OWNER JC220

[JC220]

Great photos, thanks for sharing! For the Loctite, I would use normal "blue" threadlock. I like the Permatex Gel because it's easier to work with.

No problem, and thanks for that. I'll post more pics of the other parts when they get here and how it goes back together.

Looking forward to having it buttoned up and driving again!

 

[JC220]

So the S Class is alive again and driving post DIY gearbox rebuild + update. The pictures attached show some more progress and updated parts that I installed. I also got the <acronym>VB</acronym> cleaned, tested the solenoid resistances (all good) fitted new seals, updated shift spring and got the trans back together on the bench.





The rear engine Oil seal and carrier was also replaced. Turns out someone already did that too the last time! So the seal was only a couple years old and likely did 500miles..... aw well. Got a new Febi flex disc which was OE SGF, the original was still visually OK but change it while it’s out as it’s a PITA to do again.

Fuchs Titan 3353 is the ATF I used - I've used in 722.6's before with noticeable improvements. The very weird shift flares are all gone too and it is driving perfectly – shifting perfect. Indeed the shifts are smooth now you almost have to watch the engine speed tachometer to see it shifting.

I do think there is still an issue electrically possibly with the gear shifter. Sometimes it doesn't light up when selecting R / N / D and D can hang onto the gear as if in limo mode unless I nudge it into "4" and it behaves impeccably. So I'll try to get another good used shifter gate or whatever it's called but for now it's easy to just select 4.

I took it today and got the underbody steam cleaned to remove the ATF when the trans seal let go before. So now it’s being pressed into service as a weekend driver. I will be getting the A/C serviced this week too as it does still function OK but has very little gas charge left likely due to total lack of activity for years. [FONT=&quot]People are very complimentary on the old S – everywhere I go people ask about it and really like it. A W140 is certainly rare around here - I never see another on the road at all. In the car wash today even the young guys working there loved it- kept saying how clean it was and were amazed at the double glazing etc! They asked was it armoured too



There is also another w124 of mine on the road again – the 300E-24 after 5 years. I’ll post pics and details of it soon just very glad to have 2x classics functioning as they should...... the 500E is next to get dusted off and presented for inspection. It's nice to catch up on these cars and enjoy using them. But the E36 + 320CE builds will resume again in a couple weeks I really want at least one more to emerge restored from the garage next spring - likely to be the 320CE first.

 

[a777fan]

Labour of love there sir! Keep it up as I am loving the updates on ‘the fleet’.

:salute:


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[JC220]

Labour of love there sir! Keep it up as I am loving the updates on ‘the fleet’.

:salute:

Thanks and I’m glad you like the updates!

This is another W124 of mine. A 1990 300E-24 Almandine Red with . It has been 5 years since I last had this one registered for the road (Time flies by eh!!) It's been dry stored since then and fluids changed. So it was time to get it through it’s annual inspection which it passed needing next to nothing done to it. It's had everything done to it some years back, full engine stripdown + HG replacement, underbody restored etc so mechanically it's perfect akin to a spring chicken with the hone marks still on all cylinders.





It’s a very clean car but I have some maintenance and upgrade planed for it this year. That is:

• Finish touching in the paint around the door jambs
• Re-dye the leather steering wheel or fit a Sportline item instead (If anyone has one with the airbag and going cheap / in need of restoration please PM me)
• Fit the new beige ribtex carpets I have
• Find and fit a period correct stereo
• Diagnose a large/ high RPM shift flare it has developed going into a higher gear
• Polish all interior wood and replace a few items
• Replace a cracked seat trim on the driver's seat (Which I finally located a replacement for after many years of searching!)
• Add a centre roll top storage box I have for it and maybe a flip top armrest if I can find one on the interwebs in any colour which again I will restore / dye
• Replace the sunroof mech due to catastrophic failure of the lift arms. There is a decent enough DIY someone did on here so I think I'll follow that

But other than that it’s just nice to be able to drive it again and put some miles on it! The 500E is being dragged out this coming weekend and booked in for inspection also ASAP

 

[Klink]

Just scanned this thread quickly. It's been a while. Killer busy as always.

Some notes:

Billions and billions of Benz techs put no grease in the front hub caps. They get sick of addressing the grease leaks. I've seen it a thousand times and never seen the slightest ill effect from it. I put a little grease in them myself, but only about a third of what it calls for.

Regarding the 722.6 tranny parts, all those extra roller bearings, sprag clutch rollers, roller bearing in the front pump, etc. were the V12 version parts for most of the production period. Back in the day at 722.6 schools, we were told that leaving them out was a great friction reduction for DIN fuel economy, CAFE, emissions, etc. I'm sure they were cheaper, too... They also told us that since after the new vehicle sale, the compliance nit picking wouldn't be a problem, so they were just going to supply the heavy-duty parts as replacements so that they could stock one to fit all...

 

[JC220]

Regarding the 722.6 tranny parts, all those extra roller bearings, sprag clutch rollers, roller bearing in the front pump, etc. were the V12 version parts for most of the production period. Back in the day at 722.6 schools, we were told that leaving them out was a great friction reduction for DIN fuel economy, CAFE, emissions, etc. I'm sure they were cheaper, too... They also told us that since after the new vehicle sale, the compliance nit picking wouldn't be a problem, so they were just going to supply the heavy-duty parts as replacements so that they could stock one to fit all...

My understanding differs Klink! For these reasons;

All versions of the first 2x production years approx of the 722.6 transmissions all had the K2 bushings - the needle bearing was not available at all (No difference between models including 6, V8’s & V12’s) All later versions 722.6 years 1999+ got the roller bearing F2. The early bushing style K2 are known failures and people either swap in a later used transmission complete or swap the parts in to their original trans when finding this failure since usually the planetary gears will be severely damaged also.



The needle roller Oil pump is a 722.9 part which again was not available at the time of early 722.6 production. The Oil Pump bushing spinning in the 722.6 pump does happen and perhaps this is why the change was made in EPC – or general parts substitution which we see quite often; but I do see the advantages of this 722.9 pump VS the bushing original which was the failure in my 44k transmission. This is also a snippet about the 722.9 pump change to the oil gallery shape:



The Sprag bearings are well known failures also causing loss of drive – in particular the original / early versions with less sprag count. It is very ill advised to re-install the early low count F1 + F2 sprags and they are long since gone / replaced. The early version sprag was updated to include a higher sprag count as shown in the 2009 ATSG manual. But this part has changed again since then to include a plastic housing which is much more solid in design - the manual does not have that detail as it is a later parts than it was produced.



IMO the early 722.6 transmissions are flawed in these areas and if removed for any reason these parts should be upgraded to avoid having to pull it all apart again. From researching these issues for many hours and rebuilding my own transmission I fully understand all of these later parts and the advantages they offer.

 

[doolar]

Wow Joe,

I love the almadine 300E! Looks to be in awesome condition - as expected but yea, wow!

I have a NOS Mercedes/Becker Audio 30 APS in box, it's for next gen cars, but will fit nicely in a W124. I also have a couple of Mercedes/Becker Special head units, but they are used for 20+ years. Let me know. Your emblem goes in the mail today btw!

 

[JC220]

Wow Joe,

I love the almadine 300E! Looks to be in awesome condition - as expected but yea, wow!

I have a NOS Mercedes/Becker Audio 30 APS in box, it's for next gen cars, but will fit nicely in a W124. I also have a couple of Mercedes/Becker Special head units, but they are used for 20+ years. Let me know. Your emblem goes in the mail today btw!

Hi Thomas, Thanks for the badge and I'll post some more pics from when the 300E-24 was restored later

The car would have cane with no stereo actually and been fitted with a Blaupunkt stereo by the dealer. That was common place here in the w124 era. So for this one I might try to find a 1990's suitable Blaupunkt

The other units might be of interest to me anyway so I'll PM on that front

 

[doolar]

Hi Thomas, Thanks for the badge and I'll post some more pics from when the 300E-24 was restored later

The car would have cane with no stereo actually and been fitted with a Blaupunkt stereo by the dealer. That was common place here in the w124 era. So for this one I might try to find a 1990's suitable Blaupunkt

The other units might be of interest to me anyway so I'll PM on that front

Looking forward to some 300E-24 porn later then.

Same here in Sweden - the Swedish importer Philipssons ordered the cars with speakers but without HU, and the HU was fitted once in Sweden (by dealer or Philipssons I don't know). So the Mercedes branded Beckers from the era are quite rare here.

I'll get a PM your way shortly.

 

[Klink]

My understanding differs Klink! For these reasons;
(snip)

IMO the early 722.6 transmissions are flawed in these areas and if removed for any reason these parts should be upgraded to avoid having to pull it all apart again. From researching these issues for many hours and rebuilding my own transmission I fully understand all of these later parts and the advantages they offer.

Oh, our understandings barely differ at all. I agree with everything you said there. I was mostly pointing out what I believed to be a completely silly justification for the use of the crap parts in the first place!

 

[JC220]

Oh, our understandings barely differ at all. I agree with everything you said there. I was mostly pointing out what I believed to be a completely silly justification for the use of the crap parts in the first place!

Thanks Klink, yes I understand now. I think the early V12versions also have the same weak parts though internally. (I have seen threadswhere people rebuild the V8 / V12 internals) I must take a look in EPC and seeif there is a production break point identified where the later 722.6 parts may havebeen used from factory – at least the updated parts available at the time ofproduction. (1999 model year should see the introduction of the upgraded K2drums + shaft)


Something like this is the sort of thread I am referring to: http://www.v12w140.com/uncategorized/722-6-transmission-failure/
I am in the market for a V12 W140 It needs to be a facelift toavoid Eco Junk issues and late as production as possible such as 1999 year.... if any UK members spot a suitable candidate please advise I can have it picked up anywhere in UK. At the moment I'm not interested in seeking a V12 W140 further afield due to shipping costs, import duties and all the hassle that will come with it

 

[doolar]

Thanks Klink, yes I understand now. I think the early V12versions also have the same weak parts though internally. (I have seen threadswhere people rebuild the V8 / V12 internals) I must take a look in EPC and seeif there is a production break point identified where the later 722.6 parts may havebeen used from factory – at least the updated parts available at the time ofproduction. (1999 model year should see the introduction of the upgraded K2drums + shaft)


Something like this is the sort of thread I am referring to: http://www.v12w140.com/uncategorized/722-6-transmission-failure/

I am in the market for a V12 W140 It needs to be a facelift toavoid Eco Junk issues and late as production as possible such as 1999 year.... if any UK members spot a suitable candidate please advise I can have it picked up anywhere in UK. At the moment I'm not interested in seeking a V12 W140 further afield due to shipping costs, import duties and all the hassle that will come with it

Too bad this is not the right car considering year, LHD and in Sweden: https://www.blocket.se/dalarna/Mb_s600_v12_408hk_79585240.htm?ca=23_11&w=3
1992, 75.000 miles/120.000 kilometers to the sweet price of £8.500/SEK 99.000/$11.500. If it checks out, it's a bargain I'd say. Full service record, all keys (with the presentation box!) and it looks really well kept. If I had the time, money and storage I'd be looking at it for sure.

 

[JC220]

Here are just a few pics I have from when the 300E-24 was restored. I bought it when I was 18 and drove it for a year or so before taking into rebuilding it. There was some rust to attend to but that was done properly at the time with new steel seam welded in and lots of cavity wax after.

The engine was totally stripped down, head refurbished by a machine shop and new timing chains, waterpump, gaskets etc etc. The engine had been leaking oil like a sieve and the paintwork had serious acne due to water contamination in a past repaint. It needed sanding right down to the original primer - a bear of a job. I did all the welding, priming, bodywork, wet sanding and a pro bodyshop did the final spray base + laquer coats on it. I even taped it up and got to shot the first coat of base in the booth.









It was a serious amount of work and at the time the car wasn’t technically worth a ¼ of what I put into it. But now it’s a nice clean driver and has kept it’s restored appearance only covering about 400 mile or something like that since. Some final fettling and it will be A1

 

[JC220]

The S280 is getting a new Transmission control recognition switch installed if it turns up from Germany today. This was due to it not shifting correctly in D – as the car does not recognise electrically that it’s in D. (4 slot works just fine so it’s not a transmission issue) It seems like I will have to remove the whole centre console just to get the old gear shifter assembly out - that sucks!!

The car did come with a Blaupunkt CD Changer and Amp in the trunk from the original Singapore dealer. (CD Changer not in the pic)



I also just bought a Becker Audio APS 30 Head Unit to replace the non original “Clarion” one in it currently.



I cannot be sure what stereo exactly the car would have came with but the APS 30 is supposed to be a W140 option at the time and a reasonably high end one so it seems a good fit. I do want the CD Changer and Amp to function again. Of course – someone hacked up the stereo wiring in DIY crimp mode so I’ll have to undo all of that.



Biggest problem is likely to be how do I now get the correct wiring plug for the Becker to solder back into the W140’s loom? I do not know where to buy that..... I’ll possibly have to go trawling in MB parts yards for a w220 or similar donor that had a similar stereo plug and CD Changer to cut it from unless I can think of something else. (Zero W140’s here in yards) If anyone has an idea of how I can get a suitable plug / loom please advise

 

[JC220]

I went parts trawling today and got quite alot more items to service the hoard. The pick though was a rare w124 bodykit by Carat Duchatelet complete with the fog lamps etc. I bought the boot spoiler, front & rear bumpers but didn’t have room to take the rear bumper home just yet. It would need fully restored and painted obviously but nothing is cracked or missing which is very good. It's an original plastic / period part and not fibreglass replica. Thinking it might go on the 320CE if it fits (Need to check if the potential w124 rear bumper fitment will work on the c124. It is said to have came off a Saloon but the car is long since crushed). I have Zender W124 cills that would compliment it well on the E36 too.....



The vents on the lower corner of the front bumper look to be to serve the 24v model's Oil Cooler. I don't normally like boot spoiler's on a w124 but I do like the look on this one. Restored and fitted it would look like this:

 

[maw1124]

That’ll look good on the 300... good find.

maw

 

[JC220]

That’ll look good on the 300... good find.

maw

Thanks Maw! It's been suggested to me that this kit will suit a pre facelift w124 better. So I think on the E36 AMG project car is where it will be fitted. The other newer AMG replicas can go on a different car then. I have a plan in my head of how the E36 will look and I think it will work very nicely to blend the best of pre + Post facelift design elements. For example the black side mouldings are gone for sure.

Today I did also finally find one suitable donor for the last rust free original sheetmetal I needed for the 320CE restoration. (At least half a dozen cars were not suitable donors due to having the exact same rust im trying to repair in my C124) Very pleased with that find so I'm going to go cut the parts out myself rather than trust the yard.

 

[JC220]

I have realised that my garage now has so many spares that I have totally ran out of space to store it all. Hence my hoard must reduce in some areas.

I will be offering smaller items that are easily shipped for sale on 500E board in the coming days / weeks. Not E500E specific parts but trim, relays, refurbished euro headlamp wipers ans motors that sort if thing. Watch out for new for sale threads coming soon

 

[JC220]

I have a small update on the S280. I have spent the last week or so working at it around the clock to address some final niggles and prep it for valuation on Sunday past which was a near 200 mile round trip and the furtherest I had driven the car yet.

The gearbox was the most pressing issue. I did discover another pretty crucial problem and perhaps the very reason that my gearbox had spun the oil pump bearing in the first instance. That is the gear shifter was always funky and not quite right to me. Post gearbox rebuild I knew the shifter bushings were brand new so I took a closer look at the shifter. You can see here that the shifter was not correctly telling the trans ECU what gear was selected in my video:

Now this was the way it’s been for many years I suspect. And in the video that is a brand new genuine MB switch installed inside the shifter but it behaved just the same. The trans still shifts into gear but thumps into gear with the ECU not knowing electrically what gear has been selected. It used to also only upshift gear in selector position 4 as a result of this problem. I could not for the life of me understand why this was happening so I went and picked up, cleaned and tested a whole used w210 722.6 shifter mech. All good this time with the gears lighting up as they should across the board. All back together the car is shifting gear very, very nice indeed and that 722.6 palava is behind the old girl now.

Most other jobs on the 280 were hardly notable and were just me finishing off little jobs I had started but not quite finished yet and a very thorough exterior detail + machine polish. The other area that still bugged me was the centre console wood trim. Someone before in the past did not understand the complex over-engineered w140 wood release clips and broke clips all around them, and then also glued some sort of strip on in an attempt to hold the wood back in. This was the way the wood was when I got the car:



I tried a new method for me of using some clear 2k epoxy to fill in the large chip at the edge combined with the usual careful wet sanding and hand polishing.



It did come up very well and the epoxy filled chip is barely noticeable at all unless you are really looking up close for it



It drove impeccably to the valuation and I was very pleased with how the car was presented. It has came a very long way from the sorry state it was in just a few weeks ago. The valuation went very well and the price agreed was reflective of the miles and condition of the car which is one of the best left in the UK. Now it just requires some minor fettling and mostly just putting miles on it this summer

There was also a w140 thread posted on TFTSNBN and a guy was offering free w140 spares he had as a result of selling on his w140. I PM’d him and expressed interest in the 2x w140 pumps he had spare. He got back to me and asked for my shipping address to see what the cost might be. I sent my details but heard nothing back and a couple weeks passed by. I assumed he had given them to someone local and that was fair enough. But then a box arrived at my place of work yesterday and I was very surprised it was from USA and had the 2x w140 pumps in it.



So this gentleman packed up the 2x pumps, took them to a post office, filled out all the customs forms and paid $79 dollars out of his pocket to send them to me free..... I was speechless and humbled that someone would do that for a total stranger..... a true car guy. I emailed him right away to thank him and get his paypal address (Which I did ask for before but he never did reply or ask for a penny after he posted the items himself) I reimbursed him and added extra $$ on top for a case of beer as a small thankyou. These pumps are very pricey here in the UK so it was more than worth the postage to get them here! (Some criminals are asking ~$800 USD for one used W140 locking pump at the moment on ebay UK) NB: I will not sell these pumps and intend to keep them for my spares stash. This is also a perfect reason why I now must buy a S600.... so I can use the spare soft close door pump.

And the best bit is – my w140 locking pump had been playing up at the very first few days of me taking it home after it had stood for years. But it has been working flawless for many weeks since. But today..... it died! I think it sensed the spare pump inside the garage I do also have 3x new internal electric motors for these pumps in my spares hoard. So now I am going to install this spare pump and take my original one out to fit a new motor into.

 

[a777fan]

You’re a machine Joe! Good on ya.

I really do hope to follow in your 140 footsteps one of these days. The v12 is calling.


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[JC220]

You’re a machine Joe! Good on ya.

I really do hope to follow in your 140 footsteps one of these days. The v12 is calling.


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Thanks and yes you guys need to get into a W140 also!

I think what is next is a return to my 320CE Sportline restoration now that I have almost all of the required sheet metal gathered up. Stay tooned for updates on that as new sections start being grafted in. It's alot of work for sure BUT they are all rusty here so it's either get stuck in and repair it or give up and send it to the scrapper. I don't do giving up very easily

The plan is to make the whole bodyshell solid this summer then bodywork and prime it myself in Autumn and restore the undercarriage over winter before taking it for the final pro paint coats next spring. Who knows I may also be brave enough to re-spray it myself at home too I'll decide nearer the time. If I do spray it myself I'll go pro camera it!

 

[Eno]

Joe, beautiful shine on the wood pieces on the W140 also.
I will ask you after a couple of years if you are willing to repair/shine my Midnight Blue 92 500E wood trim pieces which are beat up/cracked from the sun.
Nice work [emoji106]


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[JC220]

Joe, beautiful shine on the wood pieces on the W140 also.
I will ask you after a couple of years if you are willing to repair/shine my Midnight Blue 92 500E wood trim pieces which are beat up/cracked from the sun.
Nice work [emoji106]


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Hi Eno – thankyou!

And yes I could help restore some of the wood if you like. The thing is though that if any of the wood lacquer is cracked it is not worth doing and not possible to wet sand it at all. It is hard to find good enough wood worth polishing up. Cracked wood really needs full refinishing which is something I dabbled in but have not yet finished for my own 500E. I would not offer full refinishing but if the wood trims you have are uncracked / un chipped then certainly I could help with it.

 

[JC220]

For the 320CE I did get the last piece of sheetmetal cut form a donor car today. I should clarify that this area of trunk floor in my 320CE is very bad and rusted right through. This is the best donor car I could find. Note that all of these parts are NLA from Mercedes I have already checked and they could not sell me any of the new sheetmetal I required. This really sucks and is making these cars a pain to restore.

I will be using much smaller repair sections from this piece to graft into my 320CE. This was just to get the panel I needed out. What a miserable way to spend a Saturday sawing this out!! It would be a very effective form of capital punishment

 

[gerryvz]

JC, you never cease to amaze me with your sheer industriousness and tenacity.

 

[JC220]

JC, you never cease to amaze me with your sheer industriousness and tenacity.

Thanks Gerry!

For the C124 resto there is a serious amount of welding needed which I will feature on here for anyone interested. Rust is the arch enemy of the w124 / c124 chassis longevity. There are 2x things I have been thinking about for a long time and only now getting time to do it. That is;

A full detailed thread detailing the common w124 rust traps and how to check them

A "Real world" rust treatment test. This is something I have really wanted to do for years now to put the various products I use to treat rust to the test. A large rusty piece or steel is now ripe to mark up and section off to apply several products and leave it out in the weather to see what lasts the best. I have high hopes for some Wurth zinc products I have been using lately so we shall see. I will create that new thread in a couple of days. I might cut the steel in a large strip and affix it to the undercladding on my daily driver w211 to expose it to the most realistic conditions.

This will be important data for my 320CE restoration as I will be using the latest rust conversion chemicals combined with my favourite top coatings. Some real data on what holds rust off the longest will decide on the finished unberbody coating to be used on the 320CE and future restos

 

[JC220]

Rear quarter surgery is underway on the 320CE. Thankfully the inner lip on the rear quarter is still solid so I am grinding out the spot welds and peeling off the rusty outer trunk tub panel.



These are also NLA from MB so I have a good used C124 rear tub to graft in which will also need this seem split apart. Now this is where I go to thinking. This spot weld joint design is very exposed to water ingress and difficult to properly seam seal the thin exposed edge. These seams are rust traps and ive never seen a solid one.... the moisture wicks in between the panels and rusts from the inside out.

I am considering using a modern automotive panel / structural adhesive such as this for this flange

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company...Bonding-Adhesive/?N=5002385+3293241847&rt=rud

Has anyone any opinions on using a product like this rather than weld the seam up again? The biggest advantage to me is that the joint will be fully sealed up from future moisture ingress and the surface area is very good to get a decent bond

From what I am reading online there is an uptake in recent years with the use of these modern adhesives VS spot welding in some areas with vehicle manufacturers. It is a modern technique and this may be a perfect application for it?

Edit: Based on the link below it follows my same thoughts. I think I am going to use a modern epoxy structural adhesive to this seam on my 320CE resto. If anyone has compelling reasons why I should not - please advise!

http://autobodystore.com/forum/show...ls-on-a-science-project....&p=37253#post37253

I ordered a tube of 2k epoxy - 3M 08115 http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1279751O/aad-panel-bonding-adhesive-brochure.pdf

 

[a777fan]

Interesting Joe!

Any idea of the structural rigidity difference between welding and just sealing it? That would be my only concern. Maybe you could do a spot weld sealing combo?


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[JC220]

That is the million dollar question! I would not want to do anything to weaken the chassis. The spot welds are spaced about 40mm apart on the flange. If a high strength panel adhesive is used it will grip on the entire surface of the flange which may have a stronger hold on the sheetmetal VS the spot welds alone.

Again the biggest issue for me is sealing the gap so as moisture cannot get inside and rot the panel out from the inside – which is what this joint does. It is right behind the rear tyre(s) so gets sprayed with alot of water and the thin outer edge is almost impossible to fully seal from outside. This is a good example of this failure:



That was a pretty good condition panel too - they can be much, much worse at that joint. This is the good used C124 rear wheel tub I am grafting into my 320CE. The spot welds were ground off and the inner sheetmetal removed. This is the flange cleaned up - if using adhesive I would apply it direct to the clean steel. I may combine sealant with MIG plug welds.... some of the adhesive will burn off around the weld heat but nothing I can do about that. Ideally the joint would be fully glued and sealed from elements

 

[Stevester 500E]

Any possibility to use a combo of the epoxy plus rivets?

 

[JC220]

Any possibility to use a combo of the epoxy plus rivets?

I had thought about that but the aesthetics of having rivets underneath aren't something I'd like. It needs to look factory when done.

I think I will combine an epoxy / sealant between the seams with one side pre drilled before. Then clamp up and allow the adhesive to cure before using a dremil to clean out the pre drilled holes. Then MIG weld them up without causing too much heat build-up. Should be a good compromise and the seams will mostly be filled with sealant which will be an improvement over the factory method IMO. Followed by the standard brush seam sealer etc after

 

[a777fan]

I had thought about that but the aesthetics of having rivets underneath aren't something I'd like. It needs to look factory when done.

I think I will combine an epoxy / sealant between the seams with one side pre drilled before. Then clamp up and allow the adhesive to cure before using a dremil to clean out the pre drilled holes. Then MIG weld them up without causing too much heat build-up. Should be a good compromise and the seams will mostly be filled with sealant which will be an improvement over the factory method IMO. Followed by the standard brush seam sealer etc after

I think that sounds like an ideal idea. Best of both worlds IMHO.


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[JC220]

Nearly ready to start welding the replacement rear trunk quarter into the 320CE

Before - caused by a leaking power antenna for years (I bought this car a number of months back for restoration)



Rusty areas cut out:



Quarter cut from another C124 and getting some restoration of it's own before being welded in.



I did clamp and align it up and it's millimeter perfect alignment so I'm happy with that. This 320CE does require some pretty extensive restoration.... it's going to be a busy autumn / winter To recap what's been said already in previous posts this car is getting a nut & bolt resto underneath which it needs for sure! But it's my favourite colour combo and a Sportline so well worth the effort for me. Then a full respray, new front + rear windscreens etc.

 

[JC220]

Tonights efforts were spent fixing a rusty drain opening.... in the repair panel. (I got to piss with the c*ck I've got in this scenario)



And welding in a glavanised repair section to the lower left edge of the inner sheetmetal. So tomorrow the quarter can be fully welded into it's new home

 

[JC220]

Some welding is still to be completed underneath the quarter panel still but the main seem is done and no warping etc. Using an air blow gun to cool each tack immediately after welding keeps things nice and cool to prevent warping the existing quarter panel.

 

[JC220]

You know you have too many old benzes when you need to buy G-05 antifreeze concentrate by the 20L drum plus note is the little stickers provided to affix to your slam panel and record the change date.



I forgot to get de-ionised water tonight so I'll see if I can get 5 gallon of it tomorrow too

 

[JC220]

With the S280’s engine in very good condition and due for a main dealer oil change (simply to have the service book stamped) in a few days I decided to try something new… That is adding some red UV dye (especially formulated for car engine oils) into the engine. This will allow me to assess over the next few days prior to the next oil change if there are any active oil leaks festering anywhere. Lets face it the m104 engine has many common leak points so it’s a good idea to see where it might be actively leaking from. This was the first small vial of dye tipped in under UV light:



I have already changed the engine oil to 10w-40 about 300 miles ago. And the Oil pressure is still 3bar + at idle . Only one time after an extended motorway drive at 31c ambient did it drop to 2.8 bar ish at traffic lights. So I am going to have 5w-40 fully synthetic oil this time around which is a first for me on m104’s where I have always ran 10w-40 semi synthetic oils. I’m curious to see if the slightly lighter weight fully synthetic oil will have any negative impact on the Oil pressure reading at idle. I guess it is a possible trade off for the other benefits of a quality fully synthetic oil.

 

[JC220]

My owners thread has been quiet for just a couple weeks I guess. I had minor surgery on my arm so could not continue the 320CE resto but I’m good now and ready to take into it again. What I have been doing is buying quite alot of parts locally. A Mercedes parts place is getting rid of alot of old stock and invited me to look through their shelves. I obliged!

Got a second trailer of stuff home today. I got alot of w124 spares – such as 4x rear view mirrors for example) No-where to put it all, but that’s a minor detail. The picks for me was alot of W140 spares such as a full set of window motors, double glazed glass, facelift rear boot lid and bumper in perfect condition, driver's side full power folding mirror assembly, tail-lamps set etc. So my W140 spares hoard got off to a very strong start

The absolute top find was a random EZL in the bottom of a crate. I dug it out, added it to the job lot I was buying today and didn’t think much of it. Only when I got home did I realise its the latest EZL part number that fits my 500E! Score! I tested it for 5 mins in my 500E and it works perfect. This is the last spare I wanted for my 1992 500E. (I now have a m119 ETA with new pigtail, MAF, EZL and full set of 4x exact matching PN euro modules for it)



I did also get my weekly parcel from the states this week with something a little special..... another EZL! This time a rebuilt one for a m104.980 car. (Notorious for failing) This will serve as a spare for my 1990 300E-24. I test installed it and it also works. I will be installing that into my 300E-24 now as it’s heat paste was never renewed so this is the time to do that and take the original EZL out for safe keeping.

 

[a777fan]

If you are comfortable with it, I’d love to see a full listing of your ‘fleet’!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JC220]

If you are comfortable with it, I’d love to see a full listing of your ‘fleet’!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sure, I know I tend to go from car to car so here is a list of my current motley fleet:

1987 W124 200. (147 Arctic White) E36 Project car. Subject to complete C36 AMG running gear, and W124 blue leather Sportline interior swap with bodywork still to be completed.

I have just in a last couple days started negotiations on a very“special something” for the E36 project car. It will take a few weeks for this “something” to materialise. I won’t jinx myself by uttering a word until it is here in my garage….. let’s wait & see! It might just give me the incentive to get that car finished. Indeed it was part of the reason why the project stalled as I wanted a little more spec wise.

1990 300E-24. (Almandine Red with Mushroom leather) A car I restored some years back and on the roadthis summer

1992 500E. (Pearl black with Black leather -E60 AMG suspension and other mods) The main topic early on in this owners thread. I wouldsay it’s substantially restored condition with some areas left to complete. Still resting up but will be taken out in the couple weeks to enjoy the last days of summer

1993 250D – parts car only soon to be gone

1994 320CE Sportline. (Azurite Blue with Parchment Leather) Under restoration at the moment. Hope to return to the road next spring.

1997 S280 W140. (Green / Black with Grey leather interior. Singapore import with 45k miles) Just got it a few months back, recommissioned it and now a very enjoyable second car.

2007 E220CDI Daily driver... nothing special! Workhorse.

2013 W204 C220CDI GF’s daily driver. I get to deal with all of the electrical gremlins those cars have!

We have always had Mercedes in our family and at the moment my bothers and father have around 10x more. (Mix of w126 + modern cars)

 

[JC220]

Question – assuming for a moment it might be on the table, would members like to see a C124 widebody build (E500E fenders + bumpers) or a saloon? (The E36)

 

[mercepor]

C124 wide!

 

[JC220]

C124 wide!

This is my thought at present. Since the C124 has rusty arches too and the E36 is rust free. Plus a widebody Azurite C124 would be pretty darn cool! 722 6 converted at the same time. And eventually Turbo Bandit setup

 

[JC220]

1987 W124 200. (147 Arctic White) E36 Project car. Subject to complete C36 AMG running gear, and W124 blue leather Sportline interior swap with bodywork still to be completed.

I have just in a last couple days started negotiations on a very“special something” for the E36 project car. It will take a few weeks for this “something” to materialise. I won’t jinx myself by uttering a word until it is here in my garage….. let’s wait & see! It might just give me the incentive to get that car finished. Indeed it was part of the reason why the project stalled as I wanted a little more spec wise.

OK so I’ll come clean about what this is....... a friend is helping me to try and put together a deal on having a one off E500E fibreglass bodykit made. A guy makes them in Eastern Europe taken from moulds of OE parts. This is one he made before:








I do not have the kit yet but it should be ordered and delivered within the next few weeks all being well. I do already have a good quality new AMG fibreglass kit for the E36 which was the plan. However, now that I have the 320CE also and it needs a full resto should I build an E36 AMG and Widebody 320CE? Here are the pros and cons:

E36 AMG Widebody;

Pro’s

Sell on the AMG Kit
This kit will fit on pretty much out of the box and all components are there but perhaps I will need to bend some original W124 stainless trim to fit into the little sacco panels.
The car will be pre-facelift style, I also already have a spare set of pre facelift 500E headlamps
Car would be badged as E36 AMG (Not trying to fake a 500E, I just like the widebody look. And besides I already have a real 500E!)
Artic White E500E’s do look awesome
I could use the set of 10 inch rear Rep AMG rims I have sitting spare if the wider E500E arches were used
Car is already so far from original the restored value is already immaterial. (Since it is nothing like the original car anymore)

Cons

This car is totally rust free and underbody resto is complete. This would require cutting the arches out at the rear and widening to suit the rear fenders.

An idea of how it would look when done:




320CE Widebody;

Pros

Will look very, very nice in Azurite Blue with parchment leather and Sportline badges etc.
The rear arches already require serious surgery to repair rust so cutting them out is required anyway.
The genuine 17 AMG alloy wheels on the C124 would swap onto the E36 then - which would still go ahead with the AMG kit as planned.

In either case the 10 inch rear AMG rims (staggered set of 4x from a r129) I have will go onto whatever car gets the wider arches.


Cons

(Biggie!) Kit will not fit out of the box. The bumpers will bolt up, the cills will need cut and shortened in the hope they would then fit. The rear C124 Sacco panels are totally different shape so I would have to try and modify the original panels or have new ones made up to fit the E500E rear arches

This car is a Sportline and my intention until now was to keep it 100% original and it should be worth a decent sum of money when complete if original. If widebody this will likely de-value it in a purists eyes.....

An idea of how it might look when done;

 

[JC220]

A poll is now added - let me know what 500E board members think I should do!

 

[a777fan]

Ooh. The lines of the coupe enhanced with flares seems most appealing! Especially in that color!


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[JC220]

Ooh. The lines of the coupe enhanced with flares seems most appealing! Especially in that color!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes the C124 does very much suit the E500E front arches! However I think that c124 I got the picture of does not have “proper” E500E rear arches going by the shape of them. But the general principle is there

 

[JC220]

Just noticed over 50K views now on this thread! That got a little out of hand- thanks everyone!

No votes on the poll yet? Curious to see what you guys think I should do. The deal hopefully will be done on the E500E kit this week. Then I need to decide what I'm going to do in the coming weeks. In the interim I am going to advertise my AMG kit locally and see if there is any serious interest in it.

 

[mercepor]

I voted
This issue is very subjective and i can tell you only my views:
if you build smthing try to do it as original as you can. I mean regardless if you choose the saloon or the widebody, build it with oem spoilers, bumpers, engine etc. I know it will be difficult and costy, but at the end you will have a proper replica. Which will have a value. If you use fiberglass sets, it will be a golf I tuned by strosek at the end.... or smthing similar The amount of work will be the same.

So for the c124 i would recomend to use original 500e flares, bumpers, recaro interior, and a m119 (500), and real oz 3pcs aeros.

For instance: Jaymanek did a nice break 500e and he has also a w126 wide conversion. Talbir has also a "proper" w126 widebody and in the US 48hp did the same (maybe even more with the double cam heads). These are nice cars imho.

 

[JC220]

I voted
This issue is very subjective and i can tell you only my views:
if you build smthing try to do it as original as you can. I mean regardless if you choose the saloon or the widebody, build it with oem spoilers, bumpers, engine etc. I know it will be difficult and costy, but at the end you will have a proper replica. Which will have a value. If you use fiberglass sets, it will be a golf I tuned by strosek at the end.... or smthing similar The amount of work will be the same.

So for the c124 i would recomend to use original 500e flares, bumpers, recaro interior, and a m119 (500), and real oz 3pcs aeros.

For instance: Jaymanek did a nice break 500e and he has also a w126 wide conversion. Talbir has also a "proper" w126 widebody and in the US 48hp did the same (maybe even more with the double cam heads). These are nice cars imho.

I had not considered the originality of the kit itself! That is an interesting and valid point. Jay had used a donor 500E for his recent wagon project and I think that is the only way to do it nowadays due to the NLA bug hitting many E500E parts. And also in terms of cost it would be more feasible to do it that way, assuming a donor car could be sourced for a reasonable sum in the first instance.



However, for full disclosure I am not at all bothered about a full m119 swap on these cars! For the amount of effort required I would go a different route such as a E55 AMG donor or even a wrecked C63 (How great would that be!!) For these 2x cars at the moment I am happy with the 3.6 AMG Swap and the prospect of a turbo kit for either car. I've also never heard of a RHD m119 w124 swap before. Could be issues with the steering box. (Even Jay's recent wagon swap was a LHD IIRC)



What I have done since is spoke to my car valuer about the potential C124 E500E bodywork. He strongly advised me against it and said Iwould de-value the original Sportline 320CE. I guess he does have a point. Again, originality is already out the window with the E36 as is so that is nota problem with it…. The E500E kit will also bolt up to the E36 in all aspects. Before I would sell on the AMG kit I have at the moment I would want to trial fit the E500E kit when it arrives in a number of weeks. I am assured it is a perfect fitting kit taken from original parts with the part numbers visible in somea reas. (Like under the cills) So going by what I am told it should be ideal.



Thanks to those who voted thus far - seems 60 / 40 in favour of the C124 at the moment