1978 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

Coupe

5 - Cyl.

Automatic

Diesel

1978 Mercedes 300CD Diesel, sunroof coupe in its original 1978, VERY RARE, GREEN paint and in excellent condition. A great deal of work and detailing has gone into this very original coupe and it is lovely to drive. I will try to describe all of the flaws as the appear to me. It may seem like a lot, but thats because I am pointing out many minor things usually overlooked by most. EXTERIOR The car is still in it all original 1978 green paint ( Mercedes code 876H ) and is in remarkable condition. Even the original green paint in the engine compartment and under the hood is in very nice condition. The mechanic said that there may have been a blended paint repair just at the back end of the rear left fender. Also, when you look under the fenders, the factory green paint is all in excellent condition with no rust or dirt or corrosion- it is like new. I ordered and replaced the front grille and aluminum trim strips FROM THE MERCEDES DEALER, not Chinese aftermarket, since these photos below were taken. The old grille was just faded grey, not broken- the new one looks fantastic. Both the front and rear bumpers and impact strips are in superb condition, and all line up straight as it should. The coupe-only belt line moulding is all in very good condition as well as the lower rocker moulding. There are a couple small rust spots just above the driver's side seal on the bottom inside edge of the door, it is NOT rusted through. None of the moulding is cracked or has any dings or scratches. The windshield was replaced with a new one. I had a glass shop replace the rear window seal with an genuine Mercedes seal and while we had the back window out it cracked. I have located another back window and my reserve price includes the back window replaced ( $500 ). The tail lights and headlights are all in very good condition and work perfectly with NEW bulbs. Both coupe only side mirrors are in excellent condition and adjust as they should, with no scratches or scuffs to the glass or chrome. I replaced all 4 rims ( $250) with matching, optional light weight, aluminum, correct and date-coded, 123 chassis rims, sanded then painted them semi-gloss black ( $ 185 ) as per original. I then found, one-at-a-time, 4 perfect, NOT SCRATCHED hub caps ( $200) , stripped the paint off them, had them polished ( $100 ) then Mercedes hub-cap template-masked and professionally painted ( $200) the original Mercedes paint code 867H. They look good enough to go on the best restored car. I then mounted new Hankook white wall radial tires ( $400) - all of this costing, yes, $1335; and they look fantastic. INTERIOR The interior is also completely original. I think the color is called tobacco. Overall the interior is in very nice condition with a few blemishes which I will describe. The coupe-only, driver's and passenger seat are original with no repairs. The seat frame and padding is in perfect shape and holds it original form and is tight and full like it is supposed to be. Both headrests still have their perfect original shape. The bottom of the driver's seat has a couple very SMALL rips and the net on the back of the seat is intact but the drawstring is cracked. All four door panels are original and in very nice shape with no rips. The drivers side door panel pocket has a crack in it. The coupe-only, passenger seat is in excellent original condition and adjusts and slides forward and backward perfectly. The tan colored, perforated headliner is original, and has 2 tiny tears in the headliner for the sunroof. There are no other rips, discolorations or sags. The rear shelf is in very nice condition with two modern Kenwood speakers replacing the original speakers. The first aid kit box is in superb condition with the original Mercedes first aid kit box still inside. The carpet overall is in nice original shape and is clean with no stains, cigarettes, gum, wrappers or dirt, etc. The passenger front mat is missing. I HAVE REPLACED the strip of carpet along the passenger foot well area with a perfect matching piece from an exact matching 1978 donor car- so the piece in the photo which is missing, is replaced. There is a full set of 4 accessory, matching, custom coco-fibre floor mats in the car- all in excellent condition. The seat belts both front and rear all work and re-coil as they should. The seat belt receivers are not cracked or faded either. The back seat does not have any rips at all and still has its full shape- no broken seat frame or missing padding. In fact under the seat is still in like new condition with all the sound deadening material. There are a couple areas where it has some sun staining but nothing major. The arm rest both top and bottom are in fine condition as well as the often- broken rear ashtray. The dash has a new fitted cap on it . The gauge cluster in in nice shape with no cracks or fading. All the gauges work, including the clock. The dash wood is the original early coupe-only burl wood which is all in nice shape with no major chips or de-laminations. The center console is in better than average condition. I replaced both front window switches and repaired all four window lift motors, yes they were all in need of work- many coupes are. The driver's side window still jumps/chatters when rolled down. I will try to repair this before it gets sold, but I can not guarantee I will. . The car has a am/fm cd stereo with additional speakers mounted under the dash panel- no I did not install these, thank you. TRUNK The trunk is in absolutely pristine condition. The trunk liners both left and right are perfect in nearly un-used condition. The trunk spare tire board is like new and NOT warped and the spare tire and rim are in very nice shape. The jack has been greased and cleaned and it comes with the correct, original Mercedes 17 mm lug wrench too. If you were to get a flat tire, all the components to fix it are clean and free of dirt/grease. The trunk mat is also clean and not wrinkled or damaged. The trunk light works when the trunk lid is opened too. MECHANICAL/ENGINE The car runs and shifts perfectly. There is no excessive blow by and NO slipping transmission. It idles properly and has an modified and adjusted injection pump so that the car accelerates well and no loss of power. The car drives very smoothly ( no shaking at any speed ) on the freeway too with no rattles or loose exhaust clamps, etc. A lot of work has gone into making it a reliable driver. The car has 224K miles on it. The engine has been well maintained and a compression check was performed showing all 5 cylinders with proper compression. ( have the numbers if you like ) The fuel filters as well as the oil filters have been changed. The transmission has been adjusted to shift properly at the right points. Fortunately this has the shift rod type and not the vacuum type transmission. The transmission in this car is the notoriously stronger of the two they made- these are much more trouble free. The radiator was flushed and top hose and cap replaced. The car runs @ the 175 degree mark. The belts are good too. I removed the sunroof motor and cleaned then re-greased it and adjusted the clutch. The sunroof tracks were also cleaned and greased using the Mercede$ sunroof grease. It has a brand new deep cycle, diesel-rated battery, new battery hold down clamps, and new thermostat. I replaced the air cleaner mounts, replaced the blow-by/breather tube and rubber sleeve. Installed new exhaust mounts. The A/C does not work- the compressor is missing. The car can run on Biodiesel b99 as it is. If you want it to run on veggie oil, it must be converted, which is possible. I just replaced the injection pump $$$, modified the throttle linkage off the back side in order to make the acceleration much quicker, like a turbo. The injection lines and return lines were replaced. Four new Hankook 215 series white wall radial tires. As much work as I have done, there still could be things to replace. The reality is, its a 33 year old classic car in very nice shape but can always be better. For this price, it is a fantastic car, and looks great with A VERY UNUSUAL COLOR. If you want perfect, then pay the perfect-car price, and here is a nice(er) one on ebay- auction number # 260852876406 Only bid if you intend to buy. No zero feedback bidders. The car must be paid in full within 7 days of the end of the auction. Do not become the winning bidder and then ask me for weeks to pay for the car. If you have any questions, email me BEFORE The end of the auction. You are welcome AND encouraged to come test drive the car or take it to a mechanic, no problem. The car is located in San Fernando. Clean California title in hand.