[[email protected]#]

I went to get the alignment done for my 1972 Mercedes 280 SEL 4.5L after replacing most of the front and rear suspension parts. The shop found some play in the passenger’s side upper inner control arm (1/16th to 1/8th inch). There is no appearance that the bolt has loosened so they speculate that maybe there were shims in there that disintegrated over the years. Has anyone encountered this problem and if so what did you do? I am tempted to soak the bolt in with an anti-rust solvent for several days in a row and see if I can tighten it by hand to remove the play. Does this sound plausible?

 

[wbain]

You wrote 'most'. Given the age of the car, you should have replaced all components. That includes the kingpins and the brass bushings, which need to be reamed, not homed. Please look at the following link and notice there are two different sized cap style bolts, 30 and 31 mm. This may be 300SEL specific, but it's worth a look.

M-100 Message Board - Front axle assembly

There is also much info over at the W113 SL site:

Drive train, fuel, suspension, steering & brakes

You may need to remove the crossmember, after removing the springs, and clean and repaint it.

Please take some pics amd post them.

 

[bostosh]

Hi wbain good to see ya still doing things. Back to the ?? of the moment.

[email protected]# give us more details on the whole car please. maybe post your latest bank account statement too.

I've replaced those inner uppers on a 4.5. They are nearly impossible but do-able to do while in the car. I took both the fenders off for access, replaced a exhaust manifold and motor mounts, tune-up and valve adjustment too while having access into that area. It is the lock plate access which is the problem. If you cannot D.I.Y. it is a big $$ item to a competent experienced MBZ guy.

Do not allow an inexperienced machanic do this job, too many pits to fall into.

This is just one of the reasons they "give these cars away" due to the cost of labor and those replacement parts are $175 each side.
Figure on 8-10 hours per side at whatever the shop rate is.
Some places will rebuild the entire front subframe assembly for 4-5K
Hold onto your wallet.

I have purchased a whole car for $1200 which has a tight front and rear axle. You do have choices.

 

[bostosh]

Now that I've scared your wallet, consider this.

It is a routine item to check if those nuts wbain is pointing to. get loose and need a big correct socket and breaker bar to tighten, you must remove the grease nipple first.

Yes they just simply loosen sometimes,
and befuddle those inexperienced front end guys who may be younger than your 4.5 .

worth a try before the big $$

 

[[email protected]#]

Thanks for the info! I suspected that a total front end redo might be necessary to remove the play, and I am not surprised to hear the cost. Of course any car can be restored to “like new” condition with an unlimited budget of time and money, but this is a vehicle that will never go to a show, I just want it to be reasonably safe and comfortable. Personally I cannot feel the play in the front end now that I’ve replaced the shocks, tie rods, drag links, and outer bushings, but do want to try see what I can do. Thanks for the tips on the socket sizes and grease nipple – I’ll give it a try.