Following a short break from Merc ownership, I'm now back in the land of the living with an '83 280CE. Before buying it, I was advised to get a post '82 model, (with rev counter and electric n/s mirror) but the person who advised me wasn't sure why. Does anyone know the answer?
On the subject of rev counters, she seems to rev alarmingly high, I know its a short stroke motor, but 4k+ at 90 doesn't help the fuel consumption at all - short of driving more slowly, is there a way this can this be addressed with a taller final drive/axle ratio, or would this just confuse the autobox?
Finally, although the car is faultless (within reason) and low mileage, the interior covers (velour) are beyond repair - the car's lived somewhere hot and they've 'baked' to a fragile crispness. I'd like to replace the interior with a leather one, which seem to be scarce indeed for this model, would a replacement from an SEC or a 124 series CE fit, or alternatively, does anyone have one for sale?
On the subject of rev counters, she seems to rev alarmingly high, I know its a short stroke motor, but 4k+ at 90 doesn't help the fuel consumption at all - short of driving more slowly, is there a way this can this be addressed with a taller final drive/axle ratio, or would this just confuse the autobox?
Finally, although the car is faultless (within reason) and low mileage, the interior covers (velour) are beyond repair - the car's lived somewhere hot and they've 'baked' to a fragile crispness. I'd like to replace the interior with a leather one, which seem to be scarce indeed for this model, would a replacement from an SEC or a 124 series CE fit, or alternatively, does anyone have one for sale?
