US 280 Coupe

Volvoboy

http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/76/45428876.html

Blue850

looks to be in pretty poor shape, this is for sale for the same money on gumtree




350 SLC

2cv

Volvoboy wrote: »

http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/76/45428876.html

The bumper on the US models are fugly :mad:

Max_Damage

If I had that car, the 5mph safety bumpers and the sealed beam headlights would be the first things to go. The Yanks really did ruin cars in the 70's and 80's were their federalisation nonsense.

PaulK_CCI

2cv wrote: »

The bumper on the US models are fugly :mad:

True ! They are horific. But on the positive side, the US models did usually come with all the 'boxes ticked', so you could find electric windowd, auto, aircon, leather etc. Exchanging with a pair of Euro bumpers wouldn;t be a tough job to do...

This example though looks to be in very poor condition, and will need a lot of money to get it back in shape again! I see rust in the rear side wing, and that is notoriously crucial on these coupe's, also the rust on the bottom front wing, indicates that the sills running behind them will be in similar shape...

Max_Damage

Although the ad states the car in a Californian import, so rust shouldn't be that big of an issue.

fish-head

But the Merc badge is gone. How's anyone supposed to know it's a Merc?

Dades

Max_Damage wrote: »

Although the ad states the car in a Californian import, so rust shouldn't be that big of an issue.

I suspect that might have been true in 2003. I reckon it's been sitting in the Leixlip rain for 6 years though.

Max_Damage

fish-head wrote: »

But the Merc badge is gone. How's anyone supposed to know it's a Merc?

What???

PaulK_CCI

Max_Damage wrote: »

Although the ad states the car in a Californian import, so rust shouldn't be that big of an issue.

It's a misconception to think that all Californian cars are rustfree . I've seen cars worse than a UK car when they rolled out of the container.

Unless a car is what they call a 'black plate' Californian, which means that the car was first registered in California and has remained in CA throughout its lifecylce, you can;t be sure where the car came from. You might have a Californian car, that spent most of its life in a damp and dismall New York State or was an import from the Uk...
And even Black plate CA cars can be pretty rough. Condensation from being left outside all of its lifetime can also wreak havoc...

Max_Damage

^ I'd say the months at sea, being exposed to salty, moist air doesn't help.

Probably best to do a full and thorough background check of the vehicle before purchasing.

PaulK_CCI

Max_Damage wrote: »

^ I'd say the months at sea, being exposed to salty, moist air doesn't help.
.

Generally cars from the US are shipped in containers and not on open ferries, so I doubt very much that would have been an issue

Max_Damage

Surely containers aren't air tight though.

G Luxel

Volvoboy wrote: »

http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/76/45428876.html

The Spot lights and front side indicators should be removed, but I dont think the door mirror is original. Aren't those alloys
for the SLC rather than this model?

Blue850

I have a early 70s Mercedes accessory catalogue which lists those alloys as an option on W114 280s

PaulK_CCI

G Luxel wrote: »

, but I dont think the door mirror is original.

Correct blue about the alloys.

The door mirror is in fact totally original. it's one of the weirdest Mercedes 'factory bodge job' I know of.
This is the series 2 facelift W114 series, which featured the modern steering wheel and gear knob, wider radiator, ribbed rear light lenses, and also the bigger side mirrors. These were fitted normally in the corner of the door frame on the saloons, but the coupe's doors are pillarless with a small side/vent window. They were kept for the 2nd series W114, but fitting those big mirrors must have given the designers a bit of a headache, as the strange and odd looking solution they came up with was fitting the wingmirror not in the corner of the window frame, but a couple of inches back, against the upright frame for the old side/window, which obviously now could not be opened any more.

MercMad

PaulK_CCI wrote: »

Correct blue about the alloys.

The door mirror is in fact totally original. it's one of the weirdest Mercedes 'factory bodge job' I know of.
This is the series 2 facelift W114 series, which featured the modern steering wheel and gear knob, wider radiator, ribbed rear light lenses, and also the bigger side mirrors. These were fitted normally in the corner of the door frame on the saloons, but the coupe's doors are pillarless with a small side/vent window. They were kept for the 2nd series W114, but fitting those big mirrors must have given the designers a bit of a headache, as the strange and odd looking solution they came up with was fitting the wingmirror not in the corner of the window frame, but a couple of inches back, against the upright frame for the old side/window, which obviously now could not be opened any more.

......yteah the wheels came out in '68 as an option but the mirrors were always a problem and this model highlights it the best. Even if they did fit them into the corner as on the saloon you wouldn't be able to use them as the frame for the vent window would cut straight through the view.

On the other cars with vent windows, and even on the Pagoda the passenger side mirror is fitted slightly further back on the door.

I was never mad about the facelifted cars anyway.

PaulK_CCI

MercMad wrote: »

I was never mad about the facelifted cars anyway.

have to aggree with you there, they look a bit bloated as opposed to the more balanced (style wise!) series 1


Re. the wingmirrors, it's actually not really a problem on the pagoda and other Mercs with ventwindows, because those mirrors are detached and they still look elegant. It;s the 'integrated' mirror solution that look awkward

MercMad

Yeah the detached ones are fine, except where folk decide to fit one to the passenger side and use the driver's side as a guideline !