SandG; Sorry to hijack this thread, has the 140 you are breaking got a usable nearside front wing?

It would be an excellent sieve, but not usable as a wing I'm afraid

Ok, not to worry. Don't need a seive so I'll let you keep it.:teeth_smile:

That is a very nice looking 145. Either the product of a very extensive restoration or a car that has been stored in a giant Ziploc storage bag for the last 50 years. A nice acquisition either way.

The up-side to rare is that you won't be meeting yourself driving down the road soon, or ever.

Thank you....yes it appears to be a rare car indeed....it has obviously undergone some restoration down the line, I'm the third owner, the first being a retired major i believe based somewhere in suffolk/norfolk.
Nigel Case was the second owner who bought the car from a classic car auction roughly 4 years ago, he used it on a regular basis but he does own a classic car rental and storage company (kept in cocoons ) so its been looked after.

Unfortunately i don't keep it in a garage at the moment and the weathers been pretty bad lately, consequently I've got a couple of leaks, one i think through the front screen (glovebox has an inch of water in it) the other rear seat footwell slightly damp oh and a bit round the rear end.
Ive ordered door and hatch seal rubbers from brooches so should fit them soon.
thanks

Hi swedishandgerman, I have tried to send you a private message but i need a post count of 30 apparently, I can be reached on Whatsap 07940458890, don't worry anybody Im fine giving my number out.
thanks

My 1971 142E has the bonded windshield and not the gasket mounted windshield so my comments may not be applicable if you have the gasket mounted windshield. My observation is that if you have the bonded windshield, because of the way the glass overlaps the body along the bottom edge of the glass it would be difficult for significant amounts of water to work its way up under a failed bond and into the passenger compartment. The more likely result of failure there is dampness along the bottom edge of the glass and rusting at the glass - body interface. I would be more inclined to check the rubber grommets / seals around the windshield wiper drive. On a LHD 140, there are also 4 huge rubber plugs in this cowl area that are directly over the LHD glovebox. If these plugs are compromised water would drain from the cowl area directly into the glove box. On a LHD car these plugs don't exist on the driver side where your glove box would reside and I don't know whether RHD cars have the equivalent plugs in that area. Something worth checking. I have a photo of the inside of my car during restoration showing the plug location and I will post it if I can find it and if I have enough posts logged to get permission for posting.

The other place to check is at the top of the heater. There is a large fresh air intake for the heater that extends up into the cowl at the base of the windshield. This fresh air intake is sealed with a large foam gasket which hardens / shrinks / cracks (all the getting old symptoms). Normally, water that enters into the cowl would drain to the left and right via the fresh air vents in the footwells. If you have debris in the cowl area or the car is parked at a significant angle or if you have a significant deluge (car wash event) it is possible for water to get into the area of that foam seal and drain down into the passenger area. However, I would normally expect this water to drain down around the outside of the heater box and into the floor area unless it managed to run along the inside of the cowl area before dripping into the glove box. If this is the source of the water I would also be checking under the front carpets for dampness.

If you had a trunk, I could help you with water problems there; but, can offer no advice on tailgate or rear passenger door seal problems.

I now have permission for attachments. The four round black spots on the right are the four rubber plugs I talked about. Check to see if you have the equivalent on your RHD car.

Looking at that photo, if the bond in the glass right above the glove box had a significant failure I expect that it would be possible for moisture to work its way up under the glass and down into the glove box area. However, to have a significant accumulation of water I would expect that you would have to be shooting a pressure washer directly below the window trim in that area for an extended period. On the bonded windshield there is a piece of plastic trim between the base of the glass and the top of the dashboard. If you pull back this trim (carefully because it is easy to break - long and flimsy) it will expose the base of the glass and any water ingress should be obvious.

Hi 145 guy
At your car the windscreen is bonded.
This old stuff isn't made for 50 years to resist the attacks of rain etc.

The new stuff, PU, is way better.

The old bond you can't cut out. It will stick again behind the knife. At WD40 or other thin oil while cutting. It's a mess.

If you want to stay 100% original you have to buy the old stuff from a Mercedes Dealer.

Good luck and safe this beautifully car.

Regards, Kay

thank you so much guys for taking the time to help me.