Vintage Cars: 1980 - 380SL, timing chains, chassis number

Question
QUESTION: Ron,

I am considering buying this 1980 380SL.

The mileage on the clock is showing 18 129. I am told she had her speedometer changed!

The stamped service booklet shows a service at 66 532 and then again at 4078 and 8891 and as I said it is now reading 18 129.

I have lost all confidence in this car, which otherwise seems to be in a very good condition.

Why would it be necessary to change the speedometer on a Mercedes after ony 66 532 miles.

Do you have any thoughts about this?

ANSWER: The speedos in these cars are simple to change, and can be prone to failure, the needle drive is not always reliable and so many owners  just changed them. The whole dash pod in fact is easy to change out and perhaps some of the other guages failed. Of bigger concern is the service history, that is by far the most important aspect of buying an old MB. Knowing what was done is extremely improtant.
The early 380's has single timing chains that spelled trouble, most have been retrofitted with dual chains, do you know if the one you are looking at has dual chains, if not avoid it.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ron, thanks for your quick reply.

I am just about to close this deal.

Regarding the timing chain, how can I check this, I asked the dealer and he said he called a Mercedes specialist and had been told that all the 380's had twin timing chains.

Can this be checked through engine number with Mercedes directly? I have the engine number and the chassis number.

Answer
He is wrong, the 380's got the chain increased to two in 1984.
IF the one you are looking at is a 1980 model, then is probably is a grey market car, which may explain the speedo change as Euro cars were in german.  What kind of headlights does it have , single or double?
get the VIN and email Vintage Mercedes to get the scoop on the build date or You can also look at the plate on the door frame, what is build date.  If it is 1980 , then it is a 81 model year
if its 1979 then it probably is an 80 Euro car. They may have had double chains, but you really have to look.

short of pulling the vavle cover look at this website , you can use a mirror to check.  There never was a recall so going through MB will not work.

http://www.slack.net/~thundt/mercedes/timing_chain_380.htm

This is out of an article in Road and Track published in 1994

For model year 1981, Mercedes substituted a lighter, more efficient all-alloy 3.8 liter V-8 for the old reliable iron-block 4.5-liter V-8. And along with it came trouble.

The engine has a single-row timing chain, which as the miles piles on, tend to stretch. Unchecked, the chain can jump its sprockets, causing pistons to collide with valves, leaving the 380SL owner facing a $6,000 repair bill. During 1984, Mercedes switched to a double-row chain and solved the problem.

Though it was not announced recall, Rugg says that at one time Mercedes did convert some of the early 380SLs, free of charge, to double row chain for some customers. "The only way to know if a car is converted is to take off the valve cover and look."


keep me posted , i will do so more research with my contacts
Ron