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£2000.00 Barn find Parked up since 1983 in a real barn. 200 miles from me. Not running. No guarantees given or implied. Has rust at rear under seat according to seller (dealer) What could go wrong? Or what has gone wrong so far. I like these a lot, always have. Looking at it VS forum.retro-rides.org/thread/209924/again-1954-chev-powerglide-door Buying something in the USA that needs as much or more work, add in £2k shipping etc......? Who knows anything about these, modifying, restoring them? How badly do they rust in those important MOT areas? I would have no issue with “modern” motor, running gear etc and sticking it on air, but keeping the patina as is.  Has a tow bar.  Interior Manky challenge I would enjoy.    Foot well.... well manky.  Love the dash.   One in more racy red.  And what this one would have looked like a long time ago. Not patina look, is it ?  Just a bit of left field thinking. |
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IME these can and do rot anywhere, not had one quite as early as that but found out the hard way! No use at all, just buy it grizz, it’s so damn pretty |
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IME these can and do rot anywhere, not had one quite as early as that but found out the hard way! No use at all, just buy it grizz, it’s so damn pretty AND it’s so much cooler than a seat/ford/fiat/Honda etcetc AND you won’t get grief at the dump, they’ll all be too busy staring at it! |
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IME these can and do rot anywhere, not had one quite as early as that but found out the hard way! No use at all, just buy it grizz, it’s so damn pretty AND it’s so much cooler than a seat/ford/fiat/Honda etcetc AND you won’t get grief at the dump, they’ll all be too busy staring at it! Tow at makes it. Still need to figure out...... MOT and re-license for the road. What do current rules say? Free Road Tax ✅ MOT ? Does one need to do a fresh MOT, does it still need an MOT, have over 40’s been excluded from MOT? |
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Aug 25, 2019 10:09:03 GMT
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Make sure it's registered / logged with DVLA as an 'Historic Vehicle', then I think the no tax no mot kicks in automatically if it qualifies ... Looking at the pictures it's standing on it's own wheels and the wheel gaps look right so nothing as collapsed, hopefully  And if you do need to buy parts you're nearer to the 'source' than with American stuff Nice looking motor very envious ... |
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Last Edit: Aug 25, 2019 10:22:50 GMT by westbay
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Aug 25, 2019 12:19:48 GMT
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They rust like curse word under a mega thick tough factory applied underseal/ schultz. Water gets under it and it spreads.
Beware they hide it well too, a simple hole can soon turn into a weldathon.
If the only rot is localised to under the back seat i would be amazed.
The diesels are slow, very slow, however they are all a nice thing to drive.
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Aug 25, 2019 17:47:18 GMT
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They rust like curse word under a mega thick tough factory applied underseal/ schultz. Water gets under it and it spreads. Beware they hide it well too, a simple hole can soon turn into a weldathon. If the only rot is localised to under the back seat i would be amazed. The diesels are slow, very slow, however they are all a nice thing to drive. This. If they're anything like the later models like W123s they've got some "stuff" on the inside too, under the inch thick carpets. Makes a sandwich out of the metal. When the metal has rotted away the other two layers remain lulling you into a false sense of security, thinking your floors ok when it's not. It was like this on my old 200 T. |
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,306
Club RR Member Number: 170
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As said, rot is the biggest issue, they rot just about everywhere! Not that is pretty can be what it seems.
As for the rest:
-Trim is very hard to get hold of. Even on my more common W108, I struggle for trim for both the inside and outside. That means it's pretty expensive most of the time. The Chrome can eat up cash as well.
-The engines IME can be OK to get spares for, especially service items. Other mechanical bits you can struggle on. For my washer pump for example, I ended up buying a repair kit from the 'states. That still cost me £90; if I had none of the system, you can make that £1k : Ouch! Yes, I could have put in something for a fraction but given my car looks OK, it seemed crazy not to, especially if it causes issues come sale time.
-I don't know if the Fintails ran factory fuel injection, but I know the W108s did with a 6 cylinder engine. If it's of the Kugelfischer type (i.e a massive fuel pump with fuel lines coming off it to go to the injectors), that fuel pump can be more than your purchase price to fix up and can really hurt the wallet. A few older Mercs have been switched to American V8s or a carb conversion due to the quite frankly scary cost of pump refurbishment. Simon Corke on Facebook's BaggedBenz site is a good example of one who did just that.
They are a lovely old thing however.
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braaap
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,731
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I would have no issue with “modern” motor, running gear etc and sticking it on air, but keeping the patina as is. That statement seems to solve a lot of problems - and save money. I think that old rule can be applied here: chrome don't bring ya home!  |
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braaap
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,731
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Aug 26, 2019 11:12:13 GMT
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Practical Classics did a buyers guide long time ago: March 1987 |
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Aug 27, 2019 20:47:53 GMT
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Thanks.
A good friend is going to look in Three weeks if it is still available.
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