The SLC fit at the top of the Mercedes range (outside the special order 600 limo) as the full size coupe. Unlike Mercedes normal practice of basing the full size coupe off the S class, it was based off the SL, with the chassis lengthened to allow a 2+2 configuration. At the time there was speculation of legislation in the USA that would have made convertibles impractical. Even when this didn’t eventuate the car was put into production anyway, and the W116 S class is the only one that never had a coupe variant.
As well as being a luxury GT car, the SLC also had a successful career as an endurance rally car, first with the 4.5l v8 and then later the new all alloy 5.0 liter v8.
The SLC was introduced in 1971 and discontinued in 1981 replaced by the S-class derived SEC. Its brother, the 107 SL continued on until 1989 making it one of Mercedes longest production runs.
The SLC was offered with a choice of 6 and 8 cylinder engines. (280SLC, 350SLC, 380SLC, 450SLC, 500SLC). 450’s were the most common model both globally and in Australia.
About this 1977 450SLC
450SLC (at purchase)
This particular car is a 1977 450SLC, which means it has the 4.5 liter M117 V8 engine. As an Australian delivery car, it has the low compression version of the 4.5l due to the ill-conceived ADR27A regulations at the time. (The high compression version has 217hp). The 450 was only mildly affected by ADR27a compared with other engines such as the M110 and didn’t come with a Catalytic converter as was required in the USA, further reducing the power of the models there.
The car was purchased new at McIntosh of Mosman by Fletchers Fotographics in 1977 (a camera store which was successful at the time). I’ve since found out that this was the personal car of Neil Fletcher, the owner of this business. From what I gather it replaced a W114 coupe and was with him for quite some time. It passed through a couple of other owners until I purchased it in early 2003. It has a full service history and has just passed 313,000kms. Up until 2017, I used this car as my primary car, although realistically probably got used about once a week. It is now on historic registration and I normally do around 2,000km per year in it.
Option Code
Meaning
401
Single seats
410
Electric sliding roof
436
Elimination of front safety belts
440
Tempomat (Cruise control)
466
Central locking
524
Paintcoat preservation
586
Behr A/C and F/R power windows
599
Heat insulating glass for side and rear
601
Oil for rear axle with limited slip
613
Lamp unit for LH traffic
625
Version for Australia
631
First aid box
668
662: 10l of fuel
666: Packing VE II
677
Tropical battery
682
Fire extinguisher
256
Limited slip differential
Over the years I’ve had the 1977 450SLC I’ve not had to do much mechanically to it. About 3 years after I purchased the car I had a small amount of rust cut away from around the rear screen (common in these cars) and the boot lid. In May 2016 I had some further rust cut out and the entire car re-sprayed to its original (906G) colour. I fitted a set of period correct AMG Penta wheels, a period correct Nardi steering wheel and the correct Becker Mexico Cassette.
I also replaced the 14″ alloys with a set of the 15″ wheels that were standard on the 80s SLs and W126 cars. They are the right offset for this car and it is hard to get decent 14″ tyres without spending a motza. At one point (pictured above), I had a set of 16″ wheels on the car, but they are now on my 560SEC.
Why an SLC?
When I returned from the USA in 2003, I wanted a practical classic that I could have as my only car, and I could get for around AUD$15-20k. The SLC fit the bill as the hard top and occasional rear seats meant that I could take passengers when needed, and the 4.5 liter engine and 3 speed transmission are known as being especially long lived. I was looking for a 450, and not in white, preferably with a sunroof. I also preferred a later car with the K-Jet injection. While the ADR regulations slow the cars down a bit, I had heard it is more practical for day to day use as parts and expertise for D-Jet is getting harder to find. In addition, being a 1977 450SLC it comes with the anchorage points for an Australian compliant child seat.
Driving an SLC
The best way to experience an SLC is a long drive with the windows rolled down, enjoying the pillarless coupe. The 450 is a very torquey v8, but will move quickly if you use the gear shifter to hold the gears for longer. An SLC handles well with its long wheelbase, and although heavy it gives you a very solid feel as you drive it. These days it is hard to find decent tires in the stock size. Fitting 15″ or 16″ wheels allows you to run tyres more appropriate for this type of car (the later models came standard with 15″ and AMG provided 16″ options). I’m also not a huge fan of the correct alloy wheels.
What’s next?
I plan to upgrade the A/C condenser for better A/C performance.
The 450SLC spent the last two days at Arthur Rizzo Motors getting ready for the next year on the road. The car was hesitating a bit, and not idling quite right, but a new ...
I had been unable to use the blower in the 450SLC for the last couple of weeks as it was making a terrible scraping sound when I would run it. About two years ago I ...
The plastic trims around the heater controls in the SLC have been broken since I got the car. I noticed when buying another part that new trims were available and they were a reasonable ...
I've had issues with the blower on the 450SLC for a few years now. I would get all sorts of noise and irregular operation from it. Unlike in some models, the blower ...
During the 10 years and around 40,000 kms I've owned the 450SLC, it's proven to be extremely reliable. Sure i've had a flat battery once a couple of times, and a fuel pump that ...
As outlined in a previous post, the 450SLC broke down a week and a half ago and the NRMA helped me diagnose it down to a bad coil. Yesterday, my new coil, cap and ...
Lets face it, R134A is rubbish when it comes to cooling older cars. It is significantly less efficient than R12. Systems that are not designed for it struggle to keep the car tepid in ...
The 450SLC had been idling rather roughly and stumbling when taking off from stop. This got a bit better when I changed the coil, cap and rotor - and at that time I noticed that ...
There are plenty of interesting classic cars out there that I are fun to own, and drive on the weekend. My E-Type is one of those for example. Not so many can be ...
The 450SLC’s gear stick had become more and more floppy, and given my experience with the 250SE, I thought it was better to take a look and potentially fix the issue than have it totally ...
The drivers door on the 450SLC had become harder and harder to close properly over the past year or so. It normally took a couple of tries before it would latch correctly. I ...
My 450SLC was starting to slip a little in reverse, especially under load (e.g. up a hill). The transmission was shifting gears very well other than this one area, and the fluid looked clean ...
The big Achilles heel in the R/C107 chassis is its propensity to rust. They are pretty much bullet proof mechanically, but the rust proofing from the factory was poor and there are a lot ...
My 450SLC has now spent a week at the panel beaters having rust removed and being prepared for paint. The starting point was the chassis rail on the drivers side. This is as very common ...
Another week has gone by at the panel beaters on the 450SLC and the car is getting much closer to completion. Last week was mostly rust repair and preparation, this week completed the preparation and ...
The 450SLC is now completed. Last week the actual spraying was done, and this week the car was polished, re-assembled and checked. I do my final inspection and collect the car this weekend ...
The 450SLC is complete and I picked it up over the weekend. What a difference from the faded original paint at the front of the car - it is like having a new one ...
The Achilles heel of M116 and M117 engined cars is the timing chain. As the engine is an overhead valve engine, the chain is used to make sure the valves open and close when ...
NSW has a great historic registration system. It allows for classics to be used for 60 days on a logbook for a drastically reduced fee. For unknown reasons the plates issued are tiny ...
The windscreen washer has not been working on my 450SLC for a couple of months. The wipers started up, but no water squirted on the windscreen. On quick inspection, I assumed it was the ...
My 450SLC was originally sold with 14" alloy wheels. This style of wheel was the standard Mercedes alloy wheel from the late 60s to 1985. It has a few nicknames such as Bundt Cake, Baroque, ...
This evening I took my 450SLC for a drive up the old Pacific Highway. I wanted to check the impact of re-connecting the vacuum advance on the distributor. I had discovered the line was broken ...
For the last couple of years I have noticed a noise from the rear of the 450SLC while driving. At first I thought it might be a wheel bearing or some kind of bushing. I ...
A couple of weeks ago I started investigating the dragging brakes on my SLC. I found both of my rear calipers had been overheated and were in poor condition. I ordered a set of rear ...
In part 2, I had been struggling with my new SLC rear Calipers. As outlined in that section, the new calipers I had on hand are for models not equipped with the anti-squat rear suspension. ...
I had not driven my 450SLC since early march due to the COVID19 lockdown. When I first started the car the battery seemed quite weak. After a drive, I put the car on my Ctek ...
This week I replaced the CIS injectors and the spark plugs in my 450SLC and the car is running much better for it. I've been thinking about swapping the fuel injectors in the SLC for ...
I've used my 450SLC on a few spirited drives lately. With the new injectors its been running really nicely. However, on the way back from the most recent night drive, the pedal became ...
I've had a problem with wet feet in my 450SLC for years. Generally this manifests itself with water dripping onto both the drivers and passengers feet when the A/C is running. This is particularly prevalent ...
Back in March, I discovered how wet the passengers floor was in my 450SLC. Over the time water was getting on the floor, it had started some surface rust. It appears that at least ...
A couple of years ago, MB Spares & Service closed their spare parts division to focus on their restoration and servicing business. At that time, I was able to buy a very nice rear screen ...
A couple of weeks ago I discovered rust around the rear windscreen in my 450SLC. At the time, I was having the 450SLC rear windscreen changed for a unit in better condition than mine. ...
I've been on the lookout for a different set of wheels for my 450SLC. It is currently running a set of W126 second generation alloy wheels. I like these wheels, but they are not quite ...
My new 15" AMG Penta wheels did not come with tyres. Choosing a set turned out to be a lot more complicated than I thought. The big downside of the 15s over the 16s is ...
Back in May, I had the rear windscreen removed on my 450SLC. The idea was to replace the old windscreen that was delaminated with a good used unit I had purchased from the MB Spares ...
Earlier this year I managed to smash a foglight lens on a MBCNSW drive to Berry. I drove over a large stick on the road that flicked up and smashed the lens. I saw the ...
I have recently purchased a set of 15x7 AMG 'Penta' wheels for my 1977 450SLC. These wheels did not come with lug bolts, but I had a set from when I had the replica Fuchs ...
I've been doing quite a bit of work to my 450SLC lately. One of my more recent jobs has been to fix the A/C condensate leak. While I was there, I noticed that rats nest ...
I had previously purchased a set of original AMG 'Penta' wheels and had tyres fitted. My next step was to fit them to the car. I waited until the car was back from having the ...
The Mercedes Benz 107 series uses a separate front subframe. The engine and front suspension attach to the subframe, and then the subframe attaches to the body. The subframe uses rubber mounts (very similar to ...
This year I plan to attend the Mercedes-Benz clubs of Australia national rally. The event is being held in Adelaide in April this year. I've done plenty of road trips while living in the USA, ...
In the two years of owning my 560SEL, one of the things I have appreciated is the original Becker CD player. I've owned many classic Mercedes-Benz models over the years, but until the 560SEL none ...
I generally like to keep my cars stock. The exception to that is period accessories that are totally reversible. Things that the first owner may have wanted to do to the car to improve ...
Over the last 12 months or so, I have been focused on getting period correct Becker radios installed in my Classic Mercedes cars. I had never experienced these radios until I purchased my one ...
I am currently upgrading the radio in my 1977 Mercedes 450SLC. It currently has a Pioneer MP3/CD Player I had installed not long after I purchased the car in 2003. The Pioneer came out ...
I am currently in the process of installing a Becker Mexico Cassette in 1977 Mercedes 450SLC. In the first part, I covered buying and testing the radio. In the second part, I replaced all the ...
I am currently in the process of installing a Becker Mexico Cassette in my 1977 Mercedes 450SLC. In part one, I covered buying and testing the radio. In part two, I covered upgrading the speakers, ...
This week my 450SLC has been in the workshop having a major service. This was the first time since the big trip to Adelaide last year. There were a few things to sort ...
Over the last few months, the blinkers have been playing up on my 450SLC. It started out when the car was first started up, the blinkers would flash very fast. After a while, I ...
I fitted a set of original AMG Penta wheels to my 450SLC two years ago. At the time, they did not come with lug bolts. Luckily, I had a set from the replica Fuchs ...
I just got my 450SLC back from having the timing chain, tensioner, camshaft oiler tubes and valve stem seals replaced. These are all jobs that any owner of a Mercedes V8 of this era will ...
The under bonnet insulation was starting to reach the end of its use by date. Bits of it in the air filter were a pretty good indicator of this. I'm not sure how long it ...
After owning my 450SLC for over 20 years, there has really only been one thing that has disappointed me about the car. That is the performance of the A/C. I don't think it was ever ...
Last year, I replaced the speakers in my 450SLC. As part of this process I was quite keen to go back to the original rear speaker trims. A friend of mine helped me get a ...
Recently one of the halogen headlight bulbs in my 450SLC went out. While the light is pretty good, I thought it was an opportunity to see if I could get some kind of improvement. I ...
When I purchased my 450SLC, it had tinted windows. The tint wasn't new, as there were already a couple of minor areas where it was lifting. In the 20+ years since, it had slowly become ...
