W115 info

[Jamsy]

Hello folks,

anyone know much about the w115 model? Im looking for a diesel automatic version but would also like it to have the front quarter windows and possible a column shift with the front bench seat.

I know these are rare as hens teeth but anyone know what years the had the quarter windows? Was it pre-71?

Also was the column shift and bench seat only for the american market?

 

[grober]

Google Translate
according to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W114 changes to the A pillar happened around 1973.

 

[219]

As above , the facelift to both W115 ( 4 cyl models ) and W114 ( 6 cyl models ) took place around 1973 .

Changes included improved ventilation system ( therefore front quarterlights deleted ) , lowered bonnet line and changes to front valance , introduction of exterior mirrors adjustable from inside , A pillar trim which directed rain water over the roof and away from side windows , ribbed tail lights which kept themselves clean , new padded steering wheel design and probably other changes I've forgotten .

Column change was a rarely taken up option in the manual ones ( I learned to drive in a manual , column change 220/8 ) and more so with automatics . Also automatic with diesel engine would rarely , if ever , have been specified . I can't recall ever seeing one and I drove lots of those cars regularly when they were current .

Unfortunately , rust was so prolific on Mercs of that era ( despite what owners of current models may say , they really have no idea what rust is unless they have owned a Fintail , W108 or a New Generation , /8 or whatever you want to call them ) that out of the two million or so produced there are now very few left .

Sadly , I seriously doubt that such a combination as a pre-facelift , diesel , automatic with column change will exist .

You could , of course buy a Diesel saloon , fit an autobox and adapt it to column change . A word of warning - a manual 200D was painfully s l o w , therefore I shudder to think how little performance an automatic one might have . I'd go for at the very least a 240D if you can find one . The earlier doors do fit the later bodyshell - I once saw a facelift car on which one of the doors had been replaced with one from an earlier car - it looked very odd !

I had one of the last W114 280E's with the 5 speed , close ratio Getrag gearbox , made in 1975 , that car was a flying machine and I ran it to 272,000 miles , but it too succumbed to the rust bug with most of the underneath being rotten by the time I sold it for parts in the late 1980's .

The 220

interior with column change

And the 280E

 

[Jamsy]

Thanks very much for that reply Derek, very informative.
Im not after one for performance (Ive got a mk2 escort with a 2.3 duratec tucked away in the garage) Just looking for something old and slow and cool.

Yes I can imagine its near impossible to get that combination, I only want the column change because its different and also Id like to have a bench seat in the front. Realistically I know i wont find one like this but I was interested just to find out more info about the 114/5.

Are those your old cars in the pics? Where abouts in Ayrshire are you from, Im from Ballantrae!

 

[219]

Hi , I'm just outside Dalry in North Ayrshire .

Yes , the two W126's and the Ponton pictured are my current cars ; I also have a W124 . I've had the Ponton for 30 years now .

In the past , I've had a Fintail , several more W124's , a few W123's , the W114 and W115 , a W116 , two W201's ; besides there being numerous other Mercs in the family .

I know someone not far away with a black W123 stretch limo ( ex funeral car ) which may be for sale , the one with the extra row of seats in the back - he currently uses it for running his kids to school , which they think is uber cool , IIRC the car is a 300D . I don't know if that might remotely be of interest to you ?

The stretch limos actually tended to have column change and front benches , although I've never looked closely at Alan's car .

 

[74merc]

If you really want a pre-facelift W115 with an auto diesel, your best bet would be to buy a solid petrol auto and put a W123 240D or 300D engine into it. They both should fit, as the last of the W115s were offered with these engines. Did the V115 (lwb limo) have a column change and bench seat? If so, you could source the parts from one of these and retrofit. Sounds like a lot of work though...

 

[219]

The limos quite often did have that arrangement - I presume so that three undertaker staff could get in the front and leave the bereaved family to themselves in the back .

Most of the limos and hearses I have seen tended to have six cylinder engines - either the old M180 2.2L from the Ponton/Fintail era , where in the /8 range it was designated a 220/6 which strictly made it a W114 , or the 250 engine which was derived from the 220 engine .

The 300 Diesel , from memory , was a 5 cylinder unit back then , but as 74 Merc correctly says , all these engines appeared at one time or another in these bodyshells .

The petrol units really were fine though , and you should be able to pick up an automatic petrol car without too much difficulty . There would be a slight disadvantage in fuel economy compared to a diesel , but my manual 220/8 used to return around 27mpg against which I wouldn't expect better than low 30's from a diesel Merc of that era . Either will be reliable if properly maintained . The 250 engine was certainly very smooth ( 220 tended to get a bit thrashy at high revs ) and offered a bit more performance , but at the expense of being as thirsty as the 280 . Both the older 2778cc single cam 2.8 as used in the W108 and the M110 2746cc twin cam engines appeared in the New Generation cars at different times .

The 280E with the M110 engine giving 185 bhp was considered something of a rocket ship of a saloon back in the early 1970's , especially with a manual box like the one I had , and could still go decently today , as something of a 'Q car' , since they do now look quite old and many would not expect them to have the turn of speed that they do ( from memory circa 125mph top speed and 0-60 in around 8.5 secs ) - a diesel model of that era might quote something like 32 secs 0-60 and maxed out at around 80 mph , I am not joking - some of them really were that slow !

 

[74merc]

I test drove a manual 220D and it did not feel as slow as the figures would suggest, however I would expect an auto one to be unacceptably slow for today's roads.

 

[219]

Just remembered - facelift cars have heated rear screens ; early ones don't .