Just bought a W123 230C - I have some questions

[Celicasaur]

Whoop! Just bought a 230C and it's quite nice believe it or not. Tidy little car. needs a bit of work, so let's get started...

• I am in need of full sills for both sides from front to back...I hear that there's an aftermarket supplier for these....? Any pointers?
• The steering is appallingly vague and I'm sure the steering box is toast. What options do I have with this?
• The brake pedal can go all the way to the floor and I need this addressed asap. What do you guys recommend? I can see a rubber sels/refurbish package on eBay, but also a complete master cylinder unit for around £80-odd.

Apart from that, if's a solid car and starts on the button every time...let's hope it stays that way.

 

[Bellow]

• The steering is appallingly vague and I'm sure the steering box is toast. What options do I have with this?

Adjustable. Ignore instruction for specific amount and go by feel. Tightening the Allen bolt until what feels right there will probably cause it to be overly tight at the wheel so be prepared to back off a touch. Err on the side of loose rather than tight if in doubt.

adjusting Mercedes W123 steering box - Google Search

• The brake pedal can go all the way to the floor and I need this addressed asap. What do you guys recommend? I can see a rubber sels/refurbish package on eBay, but also a complete master cylinder unit for around £80-odd.

Assuming both sections of the reservoir are full (ie, no leaks), bleed, check(under pressure)/replace flexible hoses, replace MC (but only after thorough inspection for leaks elsewhere) - in that order.

Repair kit vs new MC? New MC eliminates any possibility of corroded MC bores destroying new seals.

 

[vijilants]

Whoop! Just bought a 230C and it's quite nice believe it or not. Tidy little car. needs a bit of work, so let's get started...

• I am in need of full sills for both sides from front to back...I hear that there's an aftermarket supplier for these....? Any pointers?
• The steering is appallingly vague and I'm sure the steering box is toast. What options do I have with this?
• The brake pedal can go all the way to the floor and I need this addressed asap. What do you guys recommend? I can see a rubber sels/refurbish package on eBay, but also a complete master cylinder unit for around £80-odd.

Apart from that, if's a solid car and starts on the button every time...let's hope it stays that way.

I have the tappet adjustment tool for the 115 engine in your car and and also the stromberg carb jet adjustment tool for your car lying around somewhere if you are interested.

Bank in the day I owned a W123 230C for many years. They are under powered, but mechanically dead simple to work on.

 

[Celicasaur]

Thank you guys, super super helpful!!

ok I'll have a go at the steering box adjustment this weekend then as it seems to be super simple. I'l have a look under the hood at the brake fluid and report back shortly.

And yes it's very under powered, but at the same time, I think anything from that era or even 90's is underpowered now and we only want them for the nostalgia. That being said, I was a bit bemused when it seriously struggled to go uphill last night

 

[vijilants]

To be honest, I really don't know what Mercedes were thinking when they decided to put the M115 engine in to the W123 coupe. That engine dates back to the 1960s and is way low on power to pull the W123 body.

The engine needs to be in perfect tune to get the most of it. Ignition timing, dwell angle and mixture have to be spot on to get the most out of it. It may be worth doing an electronic ingnition conversion.

Re underpowered and that era, the BMW engines in that era were way ahead when it came to performance and power. Mercedes were lagging behind.

 

[grober]

WHAT ENGINE HAS IT GOT M115 OR M102?
Beware that tightening up the steering box to eliminate play may make the steering quite stiff this may vary according to the degree of lock applied so test it through steering range. If the box is very worn it will be impossible to adjust it without this happening and rebuild is the only answer. Make sure at the same time that the play is not down to wear in the steering links as the ball joints can develop a lot of play. Be aware also that the steering box arrangements are inherently less direct than modern rack and pinion systems. They tend to have a "dead band " before taking effect and this is quite normal. You soon learn to adapt your steering technique to take account of this.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[optimusprime]

Klockerholm for panels try -- classicarz2

 

[Celicasaur]

Thanks guys

I actually bought the car for my brother as a gift and now the car is his now. However what I did was get my local fabricator to cook up new sills and the floor, because I was on a tight deadline to make it for his birthday.

I believe it's the 115 engine - the one with the carb.

I did try the steering box adjustment but it didn't do anything, so I suspect a box rebuild may be the order of the day in the future, but I'll leave that with my brother to decide if he wants to do that and when.

I've suggested a quick once over of the car to be on the safe side, dizzy cap, fluids etc, so I suspect the carb tool might be a useful one at some point @vijilants - i'll give you a shout no doubt.