[Jeffob5]

Had a chance to drive a 84 SL380 today that I have been considering. The car looks good overall, knowledgeable seller with other older MB's in the driveway & garages. Looks all original, 90K miles. Some cosmetic issues with the top, which looks good in general except for about a 2 inch tear just above the driver window. Interior is also good, seats (MB tex) and wood are very good, but there is a crack across the center of the dash.

Are these cosmetics repairable? I would probably replace the top at some point but would want a reasonably decent repair to keep it more water tight in case I got caught out in the rain. Also, are there guys out there that can do a decent repair job on the dash? It is otherwise good except for the crack across which is several inches long.

Driving impression was also good. I could feel was that the steering has quite a bit of play. I would say 1"+ left or right off center before you feel any real effect at the wheels. Is that normal in these older SL's and can it be tighten up or is this a sign of something more serious with the steering rack or front end?

Thanks in advance for your replays.

 

[dugald]

Replays is right. There's a lot of info in the archives here. The search functions on this site or on Google will help you mine that resource.

Meanwhile, you can patch your canvas. Use a matching piece and contact cement, either on the inside or out. If you're careful, it can look presentable and if it's not where the canvas bends to store, can last a long time. Unfortunately, your present top will likely get worse soon as the dry rot continues.

Dash cracks are hard to fix neatly. Folks use dash caps to cover the damage; satisfaction varies. Search for details.

The service manual allows 1" play in the steering. Again, there are lots of previous posts on steering adjustment.

 

[cwmoser]

Ditto. I concur that you can patch up your top with some canvas scraps that you
can get from a Convertible Top Shop. Use contact cement like HH-66 or some other
fabric cement. The results will be surprisingly good but its inevitable that you will
need to replace your top. Patching should put off top replacement for a couple years.
There are very good threads on this forum detailing how to replace your soft
top yourself if you are a DIYer. I patched mine for a couple years and finally
replaced it myself. A brand new soft top really makes these old SL's look good.

Most likely that 380SL has a bad Steering Coupler - an attachment device with rubber
bushings that connects the Steering Wheel rod with the shaft at the Steering Gear Box.
What happens is that over time the rubber deteriorates and causes excessive play.
Most times you will hear a soft clicking sound as you turn the Steering Wheel.

I have a 380SL with a perfect no crack dash and a 560SL with dash cracks.
The 560SL has a Dash Cover (approx $125) that covers the cracks and to me looks
very acceptable. I'm pretty obsessive about things and the Dash Cover looks good enough
to not bother me enough to want to pull the entire dash out and install a replacement.
If you are striving for a pristine 100 point show car certainly you would want to do
a dash replacement, but to me those Dash Covers fit and finish immensely impressed me.

Its a 30 year old vehicle and will need some TLC. This forum can be valuable to
you in fixing up that 380SL as it has a ton of procedures to fix things.

Post some photos and details about that 380SL and folks here can give you their opinions
on the car.

 

[Weather Man]

I think the '84 and '85 380SL's are about ideal. If the one you saw was otherwise in good condition, you should go for it. You'll have a fun summer.

But first, find someone to work on it for you or learn to DIY because there will be lots to do, inevitably. My wrenching skills are limited but I own the factory service manuals so am good at diagnosing; I can point the man in the right direction.

 

[littlered380sl]

Rather then a dash matt I went with a dash skin cover, works very well and looks original and they are guaranteed not to crack, thu they are a little tricky to glue down. I just Mr. Tear for my soft top repair. Work excellent, google it. Hard to find, but Amazon has it.

 

[rowdie]

Rather then a dash matt I went with a dash skin cover, works very well and looks original and they are guaranteed not to crack, thu they are a little tricky to glue down. I just Mr. Tear for my soft top repair. Work excellent, google it. Hard to find, but Amazon has it.

What is a dish skin cover?

 

[jaymaynard]

What is a dish skin cover?

A full-order chicken fried steak from Bill & Rosa's in D'Hanis, Texas. Thing overlaps the plate on all sides. Yum! :thumbsup:

Now, as for a dash skin cover...

 

[rowdie]

A full-order chicken fried steak from Bill & Rosa's in D'Hanis, Texas. Thing overlaps the plate on all sides. Yum! :thumbsup:

Now, as for a dash skin cover...

I need to proof read.

I think both he and Carl were talking about the plastic dash cap but I could be wrong.

 

[Jeffob5]

Thanks all for the replies here, some good advice. In contact today with a good local indy MB specialist who has seen the car. I am going to try and get it over to him for PPI. The lack of repair records really mandates it in my mind or I am taking too much of a risk.

I think I understand the cosmetics with the top and the dash. Could live with them both and do some inexpensive patches and see how they hold up. I could see getting a new top for the car, but would likely never spend $2K for a new dash and would try one of the plastic covers which look pretty good to me.

Regarding the steering play issue, that I will get checked out by a mechanic before I buy the car. I would want the car to handle as close to original as possible and that would need to be addressed or I wouldn't be happy.