I would never think of trusting a 36 year old tire no matter if it is otherwise new "looking". The rest of the tires are Michelins and the spare will eventually get one as well.
1984 Production Euro Spec 280CE 4-speed
New to me and just arrived from Texas. September 1984 production 280CE 4-speed, European spec as confirmed by the VIN. 43,193 document miles. I am now the 3rd owner. The story on the car is that the original owner was a Doctor who ordered it and took delivery of the car in Belgium, drove it around Europe while on vacation and then shipped it to Texas. According to the 2nd owner who worked with this doctor he found himself on the wrong side of the law and went to prison for 7 years. The story was told to me that when he was released from prison he drove the car, presumably without checking the oil, and blew the motor. The 2nd owner paid $500.00 for the car, I have a copy of the bill of sale, and purchased a new short block from Adsit, which I have the receipt for, swapped everything over from the blown motor and had it installed in the car.
The Good: The block has only approximately 10,000 miles on it.
The Bad: It is no longer a matching numbers car.
When imported the car was federalized and US spec headlights, taillights and bumpers were installed. And at some point in the vehicles life the front manual window regulators were swapped for power ones.
The car came with its original owner's manuals, complete tool kit, original Pirelli Cinturato spare (I don't think it has ever been out of the car), original first aid kit, and even a mint working Becker Europa radio.
To Do:
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The Good: The block has only approximately 10,000 miles on it.
The Bad: It is no longer a matching numbers car.
When imported the car was federalized and US spec headlights, taillights and bumpers were installed. And at some point in the vehicles life the front manual window regulators were swapped for power ones.
The car came with its original owner's manuals, complete tool kit, original Pirelli Cinturato spare (I don't think it has ever been out of the car), original first aid kit, and even a mint working Becker Europa radio.
To Do:
- Swap in Euro headlights (already have a set).
- Go back to manual front windows (already have the manual regulators and cranks with trim).
- Swap out US spec bumpers for Euro spec. Low priority right now.
- The car came from the factory with a rear seatbelt delete option (I found this to be an odd option and even more odd to select it). I am missing and need to source one of the rear panel seat belt blanking covers. Done, I found the second trim piece in a box of spares in the trunk.
- Replace all the wood trim. I have already ordered a complete set from W123 I am going with burl rather than the original Zebrano as I feel it will look nice with the black/grey interior. 10 to 12 weeks to make.
- Source a crack free or less crack free dash.
- Give the paint a good cut, buff and polish.
- Possibly go back to Euro taillights.
- Replace shifter bushing.
- Replace cracked exterior window wiper rubbers.
- Tune up with new plugs, cap, rotor, injectors with new cups and O-rings, adjust valves and replace all fluids as well as a good cooling system flush.
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Besides the new burl trim pieces, I also ordered a full set of Coco Mats in a black and grey to blend in with the OEM Anthracite cloth interior.
Sourced some vinyl in the correct grain and the seats and headrests are at the upholstery shop to replace the dried out covers and side bolster vinyl. I am off today on a three hour drive North into Vermont to look at a decent replacement dash. It is supposed to be 75F and sunny here today, so it should be a nice ride in my Saab 900 classic turbo convertible.
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Sourced some vinyl in the correct grain and the seats and headrests are at the upholstery shop to replace the dried out covers and side bolster vinyl. I am off today on a three hour drive North into Vermont to look at a decent replacement dash. It is supposed to be 75F and sunny here today, so it should be a nice ride in my Saab 900 classic turbo convertible.
Coco Mats arrived yesterday. I can't say enough about the quality of these. Though they are not inexpensive, you definitely get your moneys worth. And I love the bag they are shipped in just as much as the mats themselves.
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It was actually a nail polish I found at my local Walmart.
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I know, I thought the same thing when I learned they could be had with a 5-speed. Or if really dreaming an M117 V8 under the hood, but unfortunately those were saved for the W126 cars.
I will be "personalizing" the car a bit. I want to lower the car, run 8"x16" Penta look alike Maxilite wheels with the centers black to match the aftermarket Euro bumpers I bought that I will powder coat a matching black. I already ordered the stripe decals from Acromann, but will have a local sign shop see if they can match the text/look of the AMG letters and replace them with 280CE. I like the looks of the stripes, but feel the AMG is a misrepresentation and 280CE would be a good substitute. That or no letters at all. And no AMG badging on the trunk. I feel I would keep the grill chrome because I will not be changing the rest of the chrome to black. I already have the Euro headlights and Zender side skirts, just need to pick and aftermarket front chin spoiler.
This is kind of the look I am after.
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I will be "personalizing" the car a bit. I want to lower the car, run 8"x16" Penta look alike Maxilite wheels with the centers black to match the aftermarket Euro bumpers I bought that I will powder coat a matching black. I already ordered the stripe decals from Acromann, but will have a local sign shop see if they can match the text/look of the AMG letters and replace them with 280CE. I like the looks of the stripes, but feel the AMG is a misrepresentation and 280CE would be a good substitute. That or no letters at all. And no AMG badging on the trunk. I feel I would keep the grill chrome because I will not be changing the rest of the chrome to black. I already have the Euro headlights and Zender side skirts, just need to pick and aftermarket front chin spoiler.
This is kind of the look I am after.
The other big decision for me is what to do with the interior. The coconut fiber in the front seats, especially the driver's seat, needs to be replaced and the covers rebuilt. The fabric is in perfect condition, but the original vinyl on the sides has cracked and needs to be replaced. All of that comes with an expense. But, staying with the AMG theme has gotten me thinking about replacing the front seats with a more sporty seat. The one AMG W123, a wagon, that I could find pictures of came with Recaro Classic C seats. These also came in other models. The red ones pictured were from an SL owner in AU. At over $3,000 for a pair of used original Recaros, I stumbled upon a seat that sort of replicates the look for a much lower cost and I am throwing the idea around in my head of using these. The seats are sport seats out of a 1987-1989 Fox body Mustang. I already own the seats and would have them reupholstered using original Karo cloth for the center sections in a pattern that replicates the Recaro seats. Or I could keep them solid black leather, but then I would need to find another rear seat to recover in all leather, saving the original front and rear seats for originality sake.
First picture is the Reacro Classic C. Second picture is the Mustang sport seats I own.
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First picture is the Reacro Classic C. Second picture is the Mustang sport seats I own.
Well, after being with "my Mercedes guy" for over a year it is finally back in my possession. The car wasn't running the way it should so it got a CIS Flowtech rebuilt fuel distributor, rebuilt WUR, a rotted fuel filter replaced, a clogged fuel return line cleaned out, and other bits sorted. Still needs a valve adjustment and the WUR ground sorted out, but these will have to wait as I am deploying with my military units for at least 6 months.
When I get back the car will be going in for a stripped down to bare metal repaint, replace all of the seals, add euro bumpers that I have had powder coated black, Euro headlights and amber signal lights, some Penta style wheels, lowered 50mm and a "unique" body stripe like this, but modified to read 280CE instead of AMG.
I will be basically duplicating the Acromann look.
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When I get back the car will be going in for a stripped down to bare metal repaint, replace all of the seals, add euro bumpers that I have had powder coated black, Euro headlights and amber signal lights, some Penta style wheels, lowered 50mm and a "unique" body stripe like this, but modified to read 280CE instead of AMG.
I will be basically duplicating the Acromann look.
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