My new Barn Find Mercedes
11-02-2014 | 07:06 PM
#1
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Joined: Apr 2006
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From: Bay Area, CA
98 C43, 15 Alfa 4C LE, 18 Tesla Model 3 DM Perf, 08 Duc S1000, 02 Duc 998, 98 Duc 748, 01 Miata
My new Barn Find Mercedes
I received an email two weeks ago from my aunt and uncle in Tennessee saying that they were selling their farm and needed to get rid of the Mercedes in the barn. I offered to take it off of their hands, and so the adventure began. The car is a European model 1979 280SLC. This model was not available in the United States, it is a gray market car. The SLC was offered here, but only with V8 power (350SLC, 450SLC, and 560SLC). This car features a straight-6 that actually made more power than the early US V8 models.
So I left yesterday morning at 8:00 AM with my dad coming along to help. We spent 4 hours at a basic standstill in the North Carolina mountains due to snow. We got to their farm in Tennessee at about 6:30 PM (was supposed to be a 6 hour drive) and I was in for a surprise. I hadn't seen the car in probably almost 20 years and at that point it had been in their garage. I found the car tangled in thorn vines, with one of the windows cracked open about an inch. The barn wasn't much of a barn (at least when it comes to the roof) so their was significant water damage in the interior. There is rust, but it isn't crazy bad. Once I get the interior torn out, I'll know more.
My plan at this point is to do more of a resto-mod over time rather than trying to restore it to perfect originality. They just aren't valuable enough to justify it. I want to keep the character of the car, so it will stay straight-6, even though the thought of putting an M113 in it does sound fun. I want to keep it classic though. I've got way more projects than time or money though, so this will be a slow build. Anyways, it cleaned up well on the outside. Enjoy the pics below!
So I left yesterday morning at 8:00 AM with my dad coming along to help. We spent 4 hours at a basic standstill in the North Carolina mountains due to snow. We got to their farm in Tennessee at about 6:30 PM (was supposed to be a 6 hour drive) and I was in for a surprise. I hadn't seen the car in probably almost 20 years and at that point it had been in their garage. I found the car tangled in thorn vines, with one of the windows cracked open about an inch. The barn wasn't much of a barn (at least when it comes to the roof) so their was significant water damage in the interior. There is rust, but it isn't crazy bad. Once I get the interior torn out, I'll know more.
My plan at this point is to do more of a resto-mod over time rather than trying to restore it to perfect originality. They just aren't valuable enough to justify it. I want to keep the character of the car, so it will stay straight-6, even though the thought of putting an M113 in it does sound fun. I want to keep it classic though. I've got way more projects than time or money though, so this will be a slow build. Anyways, it cleaned up well on the outside. Enjoy the pics below!
03-29-2015 | 12:21 AM
#4
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,089
Likes: 35
From: Bay Area, CA
98 C43, 15 Alfa 4C LE, 18 Tesla Model 3 DM Perf, 08 Duc S1000, 02 Duc 998, 98 Duc 748, 01 Miata
03-31-2015 | 12:36 AM
#6
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,089
Likes: 35
From: Bay Area, CA
98 C43, 15 Alfa 4C LE, 18 Tesla Model 3 DM Perf, 08 Duc S1000, 02 Duc 998, 98 Duc 748, 01 Miata
Yeah, I'm trying to decide what to do with it. I had plenty of space in North Carolina, so it wasn't a big deal to let it sit until I had time to mess with it. Now I'm out in California and space is at a premium. So I may not have space for it out here. Decisions decisions...
