Philip LeBlanc

I posted the thread below in the appropriate SL forum, I thought I'd place it here for some increased exposure and my questions are general about restoring a flood damaged SL. Thanks in advance, Philip

Hi everyone, I have a 1989 560SL (actually a family members) still sitting in the yard where Hurricane Katrina left it just off the beach in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Before the storm hit on 8/29/2005, this car was pristine with about 25K miles. Long story short, the storm surge came up, washed the car through the back wall of the garage and it came to rest 8 feet off the ground in an oak tree. It has since been pulled from the tree and has been sitting in the back yard. There have been some insurance issues which is why it had not been touched. I am going to examine it more closely this week to see about a possible restoration. It was under salt water for probably 12 to 14 hours and nothing was done to it. We are also talking about salvaging it for parts if a restoration is not practical. I'll know a bit more about it in a couple days. I last looked at it a few months ago and was surprised at it's condition. I am thinking new transmission and new engine (or at least a complete rebuild) at least. Please share your thoughts and be brutally honest. I would budget about $10K to get her running again.

Moviela

Forget about it. Submersion in salt water and then allowed to sit for a spell has caused so much corrosion to wiring, connectors, fittings, and hardware you would really be better off using the 10K to get another car. You might consider something a bit newer, as 1989 is getting a bit long in the tooth for finding spares and people who can work on it.

MB-Dude

While the outside may look OK, I would be more worried about salt water getting into the doors, trunk area, fender wells, etc. Then there's all the electrical connectors, electronics and computers. Salt water and copper wiring simply do not co-exist naturally for very long and the computer box is not water-proof. The computer cases are aluminum which reacts even more with salt water. If the car ended up in a tree, you probably had sea water inside the passenger cabin. Your floor pans may be getting a bit rusty underneath the carpet.

Considering the amount of time since Katrina, do you really want to restore an automobile that *may* never be what it was before?

vettdvr

[QUOTE=Moviela;2310702]Forget about it.QUOTE]


I live in the same general area south Louisiana and our home was destroyed by Katrina also. If it was salt water sell what ever parts that are salvagable.

The galvanic corrosion has destroyed anything that had power in it at the time of the flood and the dis-similar metals have begun to dissolve. Not worth the effort unless you take it apart to every nut and bolt which is not $$ possible given the value of the car.

Sorry,, but I have experience this first hand. Jim

Philip LeBlanc

Thanks Guys! That is what I initially thought (even right after Katrina). I will probably have it towed to our barn where I can strip off salvageable parts to sell. I didn't think it would be practical to restore. There is also a 1998 S320 sedan that was it's garage mate. I don't think that one is even worth anything for parts.