M-Benz sleeper anyone?

SBC, automatic; lotsa potential for a person with imagination.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Model-190-chevrolet-motor-/320653988145?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4aa8779131

I appreciate you posting this.

My wife does not.

"Happy Valentine's Day, honey".

;-) Bill

Oh man. There's one of these parked off street in my neighborhood, and every time I pass it, I wonder if my 460 Ford would fit.

I'll let you know how much room is left over when I get this delivered... but it sounds like they did massive modifications (Mustang II IFS, etc) to make this work...

I couldn't pass it up for the price. I couldn't get a stock 1.9 ponton with a body this clean for anywhere close to what they were asking here...

Sold for $3550.

I love this thing. The rear wheel placement looks a little odd, but whatever. When are you getting it home, WC?

Yes, I'm curious to see how/why they did the rear as they did. Seller said he wasn't quite satisfied with that aspect either. Solid axle GM 8.8.

The car also came with a bunch of stuff not listed/shown in the auction (which was poorly done).

Should be here by tomorrow unless my buddy (who just happned to be heading this way with an empty trailer) has issues. In that case it would be a couple of weeks before I can get down there to pick it up.

Bill

Cool. I'd love to swing by and see it sometime.

Oh, reportedly the car really does only have 56k original miles, was bought new in Europe by a Catholic priest at the Vatican, then privately imported when the priest was reassigned to the DC area... the seller (who also did the modifications) bought it from his estate.

Always welcome people to drop by and talk cars!!

carzan wrote: I love this thing. The rear wheel placement looks a little odd, but whatever. When are you getting it home, WC?

Nah, the wheel on the other side is dead center!

wcelliot wrote: Always welcome people to drop by and talk cars!!

Awesome! If you're around and have the time, I could drop by (probably with a fellow Benz nut) this weekend.

914Driver wrote:

carzan wrote: I love this thing. The rear wheel placement looks a little odd, but whatever. When are you getting it home, WC?

Nah, the wheel on the other side is dead center!

Heh, was kinda thinking the same thing, but was hoping it was just camera angle.

In reply to carzan:

Actually like not around ths weekend, but you can plan for the following one...

I think (hope?) the axle is similarly displaced on both sides. ;-)

In reply to wcelliot:

Can't do the following, but maybe the one after? Didn't you also have a Tatra? or am I thinking of someone else?

Consider full wheel covers or painting the Rally wheels black ? No sense in spilling the beans until the accelerator is pressed !

Me Likey !!

Should be around then as well. Had a Tatra 603; sold it to a couple of guys in the Citroen club, so when it shows up at events, it's there. But they don't tend to drive it far...

My wife was extremely unhappy with me for selling the Tatra, but frankly it made me a little nervous as well. Using North American sources, engines and gearboxes were Ferrari-priced items. I've since made pals with one of the UK's top experts (who frequents eastern Europe) so I no longer have the same concerns... and may bring another over at some point.

Absolutely want to take it back looking a little less hotrod outside. Planned on full Mercedes wheelcovers (like from the late 60's, the proper Ponton bits not being compatible with the American ralleys)... even thinking about wide whites for the really dowdy look.... and dropping the chrome turndowns from the exhaust (and quietening it down a bit... but not too much).

Sold the Tatra?

It's also a bit puzzling that the PO went to all the trouble that he did and went for a 305 rather than a dimensionally equal 350. Sounds like you have the right ideas for this car and I can't wait to see it.

I suspect he already had the engine.... same reason the PO used a 307/PG combo on the '50 Chevy truck I recently bought... not a drivetrain I'd wish on anyone in a truck that was otherwise very well done. I gave it away to have somebody pull it for me...

I think the couple that bought the Tatra is no longer together and I've offered to buy it back but so far neither of the gents is entertaining my offer.

Got the Mercedes tonight. Too dark to study in detail but it's a very unique build.

Some stuff done to an extremely high level and in good taste, some things done to a high level and not in good taste, and some things not so well done.

Somebody dropped some serious money into some aspects... then really penny-pinched on others. MUCH more custom work done than I anticipated.

The rear axle is indeed nice and square... but about 1.5" too far forward without an apparent reason why... will learn more tomorrow in the daylight.

Going to be fun to play with...

In reply to wcelliot:

What? You didn't take it right out and drive it?

It was delivered with zero gas (had to run to the station to get it restarted to unload it)... and there are some less than intuitative aspects to it, so I wanted to wait until daylight.

Example: It uses a Chevy steering column, but does not have cruise control. So they expertly wired up the cruise control button as the trunk release. I didn't want to "accidently discover" any other unique aspects while driving in the dark without tags or license. ;-)

LOL awesome.

i would like to stop by and see it sometime when i am down your way, sounds cool

Went for a highly illegal drive this morning. ;-) The car is more of a project than I had hoped, but most of it is just cosmetic (and minor things like figuring out where/how to run AC lines). Pretty cramped under the hood.

Basically they took a solid body (but with the typically rusty floors), built a custom frame for it, mounted the full Mustang II IFS/R&P up front, then set the body on the frame and made new floors to match.

I was expecting loud glass packs but the exhaust is tastefully loud... about like I would have shot for myself. Pretty "street rod" loud and rough inside though...

Mechnically the only "epic fail" is the rear axle arrangement. Not only does it look bad, it's poorly engineered. It has very little travel before the shocks bottom out. So when I get back in town, sorting that will be the first order of business.