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Sophie - My 280 SLC

4K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  jjrodger 
#1 ·
Hello out there...i have recently purchased a slightly rough '78 280slc and im loving it!
Im pretty new to all this forum and owners club stuff, and classics in general, but hopefully y'all can help turn my new baby into a beauty again!

Could anyone recommend where i can get new rubbers, clips, corners and chromes for the front and rear windscreen? (Windows are leaking!!)

the back seat is all ripped and a little mouldy (coz of the leaks) - do you think i should find replacement seat or just re-trim?

In normal drive mode, the car doesnt go into 4th/5th gear - any tips on sorting this out myself?

Would love to get some advice on some of these things....cheers in advance!
 

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#2 ·
I'm also a fairly new SLC owner, a 1980 Euro spec.

I'm all to familiar with leaks myself. The rear window rubber/seal is the source of my rear leak. Be certain you don't have any window lip rust as well, if so, fix before a new seal. Mine is going to a glass shop Wednesday. They think a new seal is not necessary, removal and new sealant [inner and outer] is.

The front leak is likely due to a cowl leak. There are drains there ~ 2 next to the blower motor [accessible through that black cover in the center rear bulkhead]. Use compressed air to be sure they are unobstructed. Also, on the outward bulkhead, debris tend to accumulate and rust through. You can access these areas through the cowl vents on either side. Clean out and poor water there to check for leaks.

Shifting? 4th/5th gear? Must have a manual trans?

Trim pieces are available online or should be at many local salvage yards.

My upper rear seat and package tray are also nasty due to water leaks. There's an online supplier for Mercedes cloth, I'll try to find the link. I'm most interested in getting my leaks fixed first. Mine has some body damage as well, due to the PO hitting a deer so I've got extra work involved :)
 
#4 ·
You do know someone put the steering wheel on the wrong side, correct? I'm just sayin'...

But all seriousness aside, congrats on your acquisition, and welcome to the board.

As to the shifting, I believe you have a three forward speed auto transmission with a 3.47 to 1 rear end ratio. This pairing would make for some seemingly high RPMs at hiway speeds. But fear not, your M110 2.8L DOHC six can handle it!

There was a four forward speed auto trans in the 280SE sedans of similar vintage, but the added gear was a low gear for take off, and had to be manually selected. I don't think the 107's were so equipped, but someone will probably post up and prove me wrong!

So again, welcome. Do yourself and all of us a favor and flesh out your profile. It often helps to know where on the planet you are, and if Sophie is listed, you don't have to retell us on every post.

Dave.
 
#5 ·
slc parts

Hi.
I recently bought a 450 slc (with the steering wheel on the wrong side :)) and have had to buy a few bits for it.

I found an on-line catalogue at http://www.sls-hh-catalogue.de/bin/dbframes.phtml?mid=IN07 and ordered wiper blades for the light and screen wipers and also a windscreen fitting kit because I thought a small water leak the car has, was through the windscreen seal.

They were pretty efficient and delivered the stuff within a week.
Sophie looks good - I hope you're enjoying her tremendous grunt! ;)

Thanks to all the people who contribute to this site. I've spent hours on here researching these fab cars, but I think this is the first time I have posted
 
#6 ·
With regards to the transmission...welcome to the world of non-overdrive trannys! The 3-speed auto in the 450SL/SLC has a final drive ratio of 1:1. So at freeway speeds, the engine is humming along at 3,000 rpm, more or less. That's just the way it was back then.

Even the 4-speed auto trannys in the earlier SL's did not have overdrive.

The only advice I have is: Get used to it! :)
 
#8 ·
Hello everyone,

I too have just purchased a hopefully not too rough SLC with the steering wheel on the wrong side. I've already been researching suppliers to put my new toy back into some semblance of order.

Seals are available from an outfit called www.forestfine.com recommended by the Merc Owners' Club. SLS cited by an earlier poster is also good.

For upholstery try Mercedes W107 450SL,380SL, 560SL, carpet, seat upholstery kits, convertible tops, tonneau cover they stock new covers for your rear seat (US$1180 for the leather seat covers, but you may need new pads) and 1978 - GAHH Online Store they stock a full set of covers (US$1142) or for the backrest and armrest alone (US$784) or for the bench alone (US$675). Both come well-recommended on this forum (you can search for examples of retrim work using their covers) and I think both ship internationally.

Closer to home, try Welcome at www.cabrio.de again highly recommended and related to MB but their website is harder to fathom.

This site is useful: DB Depot Mercedes Ersatzteile spare parts for Classic Cars from Germany and is an official supplier to the Mercedes-Benz Clubs organisation in Germany.

Have you tried changing gear manually using the shift lever? The 280 is quite highly geared such that it revs at about 3,750rpm at 70mph.

The car looks great by the way. Icon Gold is a fantastic "period" colour. Let us know how you get on.
 
#9 ·
Hi and welcome. Has the car been repainted, because the it looks suspiciously good, but theres nothing wrong with that ;) . But if it has that may be the reason for some of the leaks, with seals being replaced wrong.
And assuming your in Britain, (I dont think Australia, South Africa or a few other Asian countries have those kinds of number plates) you should be fine finding parts from the US or germany.
 
#10 ·
The car only uses 2nd, 3rd and 4th and is weird if you count gears but all is good, if you had a problem with your tranny you'd know right away. The first thing to do is have the car tuned and fluids changed, then go for the seals or visa versa. Wish my car was leak free! They are real cool cars but cost real money to maintain properly.

Good luck on your purchase, these cars are fun and fast. With 120,000miles on the clock the engine in my car is still a pup. The m110 is one of the most durable engine mercedes made besides the diesels, and the 110 gives you more bang for you buck than the 450.

Good luck, you might need it!
 
#11 ·
While it's true that the 280 is better bang for the buck in the US, that's not as true in the UK. The 450 there has 222HP and a 0-60 time of 8.8 secs as compared to the 10.1 of the 280.
 
#12 ·
how about handling though? the UK 450 without all the smog crap they put on our US cars may have more juice but the handling and mileage have to suffer. 12mpg vs. 15mpg might not sound like much but in the UK gas must be 2X at least how much it costs here at 3.50$ 91 octane. So for bang for the buck I meant in terms of mileage costs the 280 exceeds though I also heard the 450 is quite a durable engine. Especially how fast does the average merdedes driver drive (70mph feels like speeding on this forum). The only problem with the late models is we are talking about almost a 40year old engine design for the 280 and probably the same for the 450.


They did make these cars with more modern engines like the 380 or 560, i'd like something with an ecu for ease in tuning and diagnostic.
 
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