1989 Mercedes Benz 560 SL

[Clean Dean]

I’ve been known to have a soft spot in my heart for vintage Benzes from the 60’, 70’s, and 80’s, and today I had the opportunity to spend a full day with a very special car. This 1989 Mercedes Benz 560 SL represents the last year of the classic w107 chassis. What made this car particularly interesting is the color (Garnet Red) which was not available in the US in 1989. This was a special order European delivery car !!!



I spent approximately 2 hours on the engine bay removing the cosmoline (acetone) protective coating that does a spectacular job of preserving the engines components. The aluminum air filter cover was removed and hand polished. The engine was steam/vapor cleaned and dressed with Stoners non-aerosal Trim Shine water based dressing. All the engine bay painted surfaces were hand waxed with Stoner’s Spead Bead.



The car was hand washed and clayed then buffed with Menzerna’s Super Intensive Polish (Orange Lake Country pad) then Menzerna’s Final Finish (Lake Country White) and hand waxed with Colinite’s Marque d’ Elegance.



All total with the interior the detail took me approximately 10 hours, and unfortunately the overcast sky does not truly represent the vehicles pristine condition.



Notice the last shot.



That is the vehicles true mileage !!!









http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560049.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560074.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560052.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560056.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560062.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560019.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560007.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560003.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560008.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560016.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560102.jpg



http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/cleandean2/560%20SL/560032.jpg

[Thomas Dekany]

Excellent work as always Dean!!!!



That car needs some driving time! :D

[tom p.]

Stunning! It`s too bad the owner never drives it.

[Setec Astronomy]

Thanks Dean...I had forgotten how long MB used to hold their styling before they became a mass-market car made in Alabama LOL. I wouldn`t have remembered they still looked like that in `89...a guy down the street had an early `70`s that didn`t look much different, it must have been a 450. I still remember being in the South Orange MB dealer in the early `80`s (they were also a Buick dealer at that time) and just about falling over at the price on the SEL sticker ($100K IIRC, maybe it was 80K). Anyway, nice job and thanks for the history lesson.

[Setec Astronomy]

Stunning! It`s too bad the owner never drives it.



He seems to be quite the collector.

[Accumulator]

Clean Dean- OMG I simply *LOVE* it (even with the chromed alloys ;) ). Heh heh, guess you *knew* I`d be all over this one :D



Great job on a great car, bet that was a real treat do do.



Now quit calling that rustproofing stuff "cosmoline", even if everybody does know what you mean by that. Real cosmoline is different from the wax-based stuff the Germans spray on cars ;)



Is the owner the same guy who has all the other Benzes I lust after?

[Clean Dean]

Setec Astonomy,




He seems to be quite the collector.



This car was for sale by owner about 6-8 months ago, and I was persuing its pretty aggressively. The owner was asking a lot more money then. This time around he dropped his price dramactically, but I was not in a position to buy, so I turned my friend onto the car. I knew I would get a least a detail out of it.



Accumulator,




Clean Dean- OMG I simply *LOVE* it (even with the chromed alloys ). Heh heh, guess you *knew* I`d be all over this one



Great job on a great car, bet that was a real treat do do.



Now quit calling that rustproofing stuff "cosmoline", even if everybody does know what you mean by that. Real cosmoline is different from the wax-based stuff the Germans spray on cars



Is the owner the same guy who has all the other Benzes I lust after?



I was thinking the same things with regards to the chromed alloy. Not exactly my taste either. As for calling the protective coating cosmoline, its just a bad habit. Been calling it cosmoline for years.



tom p. & tdekany,



I agree 100%.

[tom p.]

I`m not a fan of chromed wheels, either, but they kinda work on this car. Maybe they`re "toned down" due to the overcast skies.

[Accumulator]

..As for calling the protective coating cosmoline, its just a bad habit. Been calling it cosmoline for years..



Yeah, I know, just busting your chops :D

[imported_Yal]

OMG!!:drool: No way is that 3k miles, that is absolutely incredible. WOW!! Even the wood and leather on the center console is spotless and scratchless.

I really would be too scared to drive it lol :D

Man that must have been a treat for you :)

[Slik560]

Now yer talkin`....my kind of car. A real specimen! With those low miles, I wonder if it leaks like crazy. Thanks for posting this up. You don`t see many of these in the forums. ;)



The chrome wheels are not my favorite, either, but he probably got tired of trying to clean them in their original state! Mine are off the car awaiting refurbishing. 20 yrs of brake dust before I got the car. :cry:



Great work, Dean. :xyxthumbs

[Apollo_Auto]

Great work, Dean! That thing`s mint! BTW, why aren`t you posting in the pro section?

[Clean Dean]

Apollo_ Auto


Great work, Dean! That thing`s mint! BTW, why aren`t you posting in the pro section?



That section is for before and after photos. I started this detail at 5:30 AM, and was under the gun with regards to time and never took any before pics. I have been posting before and after pics on here since 01, and after a while taking pics of swirls and paint defect can be time consuming and getting a bit old. I`ll still post up some B&A`s in the future, but time was an issue this day.



I just wanted to share this car with some of the fellow Benz enthusiasts on this forum. :)



karburn and accumulator,



No comments about the aftermarket shifter???



That was a long story in itself !!! I hate that shifter !!!

[Accumulator]

No comments about the aftermarket shifter???







Eh....I stared right past it :o Now it seems incredible that I missed it!



Yeah...people always wanted to "personalize" their Benzes of that era to make `em "special" (scare-quotes intentional on both counts).



Heh heh, eight months ago I might`ve been a hot prospect for that car had I known it was for sale.



Wonder if the soft top has ever even been up :think:



karburn- Yeah, I *still* remember cleaning that style of Benz wheels...it was *really* murder after track days.

[connorb850]

Dean,

Thanks for posting, always look forward to your MB details. Man that thing is nice! Unique color combination, I like it.



For the fellow classic Benz enthusiasts, you would appreciate some of the cars in the gallery on this site: Mercedes Motoring — classic mercedes-benz, lovingly restored (http://www.mercedesmotoring.com/)