I’ve been around technology all my adult life and have worked in the cellular industry for many, many years. My part in the technology was towards the cell site hardware.

This gigantic amplifier was located under the rear deck of the MB 380SL. It has a custom key for removal. Unfortunately I did not have this custom key and the amplifier had to removed by brute force.

I went over to my buddy’s place who’s into cars and he had the idea of using a crowbar to rip the underside off which was held by only a couple of sheet metal screws.

By removing this cell amp I gain more space for car audio amplifier installation or a sub woofer cabinet area.

I removed the MB 380SL door panel so I can see how the vacuum lines operated the door locks. It’s impressive how much vacuum lines are used throughout these old vehicles.

I have an intermittent problem with my climate controller on the MB380SL. Sometimes it works fine and other time I have no heat or fan blower movement. One cause I’ve read on the online forums was a bad mono-valve that may intermittely become stuck and prevent heated coolant to pass through and into the heater core.

This valve receives its signal from the climate controller inside the cabin. You can see where the screen preventing contaminants from entering has become corroded over time.