1961 Mercedes Benz Delivery Van

1961 Mercedes Benz L319 Commercial Van. I purchased about two years ago. The 319 is one heavy duty van and sports a dually rear axle. The tires are practically new.

Recent mechanical work done:

Freshly rebuilt head
Replaced all gaskets on the top of motor with OEM products
Freshly rebuilt brakes (all brake cylinders rebuilt, master cylinder rebuilt, all new hoses)
Completely flushed out brake system
Freshly rebuilt radiator
Replaced distributer cap and points
Replaced shifter linkage


Motor:
The van has a small 190SL type motor in it and it runs great (freshly rebuilt head). It takes a couple of minutes to warm up, but once it is warmed up it drives nicely. The carb linkage is a little sloppy and could use replacing at some point. Because of the weight of the van… the van is slow, but will cruise on flat freeway at around 60 MPH

Transmission:
The van is a manual shift on the steering column. It shifts great and smoothly but it will occasionally pop out of 1st gear if you don't firmly engage the gear.

Interior:
The seats appear to be original and the dash still has the correct original paint on it. The gentleman I purchased it from added retractable seat belts, a leather headliner and headrests mounted to the separation wall. The cassette player works fine as does the radio. All the switches and levers work fine. The gauges all work properly. The steering wheel has some cracks on it and the original turn signal (horn ring) no longer works. There is an aftermarket turn signal mounted to the steering column which works fine.

There is a cool removable window and hatch so you can slide long items through into the main cabin. The rear cabin of the can has excellent storage cabinets and metal brackets for storage and moving things. The sides of the rear cabin have a strapping system which has proved useful for me. The rear cabin also has a lighting system that is controlled from the main cabin.

Exterior:
The original color of the van was the medium blue Mercedes used on commercial vehicles. The paint will need attention at some point. There is cracking and areas of flaking. The lower sides and front fenders were replaced with wood paneling and some areas were done in copper. The gentleman I bought it from treated the van like a piece of drivable art and really went to work adding extra trim when restoring the van.

Known Issues:
Carb linkage will need attention at some point
Small circular chips in windshield
Passenger wiper linkage will need repair
Cracking in paint and small areas of surface rust
Tail lights are not original (off a VW bus)
Small hole patched in the roof of van (some sort of vent)
Small holes patched on the side of van (from mounting of business sign)
Passenger door missing safety hinge so door swings past 90 degrees


Chassis:
A few small areas of surface rust, but it is completely solid! The rear cabin flooring was all replaced by the gentleman I bought it from. It was wood from factory and I believed he used some sort of heavy plywood when he replaced it.

Rear Cargo area dimensions:

Length: 9 feet 10 inches
Width: 6 feet 2 inches
Floor to Ceiling: 5 feet
Wood cubby's to Ceiling: 4 feet 2 inches

Exterior Vehicle Dimensions:

Bumper to Bumper: approximately 16 feet
Front Bumper to end of Rear Step: 16 feet 9 inches
Height: 7 feet 6 inches
Width: 6 feet 8 inches