1971 280se conv resto questions

[Montclair Benz]

So, stripped the interior and chrome off the 280 and it is off to be soda blasted this week but I have a few questions:
I have found a hole which goes from below the brake master cylinder and comes out of the drivers' front wheel well. It had been plugged up before. Is this a drain hole or should it be plugged?

How do I get at the (broken) radio ariel which is on the passenger side front wing. I am hoping I really don't have to take the wing off!

The back of the car says "280SE" with the word "Automatic" below on the left hand side. "3.5" is on the right of the trunk. The auto cars I have seen in photos only say "280SE" on the left so do I need to fix this? The car is an auto.

Any idea where to get thick padding for the transmission tunnel covering or the tar mats which cover the floorpan?

Thanks!

Adrian

[E-Class Owner]

to this forum.

Please do yourself, and the other members a favor and complete your profile including your location. This will make our suggestions more relevant as to sources of parts, etc.

If the W111 is similar to the sedans, there should be a removable panel in the right front wheel well that will allow access to the radio antenna.

If your car says "automatic" on the trunk, there is a high likelihood that is is a European, as opposed to a U.S. version of the vehicle.

I have not seen the "automatic" badge on an off-line convertible, but have seen it on a number of European W113 SLs. The 3.5 coupe/cab was available with a four speed manual in Europe, but came only in an "auto" for U.S. delivery.

The chassis will typically have a few extra "holes" that are plugged; this arises from the need to make specific modifications to the chassis set-up for different markets, e.g. right hand drive, etc.

Good luck on your project.

JR

[Montclair Benz]

Thanks JR

I filled out my profile!

The naming on the back makes sense because it is a Euro car and still has the KPH speedo which I want to replace (anyone got one?). I may take the Automatic name off and just have it liek the American spec. The car has been messed around a lot anyway, so I may as well try and get it to look like a US car at least.

I undid the 2 bolts that hold that panel on the wheel well but the panel didn't budge. I wil have another look at it but maybe the panel has just got so much sealer on it, that it is stuck.

I will plug the holes!

Thanks for your tips

Adrian

[E-Class Owner]

That is the longest car description I have seen in a profile, but it sure tells the story.

Be careful with that panel in the wheel well, when I removed mine in a sedan, [a California car, BTW] it was sealed pretty heavily. With a European version, now located on the east coast, I would be very wary of the potential of rust actually being the "tie that binds," in this instance.

JR

[mercmad6.3]

Originally Posted by Montclair Benz

Thanks JR

I filled out my profile!

The naming on the back makes sense because it is a Euro car and still has the KPH speedo which I want to replace (anyone got one?). I may take the Automatic name off and just have it liek the American spec. The car has been messed around a lot anyway, so I may as well try and get it to look like a US car at least.

I undid the 2 bolts that hold that panel on the wheel well but the panel didn't budge. I wil have another look at it but maybe the panel has just got so much sealer on it, that it is stuck.

I will plug the holes!

Thanks for your tips

Adrian

There are THREE bolts holding the panel in place . it's no big deal to remove the wing. It will come off in under 10 minutes on even the rustiest car. The other bolt is in side the engine compartment in line with the wing bolts.
Keep the ariel if it is a hirshmann because they are repairable and very desirable in terms of quality and originality.
Check the rubber seal on the outside of that panel and in most cases it can simply be washed in hot soapy water to bring it back up to scratch.
Remove both panels and carefully check inside the cavity for rust,because being a euro car it will be on the cards that rust will be there ,just hidden.
The car should be body color painted in the wheel houses ,not black chassis paint! only those two removeble panels are black and i use POR15 on them to prevent rock damage.
In fact i would remove the front wings anyway and refinish under the front to clean up 40 years of road grime,check the front suspension and overhaul it if neccesary and over the brakes. No time like the present as they say.
When ci first read your desription of the car i thought" oh no,280 SE 3.5 convert in the hands of a DIYer ...!" because a real 3.5 convert is a seriously valuable car.It's still desirable even with the V8 conversion. Good luck with it.

The tar mats are available from auto paint supplier and are called "bostic sound deadning mats".They come in boxes of 50 or so,enough to do several cars...so visit a paint supplier and see if they can direct you to a panel shop which may sell a few. The speedo is rare ! KEEP IT! ,.