im am now a semi proud new owner of a 76 240d. has a couple of probs, just bought on sunday and didn't get a good look when I bought it. Cleaning out the trunk I noticed some cancer rust ( not horrible but some). Can you buy a new trunk floor and do you know where? Secondly, I thought it wasn't power steering but looking at it I noticed there is power steering lines and the pump is just hanging by one bolt. I need thoughts on the chances of the power steering still working and damage that may have been done by driving it manually. I don't know how long it's been hanging like that, my guess is atleast a year. Third, the car was hunter green (not sure of the actual color name) but is now blueish black with crappy laquer. Some other spots have small cancer rust too. Any general input on if the car is worth keeping or should I fix it up and flip it? If I keep it this will be my first car restored. Also if anyone knows of a classic mercedes retailer that has an actual printed catalog that you can order. Thanks for all your input.

 

you first need to define your stance on ownership of the vehicle. is it going to be a daily drive, or a showcar trailer baby. this will determine how much effort you want to put into your new Diesel. it will take money and your own time. the amount which you choose to spend is what you determine. if you have an open garage you can easily sand the car down and prep it for paint with minor instruction. a friend with some past body work experience will save you hundreds as you not only learn a new skill but gain a deeper appreciation for your vehicle. if the drive train is in good shape and you have records of work done previously you can make an educated decision about that needs to be replaced or at the very least examined mechanically. all of these w115's yearn to be worked on. they are fabulously simple and parts are plentiful and rather inexpensive. i would take a week and throughly go though each system and understand the overall state of the vehicle. at the very least with a few thousand dollars you have a beautiful vehicle which will run around 400k miles. Veg oil conversion is also a simple process. i use my savings to offset my restoration/maintenance costs of my 76 300D.

concerning the powersteering, i would just flush the system replace the filter element and bolt it back down properly. one its reinstalled see how well the system operates and go from there. there is very little load placed on the steering box once traveling at speed. so your only would occur high stresses at very slow speeds. just reinstall the system and you my be surprised to see it perform satisfactory.if not we are here to help.

 

Adding a bit to OTM646's excellent advise, you might consider buying the book, HOW TO REPAIR & RESTORE BODYWORK, by David H. Jacobs, Jr. as well as Diesel Performance Tuning and Repair, which covers the 200, 220D, 240D 300D 300CD, 300TD, 300SD 1965-1985, by Kent Bergsma of http://www.mercedessource.com. Also, you may be aware of it, but it's worth mentioning just in case, you'll find many free maintenance pictorals at http://www.dieselgiant.com
Best wishes,
charlie

 

I am in the same boat as u I just traded a 22 pistol for a 76 mercedes 240D, I have worked out all the bugs so that its driveable, I changed all the belts, removed the A/C compressor and started on the rust, mine is a very good 200 dollar car so I am not overly concerned about restoring it to pristine condition, I ground off the rust (alot in trunk because of leaking window and trunk seals, put corroseal on it and then another coat after it dried I put rubber wx proofing on it from walmart. I have some rust under the Battery, and in the door jams, I have two big holes in the rear floor board so i am going to weld some steel into that and then rust proof. Mine is a florida car with water damage and mold i just pulled the carpet up and it will probably stay like this, I used to have a suzuki sami that was in worst rust shape and at first I did all the proper body work, only to give in to grinding off and having holes it lasted for many years and I just sold it for 500 dollars.
I like this vehical and I just checked the mileage in city drivng its 28mpg!. New tires made it a joy to drive, I am having a hard time with my PS pump keeping the belt tensioned it helped removing all the shrouds and fan for access but ill be back under it this weekend to final adjust. and do more rust repair. This car will be used for dive work, surfing and hauling kids to the beach so I am going to leave it uncarpeted so I can just hose it out.

I would think if it steers easy enough w/o PS pump I would pull it out remove the belt and get maybe a bit more HP I am thinking about removing the fan and putting in an electric one where the A/C fan is.

 

Wow, I can't believe you traded for the car. I paid $900 for mine and it's great, just some small probs.

 

I paid 150 dollars for the gun 10 years ago, so I made out, the biggest exp so far was the tires at 251 bucks but it was worth it the other ones where dry rotted and made it drive horrible, I think where you live depends on flipping the car my brother lives in the SF bay area and he paid 2800 for his 82 240D 7 years ago (480Kmiles)- he says they go for good money because all the long driving for jobs with people living in the burbs. just depends on what you want to do mine is going to be a beater and my goal is to put as little money into it as possible, I still have 250 dollars left over from selling the zuk so I may splurge on rubber floor mats!, I have used the kind for kids playrooms in the bed of my landcruiser with great success.
How is your seat? mine are not ripped but real squishy, I pulled the back ones out and cleaned them up it was pretty nasty underneath, no cracks in the dash board and everything works cept the AC but I dumped it anyway.
Good luck keep me posted.

 

It's comforting to know that we're basically in the same spot in restoring. Now I know who to bug when I run into problems. I know quite a bit about cars, but mostly older mustangs. I work with them for a living at a place called Mustangs Unlimited in Lawrenceville, Ga. I'm just now discovering all the rust holes in my front floors. I have a flexdisc to replace and a few gaskets. I'll wait til I order a manual for all that though. Dieselgiant.com has been a blessing though. If you need anything email me:sngoard@bellsouth.net.