The Quest To Find Parts

Owning a Mercedes T1 in the US

"What is the vehicle?"

It has only been a couple weeks but I already dread the question. I sigh, smile, and hesitate to answer. I know people are trying to be helpful, but the odds that they can help me once I tell them the make and model is pretty slim. The majority of US vehicle parts websites only let me get as far as Mercedes. The Mercedes website doesn't even have the T1 as a model option! The only van that was commercially imported into the US was the Sprinter, and not even the first generations. It's a different story in Europe. During my search for an early Mercedes van, it was easy to be a bit choosy with the model and cost, so many old T1 and T2 are still in circulation.

The restoration of my 408D has many components to it, from replacing body panels, to brake rotors, to figuring out how the dash gets light (there were no bulbs). This means a lot of ordering parts, many that are unavailable on my continent. Finding OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts is challenging, but finding upgraded parts is even more tricky. Since I am loading the van with my conversion, I want to make sure the suspension and brakes are above stock grade. Someone told me recently that there is a book for classic cars from the 50s that shows you what parts were shared across different vehicles. I wish that a book or site existed for Mercedes, because I know there is some crossover. The engine in my van was used in a few sedans, but engine usually isn't the method you look for parts on automotive sites. There are so many aftermarket parts for Sprinters, but none of the sites show compatibility with the T1 or T2. I have spent more time trying to find where to order things thanI have working on the van.

So, in an effort to help those who might be doing this in the future, I've compiled a list of places I have found parts and information for my van.

Websites I have found that have been extremely helpful in my process so far:

The first useful find in my search was a manual, which can be found here

https://www.ilcats.ru/ lets you enter the VIN and it will give you all the diagram drawings for every element of your vehicle. It was the only site I could find that had complete parts diagrams and the OEM part numbers to help me look for them. It was also the only site that wasn't country specific for entering a VIN. Many of the sites that sell parts for the Mercedes T1 and T2 models are British, but the VIN for my van is German.

When looking for parts there are a few places that had more than others, although none of them were entirely inclusive in their inventory. Spareto.com carries basic mechanical needs: hoses, break pads, seals, etc. They will ship to the US and you can look up the part based on vehicle or part number. There is a gentleman who made a plugin that works with Ebay in Germany so it will translate every page you redirect to, it's called germanbay.com I haven't found another way to get every page translated to English when searching parts. I was also using Ebay.uk with success finding parts for my T1. Another resource is a shop in Oregon that specializes in Unimog parts and repairs. The owner is knowledgeable about older Mercedes vans and buses and can also order parts for you. His site is http://eurotech-services.com/

Some things are more tricky to find. Body panels are sold by a few companies, but the only one that sells all of them and will ship to the states is a company in Poland https://easyparts.online/ The downside is the shipping cost, a seemingly flat rate of $650 for anywhere in the continental US. I also saw some reviews that the peices are not made well. If you know of another, less expensive, or closer place please reach out!

Some parts seem to be impossible to find, and have to be replaced with something similar. I have yet to find a website or Ebay listing for the window cranks (my van only came with one). I am lucky that I have the engine cover, because I don't see those listed as spare parts on any websites either. The tiny little bulb sockets for my dash do not have a part number, and don't seem to exist on the internet, so I replaced them with a similar size that fits the same style bulb, getting as close to the original as I can. There is a trim piece that is missing from the front of my van I cannot find either. I am trying to work on rust and body issues first, so there is time to do more research, but the hours I have spent have still left some replacements unanswered. Hopefully this list is helpful, and cuts down some time in your search for parts!