1973 350SE Progress....

[zej]

All caused by a little patch of corrosion within the vent at the base of the windscreen....

 

[BenzBoy]

What a bugger! However, you are going to end up with a solid and desirable car. Good luck.
Regards,
Brian

 

[c107]

How is your car coming along Zej?

 

[zej]

My apologies Bryce, for not replying months ago!
The car is finally on the road and I'm beginning to enjoy life again, thank you for asking!

 

[Oversize]

Those inner guards are perhaps the biggest issue with the W116 chassis. Drains far too small which are then coated and often blocked by body deadener. Well done on getting the mess fixed! Tail lights & the firewall mat can also hide nasty surprises. If the tail lights are leaking take them out completely, clean thoroughly, replace seals if you can get any then reseal with a non hardening sealant (NOT silicone).

 

[zej]

Thankfully the boot floor is solid, and the tail lights have been very heavy-handedly sealed up at some stage. I was going to re-seal them a bit more neatly in clear silicone before reading your advice! Would you use something like permatex gasket sealant?

I just found the fuel filler drain completely blocked as well... may have dodged another bullet there.

 

[Oversize]

If you use any type of hardening sealant (including semi hardening silicone), you’ll find the only way to remove the tail lights in the future is to smash them out… I’m purchasing a product from Wurth for the job so I’ll let you know which one soon. Non hardening for windscreens & rubber seals.

Yes common for the filler drain to block up & rust the rear quarter & fuel door. As with all the small drains, make sure they’re free of debris.