Alright, let’s talk about this old Mercedes roadster project I took on. It wasn’t exactly planned, more like stumbled upon. Found this beauty sitting under a cover, hadn’t seen daylight in years. Looked a bit sad, honestly, covered in dust, tires flat. But you could just tell, underneath all that, it was something special. That classic shape, you know?
Getting Started
First thing was getting it back to my place. That itself was a bit of a job. Had to get it rolling, aired up the tires – well, the ones that held air. Once it was in the garage, the real fun began. Just stood there for a bit, looking it over. Made a rough list in my head: engine check, brakes for sure, fuel system probably gummed up, interior needed serious help, and oh yeah, that bit of rust on the fender.
I decided to tackle the mechanicals first. What’s the point of a pretty car that doesn’t run, right? So, I started poking around the engine bay. Changed the oil, looked ancient. Flushed the coolant. Pulled the plugs, they were pretty fouled. The battery was obviously toast. Got a new one in, turned the key, and… nothing. Well, a click. Classic.
Diving In Deeper
Okay, time to get serious. I spent a weekend tracing wires, cleaning contacts. Found a few dodgy connections, fixed those up. Checked the starter motor, seemed okay. Moved onto the fuel system. The tank smelled awful, like old varnish. Had to drain it completely, cleaned it out best I could. The fuel lines were questionable, so I replaced most of them. Put in a new fuel filter. Cleaned the carburetor – that took a while, lots of tiny parts.
After all that, tried the key again. This time, it turned over! Coughed and sputtered a bit, but it was trying. A little more fiddling with the timing and fuel mixture, and believe it or not, it fired up! Rough, really rough, but running. That sound, even rough, was music. Let it run for a bit, checking for leaks, listening to the engine. Definitely needed more tuning, but it was alive.
Body and Interior Work
With the engine sort of running, I turned my attention to the body. That rust spot wasn’t too bad, thankfully. Ground it down to bare metal, treated it, used a bit of filler, sanded it smooth. Primer next. Decided not to go for a full respray yet, just wanted to get it solid. So, I focused on cleaning and polishing the existing paint. Hours and hours of rubbing compound and wax. It started to gleam again, slowly.
The interior was… rough. Seats were cracked, carpets mouldy. Pulled everything out. Gave the whole inside a deep clean. The dash was okay, just needed cleaning. Found replacement seat covers, not original, but looked decent and way better than the cracked vinyl. Fitting them was fiddly work, lots of stretching and clipping. Got some basic black carpet set, cut it to fit. Took a few tries to get it right around the transmission tunnel. It’s not perfect, but it’s clean and comfortable now.
- Cleaned engine bay
- Replaced battery and some wiring
- Cleaned fuel tank and lines
- Rebuilt carburetor
- Addressed rust spot
- Polished original paint
- Replaced seat covers
- Installed new carpets
Putting it Back Together and First Drive
Reassembly is always fun. Putting the cleaned-up trim back on, fitting the door cards, connecting the last few bits. Bled the brakes, put some fresh fluid in. Checked all the lights. Finally, it looked like a proper car again. Still needs plenty of fine-tuning, the engine isn’t purring just yet, and the suspension feels a bit floaty. But it runs, it stops, and it looks a hundred times better.
The best part? Rolling it out of the garage for that first proper drive around the block. Windows down, that old engine rumbling. Yeah, that felt really good. Still a ways to go, but seeing it move under its own power after all that work… totally worth it. It’s a journey, this old car stuff, but I’m enjoying the ride.
