Detailing World Forum banner

Mercedes 250 se re- commision

105K views 177 replies 80 participants last post by  weedougall78 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi every one, I dont normally post any of my work on here but do get a lot of pleasure from reading all the other posts and if im honest after 38 years of repairing, restoring, and detailing (as its now called) it helps to keep my enthusiasm and quality of work up to a reasonable standard.
Anyway a little background that led to this car being put back on the road.
I was recommended to the owner by one of my friends and was asked if I would go and inspect a vehicle that had stood in a garden for twenty years to see what it would need to get it back on the road, so arrangements were made and at the beginning of September 2011 I arrived at the chaps home to view the car, well i wished I had taken my camera because I was led to the rear of the house and up to the back of the garden where I could see a green mound in the shape of a car,i cant print what i then said but it it was on the lines of I am not a gardener so call me when you have dug it out, I am not joking when I say you could not see any part of the car.
Well I left the premises thinking what a waste of time and quit honestly was angry at the stupidity of some people.
By the time I got home I had calmed down and was now finding it quit funny but thought I wont hear anything from the chap again, wrong, in December the phone goes "when can you come back and look at the car again as its now on the drive and we have cleaned it for you" this iv got to see I thought so I arranged to go the next day this is what I found.

















Well it looked like a car now, and not as bad as I expected it to be, the owner had put some part worn tires on it so it could be towed out of the garden and he said he had washed it five times, what with Iv no idea.
Do you think it will start ? he said, no f..... chance I replied, 20 year old petrol for a start, electric fuel pump for another, well Iv got the pump working, I hit it with an hammer was the reply, well you already know its not going to start dont you I replied.
Just tinker with it and see if it will go.
This is how it went on for a good 15 minutes before I could convince him that we needed to check certain things before trying to start the car and that it would need the petrol tank checking and new fuel in it.
Next episode, the mechanical checks and the outcome.
 
See less See more
8
#27 ·
next decided to start cleaning the chrome work at the front so with some fine wire wool and peek metal polish started with the front bumper, top side of it wasnt in bad condition but the under side was just brown rust but surprising it came up quit well, next the grill surround that came up nice to but when it came to the cheese grater sections this turned out to be 2 days work , so tedious, I never counted the squares but must be over 5 hundred of them and to be honest should have removed the middle section and acid cleaned it.





 
#32 ·
Thanks for all the nice comments, they are very much appreciated and this is why I love this site because everyone is passionate about cars.
Back to the car, I continued around the cars brightwork with my wire wool but it became obvious that the mouldings round the windows were going to need more than a quick polish as they were very badly oxidized and stained so I decided that I would 1st stage polish the rest of the car, then have another go at the chrome



 
#34 · (Edited)
After the 1st polish there were 3 rust patches that were going to ruin the finished look of the Turd, now normally these would be dealt with in the body shop by the only man I trust with my cars Mark, owner of Perfection Motors. now under normal circumstances the car would go in and have any rotten metal cut out, replaced and painted but had neither the budget or the time to do this so I rang Mark and asked him to do me a favour and have a look to see if he could do some smart repairs.
Well he arrived at my home and his face said it all as it was obvious that he thought he was going to take it to his shop and released it wasnt going anywhere.
Now the eagle eyed of you would have notice early on in the pictures a wheel that I had painted and that it was the wrong colour so Mark after much p..s taking and banter said he would sort out the rust problems but stressed that I must tell the owner that these repairs are not permanent and were just to tidy the car for the wedding. I told him that the owner was not paying for it anyway so to do what he liked



















 
#35 ·
While Mark was doing his stuff I carried on with some mechanical work, change oil and filter again, fuel filter, free of front hand brake lever, replace centre drag link, grease all niples and there are quit a few. Air filter was replaced when case was refitted.
I also needed to repair the gear linkage as the bushes had rotted away and you couldnt change gear, so removed the linkage cleaned it up, painted it, installed 2 new bushes and refitted it.
Polished all the paint work under the bonnet and gave it a couple of coats of Jetseal 109, it looked a treat after this, removed the washer bottle cleaned inside and out, fitted new washer pipe, refitted bottle and refilled with water and additive, installed anti freeze to the cooling system and refilled the water. fitted battery. now as far as I was concerned there was only the tunning to do but this would be done before it was taken for mot.
Sound quick when your writing this but in reality it took 2 days as did the repairs Mark was doing (dont forget its still freezing cold).
 
#40 ·
Now its on to the interior which although it looked in good order there was 43 years of dirt in it













soaked wit g101 diluted 10-1 left to soak for a couple of minutes then re soaked and agitated with nail brush and watch the flavour flood out, then rinsed off and a second go with the 101 and nail brush rinsed, dried, and coated with Renovo vinyl renovator.
The seats were steamed to soften the vinyl and help release the dirt with g101 sprayed on them to give the steamer some help, in reality each seat took around 2 hours to clean but did come up really well.
The carpets were shot so were removed and floor pan cleaned up, I would try to find a carpet set but I know from previous cars this wont be easy but I know I will find an alternative if required.
I am going to make you wait for the finished interior pics until I show you the finished car.
Now it was time to get the rear of the car of the ground and remove the rear wheels to check the brakes etc, also greasing the axle pivots and changing the diff oil.
Also the wheel arches would be cleaned, brake pads changed, hand brake shoes would be replaced if necc.



Now while the wheels were of the car it was time to prep and paint them (in the rite shade this time)

 
#45 ·
Excellent work Ted.

I wouldn't know where to start mechanically - you make it sound simple!

Good write up...now subscribed
thanks for the nice comment, these are the sort of cars that I cut my teeth on many years ago, in them days you were expected to strip and rebuild every thing whereas today its plug in, get error code and replace. I have met fully skilled mechanics that work at main dealers that have only seen the inside of an engine when they were at college, not there fault its now a throw away and replace world.
as for making it sound simple, things always do when your writing about it but can assure you that during the time I was trying to get this car to fire up I did question myself a number of times why I was out in the freezing cold spending all this time on something that could quit possibly be knackered and knowing that normally I would have stripped the engine from the offset because even though I got it running in the end I still dont know what condition the bores and rings are in.
So as my friends in the trade would tell I have contradicted my own rule of DO IT RIGHT FIRST TIME.:thumb:
 
#46 ·
Oh how I love both the thread and your work ethic.

"Do it right first time" MUSIC to my ears. If only the medical profession could make that ethic in injectable form :thumb:

I keep asking myself what this car will be worth when you've lavished all your time, energy AND personal money on it for little or no return. I really do hope that the owner of this classic appreciates what your doing here, I know that we do on here. A great read :thumb:
 
#48 ·
Just on my hols in France and have walked past a 1971 280 sl with 55k km on the clock for sale for 45k euros. Similar looking cream colour. Not sure if a little overpriced but looks bloody amazing! If I had the money i'd buy it now and drive back to Blighty in it...



Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk 2
 
#49 ·
This thread is absolutely choc full of win. So much so, i am tempted to forward it to the people at Mercedes Enthusiast magazine! Now, i won't, as doing so without your permission is a little cheeky... but the inspiration you could give many by showing all this, and the love for an old hidden for years Benz, would go down very well i think :)

Made really good reading today, well done!
 
#51 ·
This is a great thread - just read it from start to finish!
Ted, you are a remarkably altruistic person. I personally don't know of anyone who would perform such an act of kindness and with a total stranger nonetheless. This really shows the love you have for the job and personally I would always choose a service from such a person over anyone else's.
Now get on with it and show us the finished car! :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top