As I was driving around Baltimore a few days ago, I spotted an old Benz in the corner of my eye. It was sitting fairly abandoned-looking in the empty parking lot of a sorta-sketchy part of town, near a liquor store. I didn't have time to stop, so I took the following quick, very craigslist-worthy cell-phone picture:
Yesterday, finding myself in the same part of town, I got some cajones and went in to the liquor store to inquire about the car. Behind a very thick glass partition, I spoke with a fellow who managed to convey to me in a thickly Asian-influenced English that the car was his, and he might be interested in selling it, that it ran, and that the gas tank had some problem.
I took some more pictures:
Here's what I can tell you about that car.
- Fuel Filter is good.
- Needs a battery.
- Run.
Yeah. It has severe rocker rust (as in, most of the rockers are missing) and the floor is swiss-cheesy. I'm trying to pare down my automotive projects, but I love these old fintails and thought maybe someone here might be interested. Given its current condition, it's either a pretty involved project or a parts car, though.
Oh, and the windshield's cracked.
I had a 190 Diesel with that body style while I was in high school. I took it down to a bare shell--glass out, interior out, drivetrain out, the whole nine yards--and "restored" it in my parents' garage. It was a lot rustier than the one in the pictures and I had to replace a collision-damaged rear quarter panel with a good used one from a junkyard. I remember getting factory rocker panels from the dealer for $60/each (1982 dollars) and they fit perfectly. Looking back, I don't know how I ever finished it, it was so much work. I had done jobs nearly that big on a couple of MGs and some VWs and remember being so impressed with the quality of the car and the replacement parts. I guess that's why I stuck with it.
Of course, at the end of the project, I realized I had a diesel four door sedan that did 0-60 in about 40 seconds, so I sold it to go back to an MGB.
If you want a heckflosse it'll be cheaper to buy a rust free one from the west coast and ship it to you. They're pretty affordable here in California and you'll probably pay the same for purchase+shipping as you would for an fair condition east coaster. I was going to buy one in VA. They rust way too easy on the east coast.
Damn you people! I was out in the nether regions 20 miles from home to buy some snow shoes and saw a Heckflosse tucked under an overhang behind a barn. Black with a white roof.
Before you guys, I never would have noticed ..... 
It's nearly almost always easier to buy a rust-free western car and ship it back. That's why I mentioned a car like this is basically a parter. A shame, but unless you really enjoy or want to practice rust repair (or just want to drive it until it breaks in half) that's the economic reality.
