Original and running well, rust free from California; ready for restoration.
Original and running well, rust free from California; ready for restoration.
The vehicle was built in (West) Germany but was exported for sale in California, and from there to the UK in 2018.
Therefore it is almost completely rust free, though the Californian sun has resulted in a thinning or the body paint and the resulting 'patina'. Also, the back of the passenger seat has been degraded by the sun, and needs repairing.
However, the specialist who wax-oiled it as soon as I got it to the UK expressed amazement at how little rust there was - he had never seen so little and it is almost as good as new!
He also did a small amount of welding under the front wheel arches, and we fully catalogued it here https://www.dropbox.com/home/1961%20Mercedes%20Benz%20190
I have had specialists working on the engine, which consequently runs very smoothly, with no problem starting, and pulls hard through all the gears. It cruises comfortably at 50mph/80kph, though I have taken her up to 70mph/130kph at which speed it seemed quite comfortable. As a matter of prudence I usually only cruise at 40mph/65kph.
The brakes work well and do not pull to either side.
I think most of the engine parts are original, but there is a complete boot full of 'bits' and spares which have presumably been removed or adapted over the years, so they can be used if necessary.
The electrics all work perfectly.
So it is really only the body and the interior that needs restoring, and these are in good condition requiring aesthetic work only - how deep you go is up to you, but it actually doesn't need a lot if you want to do it quickly and cheaply. When we did the welding we removed the front wings, and we had no problem putting them back using the original rubber seals, bolts etc, so If you want to take the complete body to pieces as part of a respray it should be easy, and should go back together straightforwardly.
There is a smal dent in one wing, and a spring needs replacing in the drivers seat.
The 'petrol filler cap' says diesel, so it would be sensible to replace that at some point.
There is no radio, but there is an aerial and new-ish speakers, plus a radio bracket for the dash panel (in need of repair). The radio space on the dash has a cover which says '180' so presumably this was cannibalised from a 180 at some point, and needs replacing - though this is not a problem if you install a radio in the dash.
The original documents have been lost, but there are some documents relating back to the 1980's, including logs of petrol refills, some garage bills etc - all Californian.
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