1970 Mercedes 280se coupe

[F.J.]

Hi all,

Ive just started a job for a customer restoring his classic Merc. I say restoring but he doesnt want a ground up restoration, but a part resto/part patch up job doing. Not what i like doing but if it pays the bills.....

Anyway, It came to me in a right state, someone else has already had a go at plating up the N/S/R chassis leg and someone else has rebuilt the front end from the bulk head forward.

I posted an earlier thread about how i built a roll over jig for the Merc, for anyone interested here it is http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=37934

I started by sandblasting the boot floor which revealed even more mess than it looked before, the rear panel has been repaired i dont know how many times and a new repair panel is £500 so have been asked to see what i can do with it!!! The boot floor is riddled with holes and fractures and im just awaiting a price on a new floor panel so started removing the floor pan

I'll start to post pictures up and comment as i go so the picture becomes clearer as you read on

 

[F.J.]

This is how the bulkhead looked before i removed the stone chip. As mentioned earlier someone else has already repaired the bulkhead but i had to remove the stonechip so i could work on removing the floor pan


And this is what i found!!!!

 

[F.J.]

Using my new Plasma (a cheap Giant Cut 40) i removed the floor pan in pieces. I have to say its a cracking bit of kit for the money. This section had also undergone various attempts of repair with some panels just being rivited on!!!


As you can see, the rest of the car is just as rotten with the inner sill completely gone. This is something i will have to fabricate myself. I forgot to mention that i am going to be adding strengthening plates to the floor as the roof is going to be chopped off and the car turned into a convertable.


This is with the full section removed, and before i have cleaned any edges up, again more evidence of a rotten shell that probably needs a hell of a lot more work than i am being asked to do


new floor pan tried up just for the pic

 

[octo0072000]

i would not want that as a convertible
too many bodges over the years
it needs all cutting it all back to good metal and starting again from scratch
but that just my opinion owner needs to come and have a good look now you have removed some of the crap

 

[jpmillermatic]

i would not want that as a convertible
too many bodges over the years
it needs all cutting it all back to good metal and starting again from scratch
but that just my opinion owner needs to come and have a good look now you have removed some of the crap

Sounds like the owner needs a dose of hard reality!...maybe the convertible can wait till the next car?



JP

 

[stuvy]

Dean, youv got your hands full there mate!

Id wipe them clean and only do what youv done so far as it could get a real PITA

 

[jim painter]

Looks like some interesting previous repa......sorry bodges.
Why scrimp on having the car welded up and then want to spend a shed load on making it into a convertable.
Shocking.

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Just let me know if you need a second pair of hands, I could do some prepping with grinder and flap discs with you for a small fee

 

[SiPMerlin150]

^ take the silence as a 'no' , never mind

 

[F.J.]

Apologies all for not updating the thread, I've been ill with 'man flu' I think? I say think because I never get ill but for the last week I've been bed ridden wearing three jumpers, a pair of shorts and track suit bottoms and still shivering! I couldn't even lift my head, It felt like I'd been hit by a bus!

Any way I'm back in the workshop tomorrow and have more pics to take of what I have done so far,

I have to admit to being sceptical about the chopping the roof off and have mentioned this to the owner. As it turns out now I am just going to restore the floor and fit the strengthening plates. So basically anything between the lips on the sills.

The owner is English but lives abroad and is having the car shipped over there when I am done with the floor. The reason I am doing the floor is because the running gear is being refurbed over hear and he wants a rolling chassis before he puts it in a container for shipment. He is going to have the conversion done over there, apparently these conversions to a convertible are common on these coupes and the guys over yonder have done a few in the past. However I am hoping the work I do will help me with my business as I have always been passionate about restorations and would like to expand into this line if work.

I will be back tomorrow with more images, mainly of the replacement of the botch job on the inner wing that someone has done!

Regards

Dean

 

[F.J.]

Finally got round to posting up the inner arch repair.

Made it out of two pieces instead a dozen that someone else had done!! Once it was welded up and cleaned up i cut out the jigsaw puzzle and tacked into place while i made some fine adjustments, When i was happy with it i welded it in fully.















Havnt spent any time on it this week due to the lurgi turning into a chest infection but next week will see more getting chopped out (once ive convinced the owner to invest in some convertible inner sills

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Need to get some more photos up on this one, F.J

 

[F.J.]

I know Luke I've got quite a few now. As soon as I get some time I'll get them on. As you know, there's a bit of a rush to get it finished now!!! I'll be in touch mate

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Its coming along rather well, have to admit, when I first saw it in person, I was a little overwhelmed! Standing back and looking back through photographs, you see what you have done and you realize exactly how much you have done!