14 replies to this topic

[Bob Kolenda]

One of the cars that I maintain is a gullwing Benz. It is a mostly untouched car mechanically but it was getting fairly shaby looking and feeling. The paint was starting to bubble in spots and someone changed the interior color by dyeing the original leather to the point that it feels like vinyl, plus the car just leaked everywhere.

I finally got the OK to restore it properly. I just finished removing the body from the chassis. Knowing that there are a lot of classic car fans here, I thought you might enjoy seeing the tubular chassis of this very cool car.

Bob

[Courtney S]

Thanks so much!

 

That is so cool, you are a blessed man.

[Mike Patterson]

Wow! A project like that would almost make me want to get up and go to work in the morning.
 
Are you doing a cosmetic as well as mechanical restoration on the chassis? If so, please post some more pics as you go along.
 
Nice shop, too!

[Bob Kolenda]

Yes, Mike, I will be doing a complete restoration.

 

If people as interested I will post some progress photos as we go.

[Half Fast]

A Birdcage Mercedes!

 

Cool.

 

I look forward to seeing more.

 

Cheers.

[Dave Crevie]

A birdcage indeed. If you are stripping the chassis, check the welds at the kick-ups just ahead of the swing axles. Let me know if you find any tiny cracks. I saw this on one a friend did. But then, that car had been heavily raced. 

 

The holy grail for this car is to find a set of Rudge wheels and hubs. Adds a big pile of dollars to the value.

[Bob Kolenda]

Thanks, Dave. No obvious cracks on first inspection but I will be throughly checking the chassis once I get it apart.

[Cheater]

If people as interested I will post some progress photos as we go.

Are you kidding?

If you don't post those photos, I'm banning you!!! LOL...

[Bob Kolenda]

Will do, Greg.

 

It's funny but most people know nothing about these cars. They see it as a cool car with interesting doors. It was a highly advanced car with not only fuel injection but direct fuel injection; we are now seeing the rest of the auto industry finally going to direct injection.

 

Along with the tube chassis, you had an overhead cam engine with dry sump oiling and the biggest drum brakes I have ever seen on a street car.

[Cheater]

Bob,

 

No insult intended, but the members at Slotblog are not "most people"!

 

I admit that's not always a positive thing... LOL.

[MSwiss]

There was a Sam Posey written article in Road & Track awhile back about his car, that gave a little bit of insight into it.

[Cheater]

Is this the article you are recalling, Mike?

The SL and Me

[MSwiss]

Yep, that's it.

[n.elmholt]

In around 1975 I inherited my grandfather's Mercedes 180. I was 20 years old and attending the Danish version of college, so that was very cool. I was later told that it was the first overhead valve car in the city.  :-)

The SL300 looks like a tight package with no room for what's absolutely necessary.  :-)
 
Some years ago I built this LITTLE FELLA for slot racing.
 
Thanks for sharing.
 
NIels, DK

[Dave Crevie]

It is true that there are few people who have had a 300SL torn down to this extent.

The first one I saw being restored was at the point where it was a bare frame. I was so impressed at the amount of thought that had been put into how each tube absorbed stresses from several directions. This done before CAD and stress analysis programs. I believe the welds were all gas welds, which are usually self normalizing, and that would account for the very rare occurance of cracks in and around the welds.

Pretty much everything I know about 300SLs came through racing. I can't remember ever seeing a street-only Gullwing. Some roadsters, but not coupes. So everything you post here will be educational for me.