'59 Mercedes 220-S Ponton - Full Restoration Project 220s

1959 220-S one of 9. 00 made that year. Originally sent by order to an American military officer living in Japan so I have documentation of the delivery from Stuttgart Germany to Japan. Then shipped after the gentleman's retirement to a small Colorado town which is where I discovered it. I buy Pontons. 219. 220-S. 190Sl from this era and I am very familiar with the models and I am encouraged and respectful of the amazing engineering that went into these models. For a short time these models were some of the best vehicles on the market. The price of this car was matched to a 1959 Cadillac. I bought this car from the 2nd owner who lives in a high desert grassland town in the Rocky Mountains. Annual rainfall 11. 8 inches a year. Good for old car bodies! I towed it 210 miles on a flatbed to my small humble shop and had a go at getting it started and analyzing the needs. the pluses and the minuses of the fact that it has not been registered since 2006. 9 years parked. It could be restored or parted out. but who would want to do that? These cars are considered "million mile" automobiles. Mercedes Benz offers grill badges to those individuals who can prove they have driven their cars the extra mile. That is millions of meters. and half million meters respectively. Here are the facts on this rare beauty- though the pictures do most of the telling. I have owned it only a month. Title is clear and from the 2nd owners wife. as the 2nd owner had passed. General: No mice infestation which is amazing for this area. Body stable and having some undercarriage rust as well as up top oxidation. Interior including ceiling fabric. rubber seals and gaskets. upholstery. carpet all sun damaged. Engine: I did a compression test and well. its strong. Over 100 lbs in most cylinders using my Craftsman C compression tester first removing the plugs and distributor cap wire. I recorded the findings and later drove the car and found that it has plenty of power for a 2200 cc. engine. I did not detect a loss in power or excessive smoke coming from the tail pipe. I shut it down soon after testing the drive train. The engine sounded great with that familiar tick- tick- tick of the rocker assembly and valves. Ignition: well- it needed work. We reset the timing and point gap. cleaned up a lot of storage dust on the firing components and it started right up. Could use new wires to the plugs. Last tune up was in 2000 according to receipts. Fuel: there is an electric fuel pump added. It is a good alternative to the oem device. though I have left the original mechanical pump in place. Fuel filter is the disposable type like on most modern vehicles. The twin carbs were rebuilt in 2000 and need looking into as the front carb is out of adjustment and causing poor running condition. Fuel tank serviced about 15 years ago. Exhaust System: I had to reconnect and rehang the muffler. tail pipe. and primary pipe as the rubber hangers were split. Now it sounds and acts properly though there are issues if your going to a car show with it!Drive train: I drove the car from one shop to another but stopped here Managed 3 of the 4 gears as well as reverse. No problems. Shifts as good as my other restored Mercedes. Body: I have included many photos. There is a small hole in the rear door well. a hole in the drivers side floor (pan). a hole in each fr. wheel well where water from the hood drains to daylight (typical). These are sheet metal areas and not structural. Surface rust (removable) on the roof. Also a small bondo area that is failing under the front fender trim piece. Obviously a little fender damage there. An hour to fix or 8 if you aren't experienced. A small bump on one fender top which would go away while refinishing the car. The entire underside of the car was undercoated at some time with a rubberized spray and that saved the car from deep deterioration. Right wheel well rust noted. Spare tire well rusted through in small sections. We suspect the decayed trunk gasket is the culprit here. Chrome int and ext needs to be sent out to a shop for workStructural: all beams. rails. sub-frame solid. Finish: the car is in need of sanding. priming. repaint with the correct paint code for Mercedes. 353 Medium Blue Metallic. It was repainted in the 1990's then left outside along the side of a house. There is a patina over the car now which still draws attention from folks that notice it. The interior was redone at the same time. After these improvements something happened with the owner- we suspect. It is beat. Needs everything. to be restored again. Brakes and Tires: When I found this car all the tires were new but dried out and had to be replaced. I have replaced the 2 rear tires with good used ones. Front tires are old and need to be replaced before venturing out. Pretty reasonable at my local tire supply. The brakes were inspected and adjusted in 2003 and recently bled. linings measured at the rear wheels. They are showing 3/16". One brake cylinder bleeder screw is gone but I have a good pedal and the car stops upon applying. Hand brake working ok. This model was a luxury class and so outfitted with a 'power brake booster'. I am unsure of the condition. Under the Hood: the cardboard heater boxes need repair or replacing. These are available through aftermarket suppliers or a dealer. Elec. wiring is frayed in places or starting to. and needs attention in the engine bay. Battery: strong and a suitable replacement for the purpose of selling the carGlass: All there though the front windscreen suffered a small hit by a bee bee and needs to be addressed. All other glass aged but ok. Oil and lubrication: New oil after draining the system. Tranny oil unchecked. No oil leaks as of now but that might change with vehicles that sit for a while then get going again. Door hinges. ball joints. steering work well. There is a 120 pt. lube chart to follow with this car. It was a state of the art luxury class car in its' time. Shocks and suspension: I would change out all 4 shocks as they are relatively inexpensive to address. That said they are not leaking. Electrical: unknown though it lights up with most switches. wipers. headlights work. Spare parts: bumper over riders. reverse lights. door pockets (front). trunk matting. replacement door latches and vent window latch along with misc. parts. the Bilstein jack are in the trunk along with the original owners manual. paper work. Summary: Most of what originally came on the car is here. The blue leather interior door panels are sun toasted along with the solid beech wood surrounds on the doors. We feel that you could restore all of the wood except one rear window surround. This is truly a car that has been neglected and forgotten about though the owner did spend $920 in 2000 along with a new interior. and the new tires all point to past times pride of ownership. I have described this vehicle with as much honesty and clear judgement as I can. Buyer will need to either inspect the car or hire an agent to do so prior to pickup. I will help with coordinating with the buyer for shipping out of town if necessary. Buyer is required to send a good faith deposit of $500 within 48 hours of close of auction with the balance no later than 7 days. I can not store the car for you and pickup must be finished within 7 days. No bidders with a lower feedback score of 5. Sorry. but I have learned that this is best case for sellers like myself that go back to the beginning of ebay in the 1990's. Please ask questions before bidding and thanks for looking. !