My 1989 Mercedes 560 SEC

Might I also suggest that you replace the shift knob with a nice OEM-style Zebrano unit?

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Hopefully this will be the last winter with problems rearing their ugly heads.
 
Sad to hear about the bad work on BBSs and the missing compression. Hopefully isn't too expensive to fix, but I can't see cylinder head repair being cheap. Well, on the bright side, at least you're fixing a really nice car.
 
I think this car is right now thanking it's maker that it ended up with you, and not some 'boy racer' type, who would have chucked it out once the problems appeared.

Seeing the amount of extras and the lack of rust, once you get your engine fixed, new rims under it you will probably have one of the nicest car on the roads here. It's definitely going to be worth the time and effort! Good luck with the repairs, and keep us updated.

Talking about extras, do you have any switches that were added after manufacture?
 
All original switchwork, except for the antenna bit which I did out of necessity and tried to do discreetly.

In fact here's the list of options for this car.

228 AUXILIARY HEATER
245 ON-BOARD COMPUTER
291 AIRBAG FOR DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER
300 STORAGE BOX IN FRONT TRAY
404 ORTHOPAEDIC FRONT SEAT BACKREST, LEFT
405 ORTHOPAEDIC FRONT SEAT BACKREST, RIGHT
406 DESIGNATION NOT RECORDED [ortho seats also]
430 HEADRESTS IN THE REAR
540 ROLLER BLIND, ELECTRIC, FOR REAR WINDOW
551 ANTI-THEFT/ANTI-BREAK-IN WARNING SYSTEM
620 EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM
682 FIRE EXTINGUISHER
873 SEAT HEATER FOR LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SEATS

Manual aircon, electric seats with memory, all electric windows, electric passenger side mirror, viscous limited slip diff, Becker stereo system, window heaters and power antenna were all standard in a 560.

Thanks for the encouragement.

I thought of the repair job: after throwing this money at the engine, I know exactly what its condition is and it should last for pretty much all my future km's with basic maintenance and tuneups. I don't plan on ever letting go of this car since it really is my dream car and will only become cooler and cooler as time passes. It'll also become more valuable, thanks to this.

Also, Der Stig, that is a very good idea. I'll start looking into that.
 
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Now here's something a little different. Over the winter I've been digging into the accessories that originally came with the car and making sure I have everything.

First, here's the relevant page on microfilm.

m.mycat


When I bought the car it had the original spare tire and jack, which was nice.

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The spare is a 7x15" ET24 old-style Kanaldeckel which I assume is the original rim that this particular car came with in all four corners. The spare is in pristine condition, save for the missing center cap.

It also came with an original toolbag but that wasn't in great condition. Most of the tools were missing and the trim at the edges of the toolbag were cracking.

After some digging the guess is that these old Mercs came from the dealerships with slightly varying toolkits. As you can see from the microfilm the following special tools were available from the factory.

(41) Screwdriver with 2 detachable bits
(44) 2-part (collapsible) spark plug tool
(30) Tire iron

Also added to toolkits:
- 3 wrenches in the most common sizes
- Small pliers
- A little tool with threads for matching the wheel to the bolt holes

I was able to locate a wrench, pliers, wheel fitment tool and a screwdriver from my old merc. I asked the buyer and he didn't want them so got lucky there. I took the toolbag from that car also, and used it for the SEC. The worse condition bag is now in my mom's 190E which was missing a toolbag completely. Also sourced a pristine tire iron for the SEC from Germany.

Here's the almost complete toolbag.

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Note that this is a version of the toolbag with the Mercedes logo stamped on it.
 
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It's always a good idea to have a complete tool kit. It adds value for the collectors out there, plus the tools can actually come in handy :p

If you really want to go the whole hog on maximizing the car's value, I'd suggest sourcing a Becker Mexico radio or whatever the stock unit is.
 
It's always a good idea to have a complete tool kit. It adds value for the collectors out there, plus the tools can actually come in handy :p

If you really want to go the whole hog on maximizing the car's value, I'd suggest sourcing a Becker Mexico radio or whatever the stock unit is.
 
A Mexico, exactly, I need to get one one of these days... or years. But I'll be using the JVC.

I've heard horror stories about the Becker, but the one in a buddy's 560SEC seems to work after some dusting...

I've been looking at gear knobs. I'm guessing, but not sure, if this car came from the factory with a black leather knob like the one in the W201. That would make sense and correspond with most respectable looking images on Google.

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One in good condition might be cool. Don't really like the accessory-style wooden ones.

Edit: actually I think W201 gearknobs are plastic, the same shape though.
 
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IIRC, the wood knob may have been a dealer accessory or something. OEM would have been the leather gear shifter, but I just prefer the Zebrano wood to match the trim.

Becker units are quite expensive and I've also heard they're finicky, but apparently Becker will refurbish them? I'm not sure if that's true or not though.
 
Here's the almost complete toolbag.

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Note that this is a version of the toolbag with the Mercedes logo stamped on it.

I hope you can feel the jealousy radiating from Espoo...my tool-bag is a lot more faded :(, but I have all the tools as well :) Including an unopened medipack from 1984.
 
those screwdrivers suck!

i don't care they have the MB logo on them, they never should've been sold!
 
They're not there to be used :p
Though the separate screwdriver head was so thin it was very useful in disassembling the ash tray...

Oh and matyas... Care to part with that medipack? :p
 
I have another medipack as well, that one is opened, and something is missing if I recall...but I will check it when I get home, and send some pics if you want it.

And don't diss the screwdriver, it's actually quite good. I have used it a few times and never had a problem.
 
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This car brings back old memories.

Back in the 1980's, a friend of the family used to have a 500 SE -- in brown :lol:

I was allowed to drive it a couple of times (back when it was a real privilege to be allowed to drive an S-Class) and I remember the ride being absolutely sublime.

It's hard to imagine these days, with our premium hatchbacks and middle class cars with foamed plastic dashboards, how far ahead an S-Class was in those times. The was a huge gap between an S-Class and the rest of the world. The silence, the comfort, the feeling of absolute solidity... all that was like diving into another world, when you came from a "normal" car of the 1980's.

Also it is hard to imagine, when you look back, that you were the Autobahn king in 1985, only challenged by Porsches or the likes, with a car that did 225 km/h max. Today you get that with a Passat diesel.
 
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Hear hear.



Also, here's a picture of a camshaft. :p

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are those ball bearings? :shock:
 
Loving this car, hell, it was the #1 Pimp car in Germany for some time :)
It even got covered in a movie :D

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(3:29 on)


Good move on changing tail lights back, either original or slightly blacked out, certainly not white :)
 
That's the only issue I have with the SEC really: It had and still has the image of a pimp's car.

But that's probably my personal perception, since I am old enough to have really witnessed the time they were new :p
 
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