The Not So 'Cherry' 81 380SL

[Firm]

Well, I've had this car about a week now and we're already off to a pretty rough start...but I'll tell the story anyway and we can laugh at my misfortune on this one.

This thing tempted me on the local Marketplace because most of these R107 SLs are some form of brown, beige or red, so a black one, with these sweet OE dealer accessory wire wheels and Euro headlamps caught my attention. I watched the price come down a few weeks and then lowballed, and the seller bit, so I dug into it a bit.

Seller said it had a fuel leak that was preventing it from running, and it obviously needed a rad (top tank blown off!), but I know these cars are pretty robust, so I wasn't too worried about that stuff. I went to look at it and was shocked at how well preserved the body and interior are...The car has been off the road for maybe 2-3 years, and wherever it was sitting must have been damp and leafy, as leaves clogged the drains, the interior got damp, mold and whatever else took over. But other than just gross mold and filth, all the cosmetics look really good. Original black paint will clean up very well, with not a hint of rust anywhere on the body or underneath - obviously a southern car all it's life.

I really don't have time or space for another project, so I was debating taking it on. Then the seller pulled out some paperwork from the previous owner and mentioned something like "the previous owner was a bank robber", which got me a little more interested.....So I dug more...

The previous owner is a guy named Nico Walker, in short, he had a rough childhood, went to Iraq with the military and came back with PTSD. That led to a heroin addiction, which lead to he robbing a series of banks in the Cleveland area, and ultimately spending a decade or so in prison. While in prison, he wrote a Best Selling book titled "Cherry" about his life, which he sold the rights to for the Tom Holland movie "Cherry". In 2019 this guy got out of prison and ended up down here in Oxford MS, first in a half-way house, then a rental, and one of the first things he bought was this car...He drove it as his primary car, and I don't think he kept up on the maintenance much, which led to it's current situation.

You guys know, I like a good story, and an ex-bank robber's black SL makes a pretty good story. So, I bought it.

Here's where things go downhill. I tried to get it running, so I educated myself on the Bosch K-Jet mechanical injection system, and went through a half days worth of checks and tests to see if I could get it going...No dice, we've got good spark, we've got fuel, the injectors are injecting, etc, but it just cranks and cranks, won't fire.

So, I decide to pull the passenger side valve cover off to check the valves and timing chain, because the chains are one of the few known issues on these otherwise very reliable cars...And it's pretty horrible in there, one (or more?) of the chain guides melted and threw melted plastic debris everywhere. So, clearly it's not starting because the timing chain has jumped and the timing is all out of whack, and this is an interference engine - so there's a good chance it's done.

Not sure what to do with it next....If I spend another half day inspecting the engine to confirm that it's salvageable (i.e no damage to valves or pistons), in theory I could replace the guides and chain, re-time it and it could run again...maybe. But a good timing kit is $400, and it'll probably take me 2-3 days to do the job.

Alternatively, I could sell the valuable bits; Euro headlamps alone are $2000, hardtop is $1500, Nardi wheel is a good $1000, probably get another $1000 for the wheels (and nice 22 date code tires), and come out well ahead of my investment. However, that would mean scraping an otherwise sweet car and I don't think I have the heart to do it.

So the other alternative is try to sell it as is, I could probably break even, or maybe even make a little on it, and be rid of the problem.

So...Iunno what's next yet, but I can't have an immobile car in my driveway for long so I need to do something with it. Tomorrow I am going to tidy it up a bit; clean out the moldy interior, wash it, etc, see how it comes up.

[Revelations]

Boy, that car does look nice. I LOVE those wire wheels too. A neat story as well. My Audi 5000 Turbo has that Bosch fuel system, I've had some rounds fighting with it in the past, they're not fun and everyone who knew how to fix them are 80+ or dead. Really sucks about that motor, my first thought was LS SWAP! In the end that looks like a car well worth fixing and preserving. I really like it and have always loved that style.

[Firm]

Agreed, this is a really good looking spec, I am normally not into these, but this one just looks right.

Adding to the story here, I found this listing on a Classic Car dealer's website from January 2021. The car looks amazing in these photos, clearly the poor old girl has had a REALLY rough 5-years and 5K miles since then.

https://www.sevenhillsmotorcars.com/vehicles/142/1981-mercedes-380sl

Deeper inspection hopefully this weekend and if there's nothing fatal found, I am going to throw a new chain & guides in it, re-set the timing, and hope for the best.

[Bridgecity]

Oh thats's a tough one, such a cool car.  Sounds like you've made your decision on the direction.  If you can find the time then that sounds like a good path.  Cross fingers that the internals are good, but like you say, good chance that it's done.  Worth a look though I think.

Back in the late 90's/early 2000's I had a '91 Prelude (interference engine).  Dealer we bought from told us the timing belt was replaced shortly before it was traded in.  About 40k kms later the belt went while Mrs. BC (not married at the time) was driving it.  My dad and I decided to just slap a new belt on and gamble that everything was good, and it was.  Drove the car for years after that. 

[RRocket]

Drop an inspection camera in the bores and see what's what, then decide

[Firm]

Yeah, that's the plan. I have an inspection camera, it's older, needs to be connected to a laptop, but it should get the job done. Hopefully I get as lucky as BC did with his Prelude.

[Gurgie]

Very cool find! Fantastic looking car. Fingers crossed you can get it back up & running.

[Blueprint]

Big fan of R107's here. Before the TR6 landed in my lap, these were the one classic car I thought was plausible. Unlike most, I prefer them with the NA-spec round headlights and 5 mph bumpers - that's how I remember them as a kid, and the bumpers emphasize the horizontal lines of the car. The later 560SL is the perfect spec, with that powerboat motor, front lip spoiler and Gullideckel wheels. Silver over blue interior for me.

The 450SL is the original spec, but these are much older now. The 380SL was the gas crisis version, and early single chain motors had catastrophic failures. Firm's has the double chain, so factory build or TSB'd at some point. Guides, as in other cars, are a weak point. I used to read a lot on the cars and follow every BaT listing until the TR6 arrived. Beyond the single chain and guides, IIRC there's a front crossmember / suspension issue to look out for, and the HVAC control module is a weak point. Otherwise, built like a tank and weighs like one.

Hoping you save it!

[Blueprint]

Fun fact: first year R107's in NA carried the same 350SL badge as in Europe, but that was quickly swapped for a 450SL one, despite keeping the V8.

Every now and then, a 3-pedal straight-six Euro model shows up on BaT. My next favourite R107 spec!

[Firm]

Big fan of R107's here. Before the TR6 landed in my lap, these were the one classic car I thought was plausible. Unlike most, I prefer them with the NA-spec round headlights and 5 mph bumpers - that's how I remember them as a kid, and the bumpers emphasize the horizontal lines of the car. The later 560SL is the perfect spec, with that powerboat motor, front lip spoiler and Gullideckel wheels. Silver over blue interior for me.

The 450SL is the original spec, but these are much older now. The 380SL was the gas crisis version, and early single chain motors had catastrophic failures. Firm's has the double chain, so factory build or TSB'd at some point. Guides, as in other cars, are a weak point. I used to read a lot on the cars and follow every BaT listing until the TR6 arrived. Beyond the single chain and guides, IIRC there's a front crossmember / suspension issue to look out for, and the HVAC control module is a weak point. Otherwise, built like a tank and weighs like one.

Hoping you save it!

Yep, you're likely more knowledgeable on these than I am. Fortunately the front suspension/crossmember is good on this one. The build quality is impressive, and I am hoping I can revive this one and drive it a bit....I've heard they're nice relaxing and comfortable to drive, and not at all sporty. The community and knowledge base is really strong too, which should make owning and maintaining one easier. My sense is that these make a really nice affordable and practical classics for someone who wants a toy that they can really use regularly.

[GreatBigAbyss]

LS swap it!!!

[Blueprint]

Big fan of R107's here. Before the TR6 landed in my lap, these were the one classic car I thought was plausible. Unlike most, I prefer them with the NA-spec round headlights and 5 mph bumpers - that's how I remember them as a kid, and the bumpers emphasize the horizontal lines of the car. The later 560SL is the perfect spec, with that powerboat motor, front lip spoiler and Gullideckel wheels. Silver over blue interior for me.

The 450SL is the original spec, but these are much older now. The 380SL was the gas crisis version, and early single chain motors had catastrophic failures. Firm's has the double chain, so factory build or TSB'd at some point. Guides, as in other cars, are a weak point. I used to read a lot on the cars and follow every BaT listing until the TR6 arrived. Beyond the single chain and guides, IIRC there's a front crossmember / suspension issue to look out for, and the HVAC control module is a weak point. Otherwise, built like a tank and weighs like one.

Hoping you save it!

Yep, you're likely more knowledgeable on these than I am. Fortunately the front suspension/crossmember is good on this one. The build quality is impressive, and I am hoping I can revive this one and drive it a bit....I've heard they're nice relaxing and comfortable to drive, and not at all sporty. The community and knowledge base is really strong too, which should make owning and maintaining one easier. My sense is that these make a really nice affordable and practical classics for someone who wants a toy that they can really use regularly.

I often see them compared to power boats - big heavy 'vert with smooth V8 torque...that drinks like a boat Perfect cruiser!