Hey Arde, here's some pics of the transmission as well as swap kit to anyone interested. It currently has fluid in it. As for the car, I haven't taken any recent photos of it since it has received quite a few hidden modifications. It is over at a shop having some springs installed. I hope to have current photos some time in June. Nonetheless, here's two old ones before those undersized tires were corrected and before I reupholstered it. Nothing I did is irreversible and I have retained the original parts when possible. As for what has happened...
- Mechatronik suspension (KW shocks and progressive springs)
- Polyurethane suspension bushings and sway bar bushings
- 28.5mm custom sway bar from Addco (also retained old bar)
- Coco mats (front, trunk, rear ledge)
- Uncommon Zimber wood-rimmed steering wheel made specifically for the 230SL (purchased from Russ/CSL177 here) (old white 'ivory' wheel retained)
- Rear end swap to disc brake-equipped 4.08 (which is the stock gearing, old axle w/ drums also included, apparently the drums are somewhat valuable but need to be relined) (the axle was rebuilt with new bushings etc)
- LSD
- Aurora radio w/ Becker faceplate (car was not equipped with radio from factory)
- "Soft" LEDs all around (I am particular about LEDs that are too bright)
- Euro lights (came with US lights which are now stored away)
- 123 Ignition
- Cupholder tray insert
- New square-weave carpet from GAT (now GAHH?)
- New interior using nice vegetable-tanned leather from KHM
- New horsehair inserts (with holes for headrests if one is so inclined)
- While not currently installed, I had some custom billet wheels made by a company in the UK that specializes in D-type replica wheels. They are 15x6 with the correct offset and everything, powdercoated the body color and with a faux rudge-like wheel cover. This guy used to make wheels for some 300SL replicar made in Germany some years ago and says a limo/ambulance wheel cover (the 15.6" one?) or the dog dish 230SL hub cap can be easily adapted to it. I was inspired by the original Paul Bracq concept drawings of the car, which called for Rudge wheels.
- Equipped with 5 totally unused Vredestein Sprint Classics in the proper size mounted on the 14" stock wheel
- After painstakingly removing the old tar-based vibration deadener in the floor (used dry ice and WD40 mostly and can include some very rust-free bare shots of the floor) I had the upholstery shop instal some material from a company called ResoNix that makes various kinds of insulation for automotive audiophiles, including CLD squares (iirc a sort of mass-loaded vinyl) on the floors and a 45mm thick fiber mat within the doors (I was not satisfied with various paint-like solutions which I personally believe are hogwash)
- Many misc bushings/boots/rubber whatnots I replaced (namely around the shifter, shock pads, some other places)
- New firewall pad (purely for aesthetic reasons, these are less than useless imo)
- New washer fluid reservoir (didn't like yellow plastic of old one)
- EDIT: Forgot to mention I installed a stainless exhaust system from Quicksilver.
Some misc things I'd include with it:
- Some odd yellow Euro headlight lenses I found on eBay
- The "230SL" designation originally on the radio delete plate which the son of the original owner had for some reason drilled into the old glovebox (faceplate was not salvageable but those are very cheaply available, yet the badge is not, so I have it) (new glove box was also sourced and painted)
- Every bit of documentation the original owner ever had on it (I purchased from the grandson, a banker in Indiana who is not a car guy) which includes the three big blue workshop manuals, correspondence leading up to the tourist delivery in Germany, the box the first oil filter came in, service booklet (stops at like 77k mi, car has like 82k(?) now various brochures original to the car, the original invoice, and much more.
- Some Marchal headlights I also purchased from CSL177 as well as some deadstock plastic covers for them (one split when I put it on though alas)
- I may still have the rubber mats it came with but not so sure about that
- A fan shroud that was supposed to fit this car but apparently doesn't, maybe because some modification was made to the radiator since it does not match the one in the workshop manual (saving it because these aren't cheap!)
- There may be more I am not thinking of
Some basic info about it and its condition:
Car was purchased by a businessman in Lebanon, IN and used for springtime pleasure driving, something specifically noted to me by his grandson, as he apparently had a 190SL prior to this which basically rusted away after many commutes to/around Chicago. He passed in the 70s(?) and left it to his son, who almost never drove it except in local Shriners parades in Indiana (I have various badges/grille inserts). I believe it has been repainted at some point. Someone rattlecanned the valve cover and fuel injection lines a silver color, which irks me, and I intend to strip all the crud out of the engine bay at some point (planned a dry ice detail when I get the car back). There is a dent in the rear bumper. The top appears new. There is no hard top, and it was not originally equipped with one. I tossed the crappy aftermarket antenna and I intend to find one of the period-correct motorized retractable ones, though tbh I am inclined to just fill the hole and put a new delete plate over the radio and install a hidden bluetooth module. I have seen no rust anywhere on it at all. Interior wood is in excellent condition. All glass appears to be original, no cracks anywhere. I mean, to me, this is a nice car, and before I did anything, it drove very well, even with the squeaky drums. Car was not originally equipped with AC or power steering and I did not add it.
As an aside, something I'd consider doing whenever I have less projects is swapping the brakes with those from a W126, adding an oil cooler, adding a 7 or 9-blade fan in lieu of the 4-blade one, the transmission swap, a sourcing/restoring a hard top, collecting accessories like ski racks and such, and swapping the head to one from an M129 after porting/polishing
or "just" swapping the engine with a Cosworth M102 (then it's still a "230" SL!)
Bottom line, I don't know how serious you were about wanting it, but I have done a lot to make this car 'mine', and I have no idea what it is worth at this point. If I were to sell, I would throw it on BaT with a reserve of 45 or so, maybe hoping for around 60 based on some recent sales I've seen.
? Pictures?
