To Travel is Better Than to Arrive

Find a Mercedes-Benz Ponton and drive it. Work on it yourself.  Learn about how it was put together and how it runs.  Get the workshop manuals so you have a good reference to start with.  It is a good idea to gain a solid understanding of the basic principles of engine operation and tuning.  Seek out literature and documentation to enhance your education.  Understand the meaning of the Mercedes-Benz chassis numbers and model designations.  Truth is a function of time.  The more knowledge you have, the closer to the truth you will be.  Check with your local library or book store for reference material on these principles.  If you are in an emergency situation, unless you have a very large tool box, sometimes you will not have the exact tool to fix the problem.  Having a working knowledge of your car will better prepare you to deal with any reasonable contingency that may arise.  Join an internet-based or local special interest group.  Be willing to share your knowledge and also learn from others as you go.  Establish contacts with specialized parts vendors so that finding the correct replacement part is quick and easy when you really need it.  Maintain all of the operating systems on your Ponton so that you reduce the chances of a breakdown when you least expect it.  The Mercedes-Benz Ponton models are historic.  Treat them with care.

Before the amateur automobile mechanic can achieve the sense of accomplishment that results from successfully doing repair work on their own car/s, they should try to gauge where they fall in terms of mechanical ability.  Here are the stages of development in one's awareness to their own mechanical skill level:

The technology used in the Mercedes-Benz Pontons of 1953-1962 is uncomplicated by today's standards.  This makes them attractive to owners who want to perform their own maintenance and repairs.  In fact, it may make them a little too attractive.  Read the owner's manual first.  Sometimes this important document is overlooked.  It contains a wealth of information written specifically for your car.  Obtain the specialized tools and knowledge for working on systems which have since become replaced by newer technology such as the ignition points, carburetors, mechanical fuel injection, drum brakes and vacuum tube radios.  Get yourself a set of metric wrenches, a timing light, a dwell meter and roll up your sleeves.  "Any job worth doing is worth doing right".  That well known phrase almost sounds like Gottlieb Daimler or Karl Benz could have coined it.  One of the ways a successful home mechanic can help insure that they do the job correctly and with relative ease is to have the right tools at their disposal.  The wrong tool can slow you down and even botch the job.  There are certain jobs that should not even be considered unless you have the right tool.  For example, if you do not have a torque wrench, replacing a head gasket should not be attempted.  If you have an ignition timing problem, you stand a far better chance of fixing it and keeping it fixed if you use a timing light and a dwell meter and follow the procedure and technical specifications provided in the service manual than if you make trial and error adjustments.

Learn about the unique engineering features and optional equipment such as the "recirculating ball steering", the "low single pivot rear swing axle", the optional Hydrak automatic clutch, the Webasto sliding fabric sunroof and the canvas cabriolet roofs.  Be familiar with the full range of models including the sedans, coupés, cabriolets, roadsters as well as the special bodied models like the pick-ups, wagons, ambulances and hearses and discover which markets they were built for, and how they are different from each other.  The Ponton series includes several 4 cylinder diesel models as well as other models with 4 and 6 cylinder gasoline engines, some including fuel injection.

Pause for a moment and reflect on the various aspects of life during the 1953-1962 Ponton era.  Nothing was rushed.  Technology was less complicated, and these cars mirror that period in every sense.  Find a country road and roll down the windows as you enjoy the visceral sensations of traveling in a durable, 40+ year old motorcar that you have learned how to maintain.  For it is the journey, not the destination, that is most enjoyable.