[Ted Sealey]

I have a 1969 280SE automatic, which by the vin number should be a V6, it has a V8 in it correct for the period but not for that VIN. I thought that someone had thrown a V8 in but then when I removed the dirt from the plate the VIN matches the engine bay VIN but the model number is listed as 280SE/c/8*. The front grill def looks like the V6 model, any help please.

 

[Eirik 400 SE]

Never existed any W108, W109, W110, W111 ASO, with a V6..
An inline 6 yes, or a V8 on some models.
The grille doesn't tell you anything.. Meaning, the grill on older models can't tell what type of engine tha car have..
Your car could be a original 280 SE 3,5 (wich is a V8) or someone may have rebuilt the car as a V8...
If it's an original 280 SE the chassinumber should start with 108 018
If it's an original 280 SE 3.5 the number should be 108 057

 

[GeeS]

Post the VIN if you're looking for some help.

 

[ChopTop250SE]

Never existed any W108, W109, W110, W111 ASO, with a V6..
An inline 6 yes, or a V8 on some models.
The grille doesn't tell you anything.. Meaning, the grill on older models can't tell what type of engine tha car have..
Your car could be a original 280 SE 3,5 (wich is a V8) or someone may have rebuilt the car as a V8...
If it's an original 280 SE the chassinumber should start with 108 018
If it's an original 280 SE 3.5 the number should be 108 057

I would like to make some corrections to your statements if you do not mind.
a w111 chassis car would not have a chassis number starting with 108. The 108 is reserved for the 108/4 door cars.
Also, on the w111 cars the grill can tell something. There are tall and low grilles. Tall grille/early cars were all 6 cylinders. Low cars can be 6 or 8.
If it is a low grille and a 6 cylinder then it an only be an early 280SE/c. Or could be any of the other v8's.

So Ted what do you have a tall grill or low grille coupe? Can you post some pictures?

 

[Ted Sealey]

Hi Everyone

Initially I thought it was a 6 with a V8 dropped in, but the car is very very original. I have just taken delivery of this car, the history is unknown but I'm cleaning it and finding no rust, no bog the car looks totally unmolested, I have a 356, so I know molested cars, and from the dirt on the inside, in the boot and under the carpets I would put $10 on it belonging to a farmer who must have parked it in a shed for a few decades, that and the plate (see attached pic) makes me think that its all original, it belongs in a museum. Maybe he had the V8 dropped in some time prior but that then why has the plate on the front have /c/8*

 

[ChopTop250SE]

?It looks like a high grill but has a v8? This is the first time I am seeing this...Ok then maybe I was wrong....

Why is the brake booster on the right side? Is this a Right Hand Drive car?

 

[Ted Sealey]

The car is RHD, I bought it in Melbourne and as far as I can work out it is Aust delivery however the guy I bought it from deals in Jap imports.

 

[ChopTop250SE]

I am still not convinced. Something on that car either is mixed up or I am missinformed. As far as I know 111 024 is supposed to be a 280SE/C 6 cyl with m130 engine. Unless there were very few early 280SE's with 111 024 that had the m116 engines but still with the early body style.

 

[Ted Sealey]

I'm exactly the same, the VIN is 6 (111024), the grill is a 6 but the ID plate has me confused, unless the 8* refers to something else. Do you know if Merc has an archive on this stuff

 

[ChopTop250SE]

Well, the 8 on the vin plate may not, and I think does not, refer to the # of cylinders. However, that is secondary, the fact is that the car DOES have a
v8 in it, and it looks like a m116 engine(which is correct for 280se 3.5 cars).

I guess we would have to wait until someone more knowledgable shines a light on us. BTW, I have a 67 RHD 250SE/C and just so you know RHD drive coupes are extremely rare. They were built per order. I was informed a while back that between 1961 and 1973 there were only 512 RHD coupes made. The number may be inaccurate but they are extremely rare. :thumbsup:

 

[POS]

The plate on your car implies it's a 280SE 6-cylinder; the plate would say "3.5" in the location where it currently says "8" if it was a genuine 3.5 coupe. I don't know what the designation of the "8" is, but it's possible it's referring to the Stroke 8 6-cyl engine that MB produced in the late '60s and early '70s.

I found a 280SE on ebay that has the "8" on the VIN plate:
eBay Motors: Mercedes-Benz : S-Class (item 290288695640 end time Jan-18-09 13:21:28 PST)

I think you have a 280SE 6-cyl car that someone dropped a 3.5 engine into; it'd cost a lot to do it yourself, so I say enjoy it.

 

[Eirik 400 SE]

A proper request to Mercedes-Benz classic senter would probably help ...

I just used W108 as an example, I could have used W11 instead.. But ...
I know the difference between a W108 and W111, and a W109 too..

I didn't know the grilles were different. I knew there were different grilles, but thought it was the same as on the W114/115 models, which got a lower and wider grill in 1973, and no relevance to the engine at all..

 

[GeeS]

Hi Everyone

Initially I thought it was a 6 with a V8 dropped in, but the car is very very original. I have just taken delivery of this car, the history is unknown but I'm cleaning it and finding no rust, no bog the car looks totally unmolested, I have a 356, so I know molested cars, and from the dirt on the inside, in the boot and under the carpets I would put $10 on it belonging to a farmer who must have parked it in a shed for a few decades, that and the plate (see attached pic) makes me think that its all original, it belongs in a museum. Maybe he had the V8 dropped in some time prior but that then why has the plate on the front have /c/8*

Go with your initial hunch. It is a 6 cylinder that had a V8 dropped in by a PO. "/8" was a common, if rather odd, designation DB used during that era to indicate a vehicle built after 1967 (/8 = '68+). There is a model just like yours with a factory V8, VIN designation starts 111.026 rather than 111.024.

 

[Bill A]

Thats a 3.5, killer car once worth more than gold. I ran a dyno then and could make them just flat fly. I ran one against a 6.3 and spanked it. I ran the 6.3 against a big block vette and spanked it. You got a find..... if you can afford it.
Bill

 

[redwood]

you have your hands on a very rare bird indeed.. probably a M116 3.5 Litre. take good care of her....

 

[DirectLA]

Go with your initial hunch. It is a 6 cylinder that had a V8 dropped in by a PO. "/8" was a common, if rather odd, designation DB used during that era to indicate a vehicle built after 1967 (/8 = '68+). There is a model just like yours with a factory V8, VIN designation starts 111.026 rather than 111.024.

The first sentence on this link seems to back up the info provided above at least regarding the /8 designation, that it does indeed tell us it's a "stroke 8" 6-cyl engine: http://www.geocities.com/mbz109/w108history.html

Also, your number plate 111.024.22 reveals the following:
111.024 (280SE... if it was 111.026, that would indicate it's a 280SE 3.5)
22 (first 2 indicates it's right hand drive built in Germany, the second 2 tells us it's an auto transmission)
remaining numbers should simply be the individual car's serial number.

I believe the Classic Center in Irvine, California will provide the original build sheet to you at no cost to totally verify your car's original specs. Have your VIN ready when you call. Their toll-free number is 1-866-622-5277 (1-866-MB-CLASSIC).

Please do share with us what you find out!

 

[jcmbz]

The first sentence on this link seems to back up the info provided above at least regarding the /8 designation, that it does indeed tell us it's a "stroke 8" 6-cyl engine: http://www.geocities.com/mbz109/w108history.html

Also, your number plate 111.024.22 reveals the following:
111.024 (280SE... if it was 111.026, that would indicate it's a 280SE 3.5)
22 (first 2 indicates it's right hand drive built in Germany, the second 2 tells us it's an auto transmission)
remaining numbers should simply be the individual car's serial number.

I believe the Classic Center in Irvine, California will provide the original build sheet to you at no cost to totally verify your car's original specs. Have your VIN ready when you call. Their toll-free number is 1-866-622-5277 (1-866-MB-CLASSIC).

Please do share with us what you find out!

thx for letting me know how to decode these numbers.... as the russian site wont able to decode (and it is already down...sigh)