1972 Mercedes W114 250 Saloon

[Jim O]

Hello. I have my first retro ride in quite some time since losing my mojo after having a mint small bumper MK2 Scirocco stolen and burnt out. Had kids shortly after and didn't have time or energy for a project.

That has all changed now. The recent arrival of a beautifully preserved W114 has brought me back into the fold. I've had various Mercs over the years, from rusty W123s to a CLS 350 Shooting Brake.

Anyway...pics below. I am a little torn on what to do with it, but it is currently booked in for a minor restoration to remove some dodgy sill welding and bent chrome...as well as (more controversially) the additio of air bag suspension. I like the idea of adjustable ride height...I am pretty clueless on whether this causes any serious long term damamge that might be undesirable...but it's my car and barring any major changes of heart that's what I'm doing.

Here's some pics.

[peter96]

Oh lovely. Looks absolutely crackin. Ive fancied one for ages especially in a good old 70s brown. Getting hard to find. Must admit I would be keeping it standard with maybe the addition of a set of Mexican hat alloys. I'll be watching this with interest.

[mexicansteve]

Grand old barge. Just lovely.

sent from the '70's

[Jim O]

Car is currently at www.bodysoulautoworks.com/

Looked pretty solid but you know what happens if you start poking a screwdriver in the crusty bits.

[omegod]

Looks nice , What chrome are you in need of? I know of a stash

[Jim O]

Really...that could be handy! I bought a decent drivers side strip but I think the rest is ok. Will give it a more critical check next time I see it.

[forkliftfred]

Ooh. I've been looking at these. I also wanted to fit air suspension.

[WoodyMercW114]

Very nice mate,I also have a W114 250.

[Azryael]

Looks great! Nothing controversial or wrong with airbags if done right!

You can still raise it back to stock height to give it that "stock" appearance if you needed to. That car could benefit from some more low, and a set of retro tuner wheels and still be able to be appreciated as a classic.

A buddy of mine in the Pacific Northwest has bagged a W108 and it looks great!

Can't wait to see where you take this.

[Jim O]

Yeah it's not going to be slammed into the weeds...it's a bit too nice for that. I'm going to wait and see how it sits before thinking about wheels but first thought was to spacer/band the wheels to keep it on the hubcaps...I love em.

[WoodyMercW114]

Apr 4, 2016 15:03:01 GMT Jim O said:

Yeah it's not going to be slammed into the weeds...it's a bit too nice for that. I'm going to wait and see how it sits before thinking about wheels but first thought was to spacer/band the wheels to keep it on the hubcaps...I love em.

Nice mate & that is a good look to go for.

[Jim O]

Oof nice that Woody! Is that a black roof?

[geoff115]

Nice find! I made some airbag mounts without having to cut the car up, I wanted to go really low without sacrifing ride quality however I understand its not everyone's cup of tea



Good luck I'll be watching this thread

[WoodyMercW114]

Apr 4, 2016 19:08:37 GMT Jim O said:

Oof nice that Woody! Is that a black roof?

It was black but in this picture it is now brown.

[Jim O]

Ok so I finally got this done. Had loads of rot in hard to find places which was all cut out, floor had new metal welded in, sills repaired, arches repaired etc etc...

I had an Accuair system installed - 4 way switch so independent control over each wheel. Pretty cool. Could use another compressor for faster tank filling, but otherwise the suspension is great. It can totally air out to the deck, but you can't drive it like that obviously. Goes nice and low for cruising and easily reset to standard ride height when required.

I have since moved, and now don't have a garage. It is sitting under trees on the street and I feel bad for it. If anyone is in the market for one of these give me a shout.

Couple of pics!

imgur.com/a/1JcIh

[Battenberg]

Do you have a advert up anywhere yet?

[Jim O]

No I don't sorry have I broken the rules?

[madmog]

After all you've done to it, why not invest in a decent car cover. If you sell it on you may regret it later.

[Jim O]

Well yeah I love it and have considered storing it somewhere...but I would always be worrying about it. Same goes for a cover...I know I would constantly be worrying.

I have been using it as my daily drive, but it's not the ideal school run/kid taxi as it smells a bit petrol heavy (it's running a little rich tbh) and if you leave it unused the suspension does sometimes need a couple of minutes to reset to standard ride height.

I don't know...I feel it deserves a garage that's all. Maybe I am being hasty.

[Jim O]

I should say also, it's far from perfect. Looks fantastic from a distance but it's an ongoing project not a finished one.