Mercedes Motoring Mercedes-Benz restoration, back road exploration!

04Sep '13

Crushproof

imageTo recap: this is my 1979 250T. The T stands for Touring. It's color combination is rare Caledonia green with avocado plaid cloth. 18 years ago it was left for dead out in the field on a goat farm in Arkansas. When I discovered it a few years back the weather had thoroughly patina'd the completely original paint and interior. It had a smashed out driver's side widow, and a shattered front windshield, which looked to have been hit by a baseball. It was home to a lot of insects and animals (both dead and alive) when I disassembled it, not to mention the inch of blood, mud, and fish guts slathered throughout. The sole owner before me was a hunter, and he used it to tow his boat, hunt, and fish. Over the course of a year plus restoration/preservation (the paint and interior are still 100% original) we ditched the seized, carbureted, 250 engine for a DOHC, fuel-injected, Euro spec, 280. The automatic trans was deleted and replaced by a manual 4-speed. It's lowered on raw 14" steelies with Phoenix 185 white walls (era correct for a W113 280SL Pagoda). It has a cheap 80's amp stashed away with a line in-line out cord for crappy, static driven rock n' roll. It's still rusted and smells like the Arkansas earth. I left the original front windshield shattered because I like to imagine some Sandlot lookin' fat kid smashing a homer in the field and hitting the neighbor's old busted up wagon. I can't tell you how much I love this car, but I can tell you I put a club on the steering wheel every night.imageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimage

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