It’s so satisfying to watch as the detailer pressure washes his rarest Mercedes barn find yet—that sat in a garage for 60 years.
It started with an Ohio packrat who meant to get around to repainting and revamping the German car he bought in the 1960s.
But he never did.
You know how it goes.
The owner got busy with work and family, and the car—a ’55 Mercedes 190SL—got put on the back burner and sat collecting dust in his basement garage.
Then one decade turned into six, and pretty soon the Ohio packrat who said he wouldn’t sell had his car on the market. An offer from local prolific car collector Elliott was already waiting on the table.
Mr. Didesare touched base with Elliott, and they learned the Mercedes had been repainted in the ’60s and completely taken apart. The pieces were stowed inside the body in the garage.
“Throughout his whole life, [the owner] said that he was going to restore it and put it back together,” Mr. Didesare told The Epoch Times. “And he never did.”
He finally let it go to somebody who would put it back together and get it on the road again.
“It was extremely dirty, covered with a very thick layer of dirt and dust,” Mr. Didesare said. “We couldn’t even tell the color of the paint.”
So, they packed her on a trailer and towed her off to the shop for a good power rinse—which they recorded in all its sudsy glory.
They'd ensure the car was handed off to Elliott in shipshape condition for further restoration. Elliott would then need a master mechanic who understood those old, finicky German engines.
The vacuuming always comes before the pressure washing otherwise the ancient dust, debris, and leaves will never come out. Who knew vacuuming could seem so pleasing?
Then, out came the paint-safe degreaser, sprayed on the car’s outside like a pre-rinse, before a 30-second wait. And then the pressure washing began, completely spraying the body and under the hood.
“It’s really satisfying to watch,” Mr. Didesare said.
But, really, you have to watch it for yourself to enjoy it.
Whoever did the repainting way back when did a doggone shoddy job, he added. There was overspray covering the window that had to be scraped off.
Some of the grit on the body was so bad that they applied light sandpaper to it before buffing it out.
And then, out came the polish, making her shine again, bringing the chrome back to life—this step alone took 10 hours. Pledge took care of the red leather interior. The entire job was spread over three days.
The Mercedes rims and hood ornament were the final touches.
At last, the ’55 Mercedes was fit for the handoff, and Elliot darkened their garage door and peered in. His jaw dropped.
“Now it’s back at Elliott’s warehouse, and he’s making plans on what he wants to do with it next,” Mr. Didesare said, adding that Elliot wants to ensure it’s done the right way.
“You can’t skimp out on anything, because if you do, it can be a disaster,” the detailer said. “He’s trying to figure out what exactly he wants to do before he actually goes ahead and restores it.”
