school at the end of the month.
I took a few pictures today, have a look!
Update --Thursday March 9, 2000
I have not done as much work as I'd have liked to since the new year, mostly because of cold weather and school work. However, progress has been made: For over a week, I drove the 250S on my daily commute to school (37 miles each way). My goal when starting this project was to have a car that could be driven daily, and driving to school showed that I was successful! I happily turned over 65,000 miles one day on the way home, and I snapped a picture. The car easily kept up with highway speeds at rush hour (75+mph) and returned 18 mpg! I'm very satisfied.
The cold starting problem is mostly eliminated. It hasn't been cold enough outside for me to know for sure. I replaced the driver's power window assembly with a unit I got from a list member (thanks Charlie!), now all four windows work. About two weeks ago I set out for a ride to find the brake pedal sank to the floor. I ended up replacing the master cylinder two days ago. The early 250S's (like mine) use a less common and far more expensive one, so I couldn't find a rebuilt. After sitting for over two weeks, the car ran poorly. I gave it a good drive around town and things are back to normal. The fuel tank is nearly empty (the reserve light works!)... I'll be draining it completely soon to flush out any "stuff" that might be floating around in there. The fuel lines running from the tank also need replacing.
This past weekend I started the process of refinishing the interior wood. I removed all the pieces around the windows and windshield. I stripped the old finish off to reveal some pretty nice wood. I stained all the pieces in cherry and they look very nice. Yesterday I took apart the dashboard to remove the remaining wood. This was quite a job, the car looks like it will be off the road a few weeks before I can put it all back together. Since I was half way there, I removed the heater lever assembly and rebuilt it. I figured out why the fan speed control never worked and repaired that as well. I would say the assembly is better than new now!
Along with rebuilding the heater levers, I put the first coat of varnish on the wood. I can already see the interior is going to look outstanding when I'm through.
I took a few pictures of the work I did tonight.
