1970 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

280SL

Clear

Vehicle: 1970 Mercedes Benz 280SL Roadster Restoration – Needs Finished – Must See! Condition: I purchased this car about 5 years ago with the intention of restoring it. I have done 2 Porsche 911s and 2 Mercedes in the past, so I knew what would be involved. I just haven’t had time to spend on it. I now have 4 grandchildren, a wife and 2 step-children that I didn’t have when I bought it. I’m only giving this information because I always get a lot of “why are you selling it?” questions from prospective buyers on ebay. I bought the car from a bankruptcy trustee in Grand Rapids, MI. The title came from the court. That is all the history I know about the car, other than it was last plated in MI in 2003. I have no way of knowing if the odometer has been turned over. How many or how few miles it has on it is a mystery. There doesn’t seem to be any significant wear on any of the car’s components though. The odometer shows 67,515 miles. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly: THE GOOD: The body has been completely restored at a cost of over $20,000.00. The body was taken off of the frame and put on a rotisserie so the bottom of the car could be worked on more easily. The floor pans were replaced as were any sheet metal panels that showed rust. The under side was painted and coated. The frame was in good shape (no rust). It was cleaned up and painted also. There was no evidence of prior damage, rust or major repairs anywhere on the car. The gas tank was removed and cleaned out. The exterior of the car was stripped, repaired, prepped and painted. There are no waves, ripples or defects of any kind that I can find in the finish. The panels are straight as an arrow and the finish is smooth as glass and looks like a $20k paint job should look. The dash, door jambs, etc… have all been painted. The doors, trunk, hood all are aligned perfectly and have that solid, smooth, easy action that the Benz is known for. Much of the chrome is new including the bumpers. THE BAD: The interior is a very dark blue. It looks black unless its in direct sunlight. The door panels, seats, dash pad, etc… need recovered. The seats are in good mechanical condition though. The wood on the dash needs replaced or refinished. The top is not in bad shape, but its dark blue also. I think the colors look terrible with the red car. I always planned on just putting a new top on in order to change the color to black. The carpet is OK, but should probably be replaced. THE UGLY: When I bought this car, the head for the engine was in the trunk. I don’t know why it was removed. I had my mechanic remove the engine and transmission and inspect the whole situation. He says all the components are there. He can’t tell either why it was taken off, but it may have been a blown head gasket. The cylinder walls have formed a layer of rust, so they will need to be honed. Its not bad enough to need to be bored or anything like that. I think the buyer of this car should plan on a total rebuild of the engine. NADA Retail on this car is $88,600. With the interior and engine finished, you could easily have a $60,000 to $80,000 car! You are welcome to come inspect the vehicle. Please email to set up a time. Please feel free to ask any questions that you may have. You are also welcome to view this car in person, in Goshen, IN. If coming in person, I will email you the exact address. Any questions or to inspect the car, email or call me (Jim) at 260-894-1384. NOTE: This is a NO RESERVE auction. The high bidder will be the purchaser of this car. Please do not bid unless you are prepared to follow through. Payment is expected to be made 5 days after the auctions close. --- Powered by eBay Turbo ListerThe free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items. On Sep-05-12 at 08:04:45 PDT, seller added the following information:If you would like pictures of engine compartment please send email address to pkelley@midwestprintingequipment.com and I will send pictures.