Project Retro Rally: Behind the Build (E2) | Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Restoration with Car Throttle

Welcome to Project Retro Rally! In this episode, we will be continuing work on the Mercedes-Benz W 108 by replacing spark plugs, the air filter, and an unforeseen problem! Subscribe now: kzbin.info_c....
We enlisted the help of our friends at Car Throttle to help restore a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 S (aka Heinrich) back to its former glory and make it race-ready for the AvD-Histo-Monte rally. We will show you the exciting behind-the-scenes process required to restore a Mercedes-Benz classic car.
► Watch all episodes here:
• Playlist
► Learn more about the Project Retro Rally here:
mb4.me/project-retro-rally
► Heinrich was made at the car dealership Wilhelm Jesinger KG:
www.jesinger.mercedes-benz.de/
► Buy your classic Mercedes-Benz here:
www.mercedes-benz.com/alltimes...
► More interesting playlists:
Classic: • Mercedes-Benz Classic
ALL TIME STARS: • Playlist
Best of Benz: • Playlist
► Experience the world of Mercedes-Benz:
benz.me/international
► Mercedes-Benz on Social Media:
/ mercedesbenz
/ mercedesbenz
/ mercedesbenz
► Mercedes-Benz Museum:
www.mercedes-benz.com/museum
/ mercedesbenzmuseum
/ mercedesbenzmuseum
/ mercedesbenzmuseum
#ProjectRetroRally

[@MercedesBenz]

Subscribe to Mercedes-Benz on KZbin: kzbin.info

[@luxuryviplifestyle9494]

Mercedes-Benz nice

[@huntsbychainsaw5986]

Very happy with this series.

[@northernmaten7676]

m power

[@northernmaten7676]

m power

[@Legend-lc9bv]

M power

[@benTi900]

I love the combination of German engineering and British optimism.

[@sime8774]

Why

[@makveldz]

why

[@silviaflores9583]

why

[@300ml_brasil]

Ben Thorne why

[@kayaritvards9200]

why

[@magarage2114]

Never mess up with something that already works..

[@nappy5853]

This is a calm and professional video I like it

[@LukeTheJoker]

A pleasure to watch an old school mechanic working with real tools, not a laptop, cordless impact gun or gloves in sight...

[@DanielSadjadian]

Agreed, a true mechanic who can rebuild an engine from scratch 👍 Not a technician who just replaces parts needlessly until OBD error codes are cleared lol

[@Split10uk]

@@DanielSadjadian But he didn't fix it! Don't get me wrong; I am from his generation, and so many people today say "it was so much easier on old cars with points and a carb" but in this case with all the expertise and experience in the world he didn't diagnose the problem. The conclusion was...it needs new parts...so you keep on putting new bits on it until it works. The only positive with an old car is points condenser etc are much cheaper than today's modern ignition systems. Same applies to fuel system in most cases.

[@ruikazane5123]

Yeah. That's how it was. But with all the gizmos today...

[@Hoch134]

​@@Split10uk Also, the idea of classic tools may sound beautiful but if you have to pay the time at the mechanics shop you rather let them use electronic or air-driven tools instead of letting them work with a wrench alone.

[@JustusKuroVT]

@@DanielSadjadian Is it ironic that the solution to this restoration is "Replace with new parts" then?

[@mercedesbenzmuseum]

First rule about working on classic cars: Nothing goes according to plan 🙄

[@adityakad940]

Why?

[@huntsbychainsaw5986]

Exactly. Once you disturb the original state of a classic car all the little gremlins start to surface after laying dormant for years. Mischievous creatures.

[@ruikazane5123]

Except that if you planned something wrong.

[@devilskullBEL]

First rule in my books is always 'Don't fix what isn't broken.' :p

[@johanneswarn5488]

I restored a 1973 Alfa Giulia GT Junior 1600 a few years ago and i can confirm this

[@FoolOfAToke]

I really like the dual-series Heinrich is providing. Top notch content from the Car Throttle crew as always. Great choice Mercedes!

[@LMacNeill]

I used to own a 1980 Mercedes-Benz 240D, for about 7 years from 2005 to 2012. And I was always amazed at how I could get literally *any* part I needed from the dealer. A freakin' *door latch* on the passenger side door broke and the door would not close -- this is while I was out with my family, too, so very inconvenient timing. We stopped by the local Mercedes-Benz dealer and *they had the part in stock and replaced it while we waited!!!* I was totally blown away. A 30-year-old car (at the time) and they got us back on the road within an hour! Yes, it cost me a fair amount of money, buying that part from the dealership and paying dealership labor rates -- but what other brand has old parts like that *in stock* and can repair your old car right then and there?! Well worth every penny. Try taking a 30-year-old Ford to the dealer and get them to work on it. HA! I bought that car from the original owner's son, and he actually bought it back from me when I decided to sell it -- he had missed it that much. :-)

[@MercedesBenz]

Thanks for sharing your #TheBestOrNothing experience. 😍

[@lakeshorerides]

Those old diesels are legendary. Family member has a diesel sel with 634,000 miles on the clock and still fires right up and runs like a tank. Love em.

[@daniesalex7073]

Thank you mercedes Benz for this collaboration with ct

[@jackkelly8399]

Really love the way Karl Heinz operates , cleanly, smoothly and taking his time, pure patience

[@AstroTools]

In love with that MotoMeter analog compression tester

[@angrymancunian]

About 55 quid on eBay...

[@KriegerDelfin24]

More German please. love to hear Alex speak German

[@marvluebke]

I'll never get over how weird it is to hear Alex speak near perfect german :D

[@MachoMadness69420]

Gotta love old cars - valve cover is attached with only 3 bolts.

[@dasselbergs]

Dennis D ...and that you can re-use the rubber gasket over and over again :)

[@TheCornishGingerOfficial]

@@dasselbergs my early 90s honda is the same. I only have about 4 bolts and I reused the rubber gasket 😂

[@charlesbilodeau6916]

The music , voice tones and energy level were perfectly appropriate. Great video

[@johndoe-el5fi]

Brings back memories I used to work on these can't believe Karl can't figure it out it's running like 1 and 2 leads are mixed up but a condenser can do what it's doing too. Go Karl

[@Frankestein01nl]

The steeringwheel of Heinrich is a thing to behold..... so much nicer than what is in cars nowadays ;)

[@LHJ714]

wow i've never seen compression test like this.

[@drturboklaus1117]

how do you test compression?

[@mh87351]

@@drturboklaus1117 I think he means the design of that specific compression tester the way it makes the line graph I have seen loads of ones that have a dial gauge but not one that draws a line graph like that.

[@valenssi]

It is still in some cases pretty common. I was taught to make compression tests like shown. It's a pretty bulletproof way imo!

[@huntsbychainsaw5986]

First time I've seen a line graph compression tester as well.

[@uliwehner]

@@huntsbychainsaw5986 the idea here is that you get a written record of the test you can show the customer, or if you sell the car to the prospective owner

[@SB-zb7sf]

Alex in this video looks like I do when I help my dad with car stuff. Just watching and passing tools, generally just getting in the way

[@JBroezel]

Love this engine! My dad had a W114 with exactly this engine in the 130 hp variant. I passed my whole childhood on the back seat of this great car an slept listening to the sound of this machine. Later I helped my dad to restore and repair brakes shocks and also overhaul the cylinderhead including valve seats valve bushings, etc etc. Not mentioning the regular change of all ignition components. I could hear and feel when a new set of spark plugs or a new set of points where necessary... unfortunately the car got totalled due to an accident at the age of 22 and more than 220000 kms.... Sometimes i still miss it - even more than 30 years later. Was a great car and a great engine!

[@MercedesBenz]

Oh that sound amazing and sad that it is not alive anymore! 😩 But the memories are good, that is the most important! 😍

[@jdmindustriesaustria]

Ich finds lustig alex deutsch reden zu hören

[@johanneswarn5488]

JDM industries i think he’s part german if i’m not mistaken

[@jdmindustriesaustria]

@@johanneswarn5488 yep he told me that hes half german

[@rhodesianwojak2095]

.

[@Panda4142]

Karl Heinz du bist einfach geil!

[@drifting1O1]

thank you Mercedes for this cross over with car throttle

[@michaelw2263]

Wow glad I found this video. There's something fascinating about working on an old German car

[@bigeein]

In a way it’s good to see the toils of rebuilds. So many car tv programs make it look far to smooth and easy. GL with the build guys. Enjoying the show.

[@boundish1]

Theres just something about the way the door closed so thightly and perfectly.

[@28thAttempt]

It seemed to have run smoothly before the service... I'm curious to what caused the starting and running issues

[@ivorproblem1332]

Well he set up the dwell angle etc on the distributor to the correct / original spec and it is possible the previous owner adjusted it out of spec to make it run right. Basically adjusting for a problem elsewhere.

[@michaelarmer256]

a common issue with old motor is when they get a huge services like this it creates new problems that where not noticable before. clean all the gunk and crap out of an engine revals a hole that was kindly keeping all the oil in the engine before hand

[@paulEG6]

The rubber tube works great for reinstalling plugs too, if you start to cross thread one it’ll just slip instead of mangling the thread in the head

[@kylehyatt1214]

This is one of the few times I've been thankful for the Bosch MFI system on my 280se. One of the VERY few times. Still the W108 is an incredible machine and this series (along with the one on CarThrottle) make me so stoked.

[@vladmihai306]

Why? 280e has a worse fuel injection system?

[@mateusz2465]

@@vladmihai306 this one is on carbs

[@vladmihai306]

@@mateusz2465 Yes, you're right. Saw it, but didn't realize it, thanks :)

[@janhendrikfranke]

The Heinrich, The Karl Heinz and the Englishman, with his adorable, but excellent german is the by far best combination, I have watched for a long time. Sincerely Jan, or how it would be translated, Johannes Heinrich Franke.

[@scaryfear21]

Awesome series! Heinrich and Miles are the best episodes!

[@harrismargaritis9275]

This is so professional, this mechanic is so old school. Probably is driving an old Italian classic car. (Free experience points)

[@alexgratzaTV]

this mechanic is polish or silesian if im right, he probably drives a Benz or maybe VW if my experience is right

[@thediyandpianoguy8665]

It's so frustrating when you take a car which is running well, treat it to a few service bits and gap everything to factory spec then find it's worse than it was when you started. 🤬. Great series!

[@Deftonesdsm]

That compression tester is badass. I need one

[@TheGarnerjustin73]

love that comp tester, never seen one like that before

[@padillaxA]

That is the coolest, simple compression tester I need that!

[@curtaintwitcher1148]

To be honest it's sounds just like you'd expect it to sound if you got the plug leads in the wrong order. The fact you have an experienced mechanic with you suggests otherwise however. Good luck with getting it all sorted

[@connorfreeman9845]

The dynamic between Alex and Karl is priceless

[@anvil777]

beautiful car. I had a "Strich 8" 300D from 1975. I loved it, even though it was rusted out badly.

[@DkpDrifter]

Just know that a Mercedes never dies, you’ll manage to get it running again

[@therealderjett]

Watching someone really wrenching on a car without a computer takes me back to my old 71 Mercury Comet GT.

[@dimadee]

The suspense had me sitting on the edge of my seat! Hanging out to find out what is wrong. Carbs??

[@joaoteixeira7288]

Ignition I guess

[@nikboeh1]

Carbs are probably good since they haven't been changed. It'll have to either be ignition or timing.

[@debojyotighosh99]

This is a wholesome episode :)

[@lexmaximaguy8788]

Simplicity is a thing of beauty.....

[@bartjanflikkema]

Yes, it is a shame that it is lost in most modern cars. A modern car, with a good feel of quality from materials without to much modern features/electronics would be very nice.

[@MrDgm80503]

Great stuff Mercedes-Benz for this joint project! Loving it!

[@suj1945]

That's the most amazing compression tester I've ever seen.

[@geogmz8277]

Car manufacturers of the world! This is a brilliant idea... Please all copy/paste Mercedes example.

[@AnthonyBoettcher24]

Gotta love Mercedes! Still looking to add a W108 to my collection! The best or northing!

[@adityakad940]

Restoration of classic car is like to give a new birth, a new life.😘😘

[@One_LuvZ]

Use to own a 190e 2.6 and seeing these videos made me miss it.

[@alexgratzaTV]

those 190e's are absolutely amazing, i couldnt sell one

[@One_LuvZ]

@@alexgratzaTV Yeah mine had transmission issues and wouldn't allow me to get into 3rd or 4th gear. But if I had to buy another one, I'd get a manual one in a heartbeat.

[@cme2cau]

I think it's great you are showing the bad with the good. I made a car run like that once by not cleaning a new set of points before I installed them.

[@masoudhosseini9204]

Here in Iran, people love german products especially german cars and especially Mercedes-Benz and BMW cars. I wish here we had reliable and easy access to the original parts. That would make owning a classic Mercedes much easier.

[@ThriftStoreHacker]

I really like that compression tester

[@MrYOTOSTAR]

Dumme Frage wahracheinlich, aber habt ihr die Zündkabel auch richtig angeschlossen? Also an die passenden Zylinder? Ich hatte das auch mal vergeigt, da lief der motor ähnlich beschissen

[@siraff4461]

After a compression test like that I would be gutted if it didn't run. At least you can be fairly sure the main big parts are good. All six within about half a bar at that age is a testament to solid engineering and servicing over the years. That's a seriously impressive engine.

[@dillonbmx16]

old mans tool collection is amazing

[@bolsomvpekle]

Thank you because i can be again in the garage.... i love it....

[@sinki19841984]

Small tip, turn the lights off when the engine is running/started. You might see some electric discharge flying around and pinpoint the problem there. Had it happen with some shitty sparkplug wires...

[@DanielSadjadian]

This is an awesome collaboration with CT.

[@1one3_Racing]

Valve clearances good, rotor looked new, plugs looked new. He must have been running mint already.

[@MrAbartlett]

Classic case of don't try and fix something that isn't broken.

[@simonloveless1823]

Good work karl well done.

[@uwebezner]

Schön breit Schwäbisch. Top

[@ondrej185]

This stuff is Top Gear material Alex I hope I see you on BBC as their new presenter

[@kampfspetzle]

So einen Meister hätte ich auch gerne

[@krzysztofwieczorkowski9374]

Good to see, that I have exact The same torque wrench in my garage.

[@tammymcclimans4774]

love it!

[@nemadtaki8820]

Mercedes being a typical Mercedes 😄😄 but seriously its really good to see an old merc getting a whole new life.

[@peteralexander1155]

My `72 W108 4.5 is being restored at the moment. Can`t wait to drive this classic beauty :-) Will follow Heinrich`s restoration closely! subb`d

[@tonypate9174]

The wee chunky one look even better once the booster cushion is deployed...@5-35 Bless him

[@phamnuwen9442]

Ausgezeichnet!

[@HDDafuq]

Sehr Interessant

[@StigDesign]

GoodLoking and Nice Car :D one of the great one`s :D

[@melvinthomas6615]

I love engineering.

[@mattlennymoore282]

I’d double check the HT leads are in the correct order. I know it’s obvious but I have done it so many times on my old vw camper. The car was running ok before.

[@rayroman4111]

I love that car!!! 😍

[@MercedesBenz]

It is beautiful right? 😉

[@rayroman4111]

@@MercedesBenz honestly, except for the A class, ALL the cars you've made, are absolutely stunningly beautiful. I love all the coupe cars you've ever made... it's hard to fault you. I'd love the coupe version of the car in this video. Absolute gold 😍

[@MercedesBenz]

Thank you so much, we appreciate the love! ❤

[@davezizka]

Perfect, I would just use I bit more light, it all looks too dark 😊 💡

[@MrMarkusmulder]

Top vidéo btw

[@naikjoy]

Nicely done! .. For some reason I get Need for Speed Porsche Unleashed vibes. You know when you buy used classic Porsches and repair & tune them. :3 good times

[@edvardsz3539]

Would be interesting to know, how much he spend on all the OEM parts he installed. Love to see someone working on Mb, love them

[@dawidlech8301]

2:18 just unscrew the spark plugs and plug the loose plugs with the original plug cable and then you can also remove them. And the tool is instantilynt reach. Sorry for my bad english, hope you understand. The way you installed them is damn nice, Dont get me wrong no hte but to get them out its easier with the s-plug caps😉 the spark plugs just fall into them

[@sandrojakelic2263]

Nice

[@rbmwiv]

I have worked on European cars for 27 years. Man I don’t miss the old stuff especially the mechanical injection. It was a nightmare and parts were expensive. That’s why you don’t see any BMW e21 on the road. They all had that injection and have bought many from fed up customers for a few hundred dollars. And they have been crushed years ago. Luckily you have carbs.

[@geyza0711]

einmal Benz, immer Benz.

[@luxuryviplifestyle9494]

Nice

[@DFYLA72]

Mr. Mayer there is an old fella that looks like he can tear down the car and rebuild without ever touching a manual. He's the guy that's paid $50 an hour to swing a hammer for only 5 seconds of work. Paid for his knowledge.

[@Squirrelmobile74]

Where do I get a compression tester like that?!?!?!?!

[@Squirrelmobile74]

Well I found them. . . but I certainly can't afford them www.samstagsales.com/motometer.htm

[@aleccooks]

I use one myself. They're really handy!! www.motometer.de/en/shop-recording-compression-tester/

[@irishwristwatch2487]

Maybe Alex flooded the engine a bit during the compression test?

[@Rottedfrombush]

What was that compression test tool? Looked incredible

[@twinturbo1989]

Alex, tell us more about the Rote Sau while you are there. We all saw you at the end...

[@dualityofmorons]

What compression tool is that, that would be nice to have in my box!!

[@dillonbmx16]

motometer analog compression tester

[@dualityofmorons]

Thank you. Just ordered one

[@XeloX]

"ca't get the car to start" -> notification pops up at the top right of the video -> "buy your classic mercedes now!" lol

[@Allencorgi]

They said you can buy everything at a dealer but i beg to differ, have a mbz 220Sb 1960 aka essentially the previous gen with inline 6 2.2L instead of this 2.8L looks like, and i need a cylinder head for it, not because it overheated but the waterjacket sleeves have erroded away, i doubt theyd have it at a dealer, and if they do they would wanna sell it to me for minimum a grand. I understand these guys struggles as ive been through the motions like them with the 2.2L engine lmao like i felt this video on a personal level

[@derziegenmann8i734]

Not gonna lie, I am actually hoping that it is not a big issue, since I am a HUGEEEEE Mercedes Oldtimer fan myself!

[@alisdairherd9501]

I used to have a problem vehicle like this, turned out there was a pretty serious vacuum leak

[@truthseeker8483]

Time for an electronic ignition conversion kit.........

[@ricardo1e93]

Wow wow wow... Alex speaks German too!? O_O

[@Uninfluenceable]

at 7:06 you should never use extensions with a torque wrenches as the torsional flex in the extensions throws off the torque value greatly. And especially not two extensions. You probably over torqued the crap out of those plugs.

[@alvinfernandez6412]

How did it run well? What parts were replaced?

[@nabalazska]

Song around 6:50? Great chill music i love it!