450SE
New Member
For the past five weeks, I've been patiently waiting to take delivery of a 1976 450SE. No delay caused by the seller – I had to stall pickup due to an impending property settlement. That was all taken care of last week, so the path was clear. 
In the meantime, the seller kindly kept very good care of the car for me in quite an impressive garage.
I am now the proud third owner of this car with history & supporting paperwork, since delivered new by Lanes Motors (now Mercedes Benz of Melbourne).
Originally owned by a retiring banker, the car was kept by him in Cheltenham, until hip problems forced the sale in 2000, with a mere 60,000km travelled.
The next owner purchased the vehicle through Shannons, mainly using it for longer drives between Melbourne & Sydney.
No accidents, no damage (expcept for one minor dent – which is being removed tomorrow), not even so much as gutter rash on a hub cap. Last night, I ticked over 162,000km.
A few little details need to be attended to in the next few weeks to lift the car, which otherwise, is in beautiful condition.
The following is a list of all work that needs to be done to get the car to the standard that I want (it will also act as incentive for me if it is listed on a public forum to get the work done!).
Tomorrow:
Dent being removed.
Tuesday:
- Central locking. The front door with which you lock the key with will lock, but the remaining doors (& boot) remain unlocked - which won’t be good when it’s raining & I’m running around the car locking each door manually like a madman.
However, when it comes time to unlock the car, only one door will unlock – but all knobs pop up when the car starts…
- Drivers door does not hold at 30, 60 & 90 degree open points.
- Steering wheel points to the right when driving in a straight line. Suggest steering alignment is a good start point, with a balance thrown in for good measure.
- Original electric radio antenna locked 1/3 up. As it is the original aerial, I would prefer it to be repaired than replaced.
- Front passenger seatbelt does not recoil properly.
- Heater / Air conditioner thermostat appears to be stuck on the ‘warm’ setting – which works a treat at the moment, but won’t be too good in summertime.
Sundry items (next two-three weeks)
- Fit original issue registration plates. Have to wait for seller to fill in some paperwork & return to me, before going to VicRoads.
- Replace housing for internal door handle, rear passenger. Part on order from Germany. One week eta.
- Rear override bumperbarette has been tapped at some point & requires realignment.
- New carpet floor mats. Sourced & on order. About one week eta also.
- Replace speakers & wiring. I’ll only do this if I can still use the existing speaker covers. There's nothing wrong with current system, but would prefer clearer audio.
- Full interior & exterior detail. Although it’s not dirty by any stretch of the imagination, it is a 33 year old car, so a good, professional clean will strip off any residue grime & give the paint an extra sparkle.
- Replace rear windscreen sticker with a replica “Lanes” dealership sticker. I used to have an original in a box that went AWOL at some point. A friend, by chance, has one. I’ll borrow his original, take it to a sign writer, who will copy it exactly & cut it onto a vinyl sticker for me.
End of June:
- Custom made full sheepskin seat covers. Front & rear - including headrests, fold down armrest & squab.
No real fixed date, but would like to complete asap:
- The hubcaps have never touched a kerb, but I’d like to track down a set of the 15” Bundts… like everybody else with a 116. I’ve found a few sets in the USA & am looking into freight charges & duties etc. The problem that I’m facing with the American wheels is that they almost always appear to be the tripled dipped chrome version, which just isn’t me. I need to find out if there is a company in Aust that can strip the chrome down in order to paint the wheels the factory alloy colour.
- Replace radio with the Becker Mexico Sat/Nav system with CD & iPod capability. Again, nothing wrong with current system, but would prefer clearer audio.
I'll try to post some photos online this evening or next.
In the meantime, the seller kindly kept very good care of the car for me in quite an impressive garage.
I am now the proud third owner of this car with history & supporting paperwork, since delivered new by Lanes Motors (now Mercedes Benz of Melbourne).
Originally owned by a retiring banker, the car was kept by him in Cheltenham, until hip problems forced the sale in 2000, with a mere 60,000km travelled.
The next owner purchased the vehicle through Shannons, mainly using it for longer drives between Melbourne & Sydney.
No accidents, no damage (expcept for one minor dent – which is being removed tomorrow), not even so much as gutter rash on a hub cap. Last night, I ticked over 162,000km.
A few little details need to be attended to in the next few weeks to lift the car, which otherwise, is in beautiful condition.
The following is a list of all work that needs to be done to get the car to the standard that I want (it will also act as incentive for me if it is listed on a public forum to get the work done!).
Tomorrow:
Dent being removed.
Tuesday:
- Central locking. The front door with which you lock the key with will lock, but the remaining doors (& boot) remain unlocked - which won’t be good when it’s raining & I’m running around the car locking each door manually like a madman.
However, when it comes time to unlock the car, only one door will unlock – but all knobs pop up when the car starts…
- Drivers door does not hold at 30, 60 & 90 degree open points.
- Steering wheel points to the right when driving in a straight line. Suggest steering alignment is a good start point, with a balance thrown in for good measure.
- Original electric radio antenna locked 1/3 up. As it is the original aerial, I would prefer it to be repaired than replaced.
- Front passenger seatbelt does not recoil properly.
- Heater / Air conditioner thermostat appears to be stuck on the ‘warm’ setting – which works a treat at the moment, but won’t be too good in summertime.
Sundry items (next two-three weeks)
- Fit original issue registration plates. Have to wait for seller to fill in some paperwork & return to me, before going to VicRoads.
- Replace housing for internal door handle, rear passenger. Part on order from Germany. One week eta.
- Rear override bumperbarette has been tapped at some point & requires realignment.
- New carpet floor mats. Sourced & on order. About one week eta also.
- Replace speakers & wiring. I’ll only do this if I can still use the existing speaker covers. There's nothing wrong with current system, but would prefer clearer audio.
- Full interior & exterior detail. Although it’s not dirty by any stretch of the imagination, it is a 33 year old car, so a good, professional clean will strip off any residue grime & give the paint an extra sparkle.
- Replace rear windscreen sticker with a replica “Lanes” dealership sticker. I used to have an original in a box that went AWOL at some point. A friend, by chance, has one. I’ll borrow his original, take it to a sign writer, who will copy it exactly & cut it onto a vinyl sticker for me.
End of June:
- Custom made full sheepskin seat covers. Front & rear - including headrests, fold down armrest & squab.
No real fixed date, but would like to complete asap:
- The hubcaps have never touched a kerb, but I’d like to track down a set of the 15” Bundts… like everybody else with a 116. I’ve found a few sets in the USA & am looking into freight charges & duties etc. The problem that I’m facing with the American wheels is that they almost always appear to be the tripled dipped chrome version, which just isn’t me. I need to find out if there is a company in Aust that can strip the chrome down in order to paint the wheels the factory alloy colour.
- Replace radio with the Becker Mexico Sat/Nav system with CD & iPod capability. Again, nothing wrong with current system, but would prefer clearer audio.
I'll try to post some photos online this evening or next.
