Sitting 2800CS-need to move it

ggus

ggus

Well-Known Member
Messages
144
Reaction score
22
Location
San Antonio, TX.
Greetings friends,

I am new here and glad I found you guys. I recently acquired a 1969 2800 CS E9, the car was my fathers and when he passed away 15 years ago it sat in my mom’s garage for those 15 years. She just recently offered it to me because she wants the space in the garage. The car was purchased by my father when he was stationed in Germany and the Air Force shipped it over to the States, I was there when he bought it. I was on this forum years ago after my father passed away, trying to keep the car running but I was in the military did not have time to keep it up.
I need to transport the car from my mom’s garage to my garage and my questions is; since the car has been sitting for so long what do I need to do to get it started? I am not going to drive it, I want to started it up and drive it onto a flatbed, then drive it off the flat bed and into my garage. I am guessing I need to change the oil, what kind of oil do I use? Change the battery? I believe its leaded gas? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will post pictures soon.

Gus
 
...

Hello and welcome to Coupedom.

You may not need to have to start it to transport it. A winch or 'come-along' could get it on and off the flat bed.

If you are going to try to fire it up, make sure that brakes function so you can stop what ya get started. Air up the tires, put tranny in nuetral, and they can be pushed around and stopped with the parking brake provided those are functional.

Good luck!
-shanon
 
My opinion is that you'd do better to get a flatbed that has a winch to pull it up and lower it and some friends that can push it where it needs to go in the garage.

If it has been sitting that long there's likely too much work involved to just start it up two times and let it sit again.

You could change the oil and battery, and discover that the carb is gummed up for example. Now you're in it for a carb rebuild. Rebuild the carb and discover that the brakes don't work and need to be bled. Bleed the brakes and discover that one of the brake pistons freezes in place when you apply the brakes....etc.

Much easier to just get a flatbed with a winch and some human push power and then work, when you have the time, money and inclination, to get it running properly with a thorough going through.
 
Agree with the first posts. Be patient and don't be in a rush to get it going. If you can flatbed it without trying to start it, that would be best. That way, you can carefully diagnose what it's going to take effort and money-wise to eventually get it going in your spare time, and there's no hurry.

Second best advice, and as Shanon stated-- Before you fix anything else, go through the brakes / clutch master & slave, check the suspension, and deal with tires. Make sure it stops and turns before it goes.

Don't touch the carbs / injection until you inspect the rest, and at least get a baseline of how well or poorly it runs. Some are tempted to start taking things apart to clean or R&R; resist the urge. Ignition is easy to test / troubleshoot with a test light, and points are way cheaper than a Pertronix conversion. Go with points and condenser to get it going, and then worry about updates later.

It can be great fun to get an old car going, and being patient also makes the process more enjoyable and less frustrating. Also, there's lots of help on forums in general, so post questions as you do the work.

Best of luck!
 
Welcome aboard/back. I will post a note of cautious optimism.

If the car was running when last parked, it will likely run again. You should however expect a new battery, brake fluid and coolant flush/change. The clutch plate might be stuck to the flywheel, or brake shoes stuck to the rear drums. None difficult to fix. I would NOT fool with the carbs until other matters are resolved. If you are moderately competent with your tools, with the help of those here we can walk you through any and all issues.

I once was the towed driver of a car which had negligible brakes. Ah, the enthusiasm of youth. It was one of the most hair-raising experiences I've had in a car. Make sure that AT LEAST the handbrake works well before you move it, even if you are on flat ground.

Today I go to pick up a nice '76 2002 that a pal is giving me. It will run once we put some gas in, I think. Believe that we assessed the brakes and will verify before going anywhere. The car has sat three years but cranks with a new battery, just doesn't pick up gas from the tank, despite the gage indicating half full (I think the tank is actually empty).
 
Welcome to the Forum.
Looking forward to your pictures.I think when car sits that long you should dump fresh oil over cam and springs and even a little into the cylinders before you turn the engine over?
Flat bedding it is the only I would move it so you can take your time on changing all the fluids including that leaded gas.And always remember that most of these cars are loaded with Tin Worms just needing a little water to get them moving.
Tim
 
i have only one thing to add to all those very sensible advices

if the car was in your mum's garage, it is possible that in the area it was the place in which the car was maintained, if so, you may have a valuable piece of the story of your new car somewhere near there, maybe there is an old mechanic that was the caretaker of that car , he would be able to tell you all the stories, and eventually he will be in the best position to put the car running again

of course you might be willing to do it by yourself, but that depends largely on your skills and knowledge of these forty year old german beauties, they probably have very little in common with your other mechanic experiences

just consider it ...
 
ggus said:
I am not going to drive it, I want to started it up and drive it onto a flatbed, then drive it off the flat bed and into my garage.
Click to expand...

What exactly do you mean when you write "flatbed"? If you call a local towing company, and ask them to send out a tilt bed truck, they will accommodate you. Those trucks have winches, and their operators wouldn't dream of allowing an owner to drive their car onto the truck - that would be quite unsafe.

So if your objective is simply to move the car, getting it to run is unnecessary.

I like deQuincy's idea of putting it on the truck, and bringing it to a BMW shop that knows the older cars. In San Francisco those aren't hard to find. While I am all in favor of do-it-yourself projects, a professional shop can blow through brakes, clutch, battery, belts, hoses, fluids in a couple of days, ensuring that you have a car that is safe to drive. Believe me, there will still be plenty for you to do.
 
Last edited:
Agree with all the other advice. I've started a car that was sitting 20 years once (and drove it right afterwards), but I was young and very foolish and would not recommend it.

I would recommend talking to some knowledgable locals. I'm in the city of SF, and SFDon would be a good resource as he is right nearby. You might try Dave at Ottowerks, who built my car, owns an E9, and is also very knowledgable.

Sounds like you have a great story to go with a great car.
 
Wow, for all we know the air on those tires may be fresh alpine air from Germany...

I would say have it towed to Harold Hurst house in Sunnyvale, we can arrange for him to bring it back to life in his free time and keep it in his garage all the time. By the time he is done it will run better than new.
 
Gus, the first think i would check before i drove it on or off a flat bed ... is whether there are any brakes. i will let somebody here discuss what to do to get an old car started + keep it running ... but the first thing to make sure is that the engine isn't frozen ... don't want those rings to be stuck to the cylinders.
 
Old Gas

You should drain the tank, rinse it with maybe a gallon of new gas, and drain it again a couple of times before you try to start it. My '71 2800cs sat for 17 years with out being started. I cleaned the plugs, cleaned the points with brake clean, replaced the battery and tried to start it with no results even though there was plenty of spark at the plugs. I tried pouring some gas down the carbs, also without any luck. Finally I cleaned the plugs again and with motor ether I was able to get it to fire off for a couple of turns of the crank, then nothing, even with more ether. I checked for spark with my timing light and there was nothing, even though there was good spark a few moments before. Checking the plugs again I found they were fouled so badly again the wouldn't even spark enough to allow the timing light to work. The gas was so rotten that it would foul the plugs after running for about 1 second on ether, then they would have to be cleaned before it would even begin to fire again. After siphoning all the gas I could from the tank and adding five gallons of new gas I could get it to run but the exhaust really stunk and it would foul the plugs after about five minutes. Only after draining and rinsing the tank again would it even begin to run normally.

If you are going to be using gasoline with added alcohol you will probably need to rejet the carbs. Also, be prepared to clean and lubricate everything that moves, from the key locks, door locks and hinges, horn, wipers, window mechanisms, and of course, flush the brake system and rebuild the brake calipers, pack wheel bearings, change transmission grease, power steering fluid, and many other things you haven't begun to think about. Also, those tires are completely unsafe because of age, even it they have new tread. You should change the oil and filter before you try to start and then again after you have run it for maybe 30 miles and then after maybe 200 more miles. The engine will then be relatively clean inside. There is no reason to use synthetic oil for this.

And that's only to get started. Then, after driving for about a week the door brake will go wham, then clunk, as it breaks and falls down to the bottom of the door. Some things don't change, even after 44 years.
You should buy the Mercedes door brake described in this forum as a replacement.

Good luck. It's a long journey to bring one back but it's worth it.

Sparky
 
Thanks guys for all the advice, I will take all of it into consideration. Per my mom the car was last started about 3 years ago but it was not moved. I will call a tow truck with a tilt bed but I am going to try to start it up first just to see if it starts. The tires are flat and I am wondering if I might need new ones. Right now the goal is to get it to my garage and store it until I have time and money to work on it. If I can get it into running condition great, that way I can dive it once in a while.
There are also tons of spare parts, so much that I cannot fit all of it into my garage and will be selling some of it. I will read the rules before I put them for sale here on the forum. Apparently there is almost an entire E9 minus the frame chopped up in boxes in the attic of the garage. I need to go through all of it and decide what I cannot keep.
Thanks
Gus
 
Sounds like you literally need to do a garage sale there and the proceeds will easily fund refreshing the car for week-end use.

Dibs on whatever I see first.


ggus said:
There are also tons of spare parts, so much that I cannot fit all of it into my garage and will be selling some of it.
Click to expand...
 
ggus said:
The tires are flat and I am wondering if I might need new ones. Right now the goal is to get it to my garage and store it until I have time and money to work on it.
Click to expand...

You definitely don't want to drive at any speed on ancient tires. They can come apart due to age. Even if the tread is relatively unworn, do not trust tires > 5 or so years old.

Having said that, you don't need new tires if all you are doing is loading the car on a flatbed, moving it a few miles, and then pushing it into your garage. If the car is likely to sit for a few more years, why buy new tires and let them degrade?
 
HI guys,

Here is an update. I went to go see the car and here is a pic of it. I will stop by next week and uncover the entire car and post more pics.

E9.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top