Normal logic would dictate that when you already have too many vehicle, are trying to move house, and dont have any money, don’t buy a car. However, I’m not normal, and good choices are often ignored. So, when I heard about an SLK going cheap, I jumped in with two feet. Here is the story of this RLK230 Revival.
SLK230 Collection and back story
While so many where enjoying Rustival, a lot of my thinking time was on collecting the SLK. Having driven from the North West to Warwickshire on the Saturday, on the Sunday, I did the journey again, to Smethwick. All to collect this!
I have no idea why I’ve done this. It’s very much a spur-of-the-moment thing. Doesn’t look too bad right? But that flat tyre is telling the start of a story! This R170 Mercedes was destined for scrap.
Just a week before collecting, and this SLK had tried to drive straight over this pedestrian island. To be fair, if it was pissing down with rain, and you tried to go to the petrol station, I can see why you might jusmp the island. However, there was no longer any oil in the engine.
Inspecting the damage
Back home, and the realisation of what I had bought started to kick in. Before even taking off the trailer, I had a good look over the underside of the car. Things where definitely worse than I had hoped.
Along with the total destruction of the undertray, the sump had taken a beating, and the alternator was smashed to smithereens. Fortunately, the supercharger bracket was unscathed. I was a little concerned about what happened immediately after the impact; had the owner or the person I bought the car through tried to start the engine. The car collected less that 100 yards from the crash site, so a good chance of no damage to the motor internals.
The impact also snapped the stabaliser bracket, and the road spring. I think the stabaliser bar actually helped lift the car and stopped the bottom of the oil pump being wiped out. The corrosion in the road spring has been on previous MOT’s so may not be related to the impact.
How does the rest of the car look?
At first glance, the car is rather tidy. Certainly not showing all 24 years of travelling UK roads. And wearing a total of 162000 miles really well. There are signs that this car has been well loved at some point in the past. All in all, on the surface it seems in relativley fine fettle.
On the interior, the wear seems about right for 160k miles. From the factory, much of the plastic interior is actually painted. Unfortunately, the red paint on the centre console is worn in the high contact points. Frustratingly, the door cars are falling to bits, but it looks like they were glued from the factory and not positively fixed.
There is nothing untoward under the bonnet either. I’ve seen plenty of these old beaters clinging on to life. More than a few times, you open the bonnet and there are plenty of bodges evident. This car, however, seems not to have been messed with. A very honest engine bay.
Is this SLK worth reviving?
The plan has always been to crack on with the SLK revival and get her back on the road, but only if the car wasn’t too far gone. This isn’t a commercail decision, but an effort decision. Despite the first check with the car on the trailer, it needed a closer inspection to make the final decision. However, first I need to get the car off the trailer and onto the ramp!
I managed to roll the Merc off the trailer and onto the ramp in one gowithout hitting the garage wall. With the SLK230 up in the air, the damage didn’t get any better, unfortunately. However, from this angle, I could see there was no damage to the engine oil pump. There was also still some oil in the sump!
Although the alternator was destroyed, the engine bracket was ok. The damage didn’t go any further back that the start of the front wish bones, so overall the damage wasn’t too bad. And while the undertray plastics had been destroyed, the fixing had been left behind.
Ordering parts for the SLK revival
With the damage assesed, part ordering could begin! First up was the sump!
I managed to get a new sump for £34 delivered and a gasket separately. Cleaned up pretty well too. The saddle sump actually sit over the front lower chassis member. I thought this was a subframe, but it’s actually part of the body! Could get very interesting.
Nothing meaningful left of the alternator. Can’t say i’ve ever seen one so obliterated, but I’m very glad it didnt take out the engine bracket with it. Might be worth a few quid when it gets weighed in. But it’s otherwise of no use so a replacement get ordered.
Replacing the SLK’s sump
Getting the old sump out told me everything I needed to know about how easy, or not, this SLK revival would be. The engine is clearly top loaded, and everything is just a little tight.
Like a magic eye photo, if you stare long enough, you might see one of the problems. Getting to the sump bolts was a rather interesting challenge! Extensions, flexi links and patience. Eventually all the bolts where freed. In the end, I cut the old sump in half to get it out.
After much swearing, and three hours later, I had the new sump on. Some useful tips on SLK World came in handy. What a pig of a job. In the end, I undid the oil pick up, ‘slid’ the sump in, and refitted the oil pickup. Refitting felt more like key hole surgery, reaching into the sump to get to the bolts. But, they all got torqued to spec!
End of SLK Revival – Part 1
In the second part of the SLK revival write up, we’ll see if I can get the engine started, and get her back on the road. I’ll need to figure out what if anything else is broken on this car.
I’ve already found a few things that will need to be tackled;
- Wipers are stuck halfway up the screen. They’re powered and try to move when the stalk is turned, so I don’t think this is a stalk or relay issue.
- Road spring and stabiliser bushes and bracket are on their way. I searched for two hours for spring compressors yesterday. I haven’t used them since 2008. Not a clue where they are.
- The roof doesn’t open. beeps and flashes when trying, but I haven’t investigated yet.
- Both front tyres go down to nothing in a few days. I don’t know if it is a result of the impact,
A few days worth of work to go, but I’m mostly excited to see if the engine runs. Hopefully it wont sound like a complete bag of spanners!
M
M_ , Excellent project. Awaiting Part 2.