1985 Mercedes-benz 380sl - Most Primary Components New Or Refurbished on 2040-cars
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
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This is my beloved 1985 Mercedes-Benz 380SL, a very-nearly-completed resto-mod with dozens of freshened major components: Euro-spec 5-liter engine, transmission, paint, ragtop, seats, suspension, stainless exhaust, etc, etc, etc. ... all have been replaced and/or rebuilt! I'm selling because (1) the project is generally complete and I'm looking for a new challenge, and (2) I'm headed back to Afghanistan for the next year and don't need any car, let alone a second one!
I've spent the last 9 years transforming this automobile from something that was nearly ready for the recycler's yard into an attractive and dependable daily driver which I, indeed, drove on a regular basis unless it was in the garage for major renovation work. The odometer shows 162,000+ miles but that number becomes irrelevant once you take into account all the components and systems that have been refurbished or replaced . . . and the fact that it's a vintage Mercedes Benz. I'm a lifelong motorhead who first got his hands greasy as a teenager out of necessity, and I now view fiddling with vintage cars as my primary hobby. While not a trained mechanic I'm not afraid to take something apart, and over the years I collected the necessary tools and talent to eventually learn how to put things back together again too! Major work, though, still gets farmed out to the professionals. That's been the case with this project: I fixed what I could, had my local independent Benz specialist do the big stuff. As a hobbyist, I knew I'd never get out of this project all I put into it financially. Now that it's nearly complete, it's time to let someone else benefit from my efforts while I go on to other goals, other challenges. For me, the joy is in the wrenching, not just in the driving. My asking price is well less than 1/2 of my total outlay for this car . . . but that's just the way it goes. Someone will get a bargain. Reserve is $5k, BIN is $8.5k. Note: I love driving this car. If you can't pick it up, I may be willing to drive it to you for cost. Let's talk! Here's the story of this particular SL: • I purchased this as a second-car project in mid-2005, when I was away from my family due to military obligations. Bought it (via eBay) from its second owner in Houston, then drove it to Kansas City where I was doing some Army schooling over a two-year period. Car had 135,000 miles at the time. It was my 3rd Mercedes, so I was very familiar with the brand, its strengths and weaknesses, as well as with the treasure trove of information available on the internet (Benzworld.org is by far the most valuable). • Located a trustworthy independent Benz mechanic. First order of business: replace major rubber components. o Subframe mounts o Motor mounts o Transmission mount o Sway bar links & bushings o Center link o Steering shock o Tie rod assembly o Repair idler arm o Shifter bushings o Heater mono valve o Power steering hoses o Rubber fuel lines o All fluids (Mobil 1 regularly and exclusively) • Purchased a set of 15" Mercedes wheels from Germany; same type as the stock 14" wheels that came standard on the U.S. model of this car. These are in high demand here -- a used set will sell for $1000-1500. Reason? Rarity for one, but also a more modern stance and the ability to fit more high performance tires while still maintaining the period look of the car. I'll include the original 14" wheels as well. The Michelin tires have less than 10k miles on them, so about 3/4 of their life remains. • Replaced the sun-damaged and torn seating leather with new MB-Tex (simulated leather) material. Few can tell the difference, and in a convertible it really matters to have something that's impervious to the weather. Another bonus: this car was built in late 1985, so it has the sport seats that became available in the 1986 560SL. They have side bolsters that hold the driver in place during turns and are generally more modern looking than the basic type. From the pictures, you'll notice also that I added extra padding in the lumbar area before I recovered the seats. • Removed and cleaned carpets; bought new carpet floor mats; replaced sun-damaged dash wood; installed wood shifter knob. • At this time I also began addressing drivability issues -- the car would occasionally stall at stoplights. I threw several thousand$ into it before deciding to just replace the engine altogether with one that I knew ran well. I purchased a used 5-liter engine out of the European model of this car, a 1985 500SL. The new engine is rated at 245 hp vs. 155 hp of the 380. Had the heads on the 5.0 rebuilt; mechanic verified what the engine seller told me -- that the timing chain had just recently been replaced as well. At this point the car had 146,000 miles on the odometer; the engine's donor car had 105,000 miles. • Installed a stainless steel exhaust system. • Addressed the car's one rust issue, the passenger floorboard; replaced with new sheet metal by a professional fabricator. This problem stemmed from water leaking into the interior compartment during rains over the period of several years. Replaced or repaired all necessary seals; problem solved. • Replaced shock absorbers with Bilstein Heavy Duty units • Replaced brake calipers, discs, pads • Replaced heater blower motor • Replaced voltage regulator • Replaced engine idle regulator • Replaced fuel pump relay • Replaced the old black convertible top with a new burgundy one; top-of-the-line German canvas • Replaced alternator • Replaced fuel pump • Replaced the broken, trunk-mounted 'third' brake lamp with a slimmer, more stylish unit from a Jaguar XJS convertible • Painted the car in its original Astral Silver color, but with a modern matte clearcoat. As a tribute to some earlier Mercedes-Benzes I'd seen, I painted the removable hardtop matte burgundy, to match the soft top and interior. • Rebuilt the transmission • Replaced subframe bushings again ... one had collapsed • Covered the (cracked) dashboard with a molded plastic covering that is nearly indistinguishable from the original So, not counting the money spent on trying to get the old engine to run correctly, I put over $15k of repairs into this car over the past 9 years. I have receipts for everything. Anyone considering purchasing this car should fully understand what it is, and what it isn't. I call it a resto-mod (not a true restoration) because I made some improvements over stock that an automotive purist might frown upon. It's not, therefore, the best car for someone who merely wants to park it in the garage for posterity, taking it out only on Sunday afternoons to cruise down to the local ice cream shop. It's got more horsepower than it needs :-) , the paint is neither original nor perfect, and the two tops are of a color that was not available from the factory -- but should have been, judging by how good they look. This is a driver's car, built to move down the highway and look good doing it. It's been designed to do just what I did last weekend, which was to throw the canvas top down and take a 600-mile roundtrip from Colorado Springs, through Taos, to Santa Fe. From a driver's perspective, this car never disappoints. It left traffic behind while traversing a mountain pass at 9500 feet of elevation; effortlessly crossed endless miles of open desert highway at top speed, with enough reserve to make quick work of the occasional need to cross the dotted yellow line; and tore through the canyon twisties with just a fingertip touch of the leather-wrapped steering wheel. It is truly a delight to operate, and in 9 years (including one 4-day trip across the entire country) has never come close to leaving me stranded. Although this car never fails to turns heads, in reality it's probably a 5-footer. The clearcoat has some orange peel effect, an issue that is barely noticeable and has become less prevalent with each buffing I've given it . . . if I had time before my deployment, I'd hit it up once or twice more. What that tells you is that (unlike a typical 30 year old car that may have its clearcoat already worn through) this one will only improve over time. There are enough existing tiny dings and scratches that you can drive it and park it anywhere without worry. And, there are still some small repairs that a hobbyist can take on over time: If I were to keep this car, I'd eventually replace the carpets and the remainder of the rubber door and window moldings. It needs an insulating hood pad installed, too. Mechanically, everything works as or better than intended except the air conditioning. I drive this car with the top down nearly always, so this has never bothered me. If you want working AC, you'll need to replace the compressor and dryer, and probably convert the fittings to a modern refrigerant type. The good news is that Mercedes AC units are pretty standard, basically the same type used by General Motors for decades (do the research). Oh, and buyer beware: if another seller tells you a car of this era has working air conditioning that "only needs a recharge", they're lying to you. It's like saying a tire "only needs air". There's a reason the air leaked out in the first place . . .. You also need to know that since this car has a European engine it won't pass a typical "visual" emissions test because it's missing a US-spec anti-smog component or two. I live out West in a county that doesn't require testing, so it's not an issue. Maybe you're in the same situation, but if not you'll have to do a few things to bring this car in line. Hook up the air pump, which is attached but not hooked up to a drive belt; have a muffler shop weld a bung to your downpipe in order to mount an oxygen sensor; and go to an inspection station that understands that the front resonators on the exhaust system are also catalytic converters -- many do know this (independently verified to me by two MB mechanics), but the units are cylindrical and not flat in shape like a typical 'cat' . . . so someone who is not experienced in earlier Mercedes may not know just by looking at them. If you point this out to them, though, they can look it up in their official inspection guides and be assured. Again, if you live outside of a testing area or if your state will give you an exemption due to the car's age ('antique' status), then you get the benefits of European power without these concerns. Now, if you're in the market for a 1970s or 1980s fourth-generation SL, you'll probably find a quite a few in the sub-$15,000 price range with about 100,000 miles on the odometer . . . something that will appear to you as quite the bargain for an iconic roadster that cost about $45k new (maybe $100k in today's dollars). But buyer beware, there's a reason why M-B aficionados warn "there's no such thing as a cheap Mercedes." If you're considering one of those other cars, perhaps you can learn something from the story of this project and save yourself a lot of money by just buying this one instead. A top-dollar automobile like a Mercedes goes through cycles of ownership: For the original purchaser this was a second or weekend car, bought with disposable income and serviced regularly and religiously at the dealership. A second owner probably turned the car into his or her daily transportation, racking up the miles and having only the most immediate service items addressed at the corner service station. Major issues of an aging automobile were deferred, or ignored. A third owner, if there was one, struggled to keep the car on the road as one major component after another came to the end of its useful life. A Mercedes Benz -- especially one of this era -- is an automobile with a deserved reputation for reliability over the long run. It's still a machine, though, and parts wear out. On this car, 98% of those issues have been addressed, so I wouldn't be surprised to see this car coming down the road ten years from now, with 100,000 more miles on the odometer and a smiling driver behind the wheel. Will that driver be you? |
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