Re-paint prep

[Whitemamba23]

In light of beginning the process of stripping my E500 for its repaint, I’m interested to see what you guys think of what proper prep for a repaint includes.

My plan is to remove and replace as many trims, seals and general parts as possible for a seamless, like new finish with with the least amount of over spray possible. I’ve been lucky enough to source many NLA NOS parts for this car which will be used during the reassembly process.

Fenders, hood, doors & trunk lid: While I plan on removing the fenders, is it worth it to remove the other attached parts which require more work for wire removal/reinstallation? (Door jams will not be repainted)

Are there any often over looked parts to consider removing? Anything specifically to keep an eye out on prior to dropping it off?

This will be the 3rd w124 I’ll have repainted, but the first sedan and .036 I’ll be doing so any tips would be much appreciated. Previous repaint was a sad job and I want this one done right.

 

[Stutz]

Remove all the trim you can. Door handles, chrome, headlights, tail lights etc. makes for a much better job. Also remove the rear and front windshield

 

[gsxr]

Be careful with removing the rear glass, or skip the removal... there are stories of the rear glass breaking during removal unless the glass tech is very, very familiar with removing 124 glass safely. And, a forum member recently reported new rear glass cracking shortly after installation.

Front glass is straightforward, might as well install new OE Genuine if pulling the old one. Don't let the glass tech touch any interior trim, btw, remove all of it yourself unless you want stuff broken. I remove all interior AND exterior trim myself and only have them touch the glass, then I re-install the trim myself too.

Remember that late 93-up cars use front glass with a channel at the base of the glass to retain the 1-piece wiper rubber seal, make sure new front glass includes this if not buying OE. Sometimes the glass place will order the wrong part number that doesn't have this channel.

The rear deck lid is quite easy to remove, if the paint shop recommends this, it won't hurt.

Not sure on the door question. They are a PITA to R&R and re-align.

I've never had a 124 repainted so take this with a grain of salt. I have a half-dozen cars that all need full paint jobs though.

 

[Whitemamba23]

Be careful with removing the rear glass, or skip the removal... there are stories of the rear glass breaking during removal unless the glass tech is very, very familiar with removing 124 glass safely. And, a forum member recently reported new rear glass cracking shortly after installation.

Front glass is straightforward, might as well install new OE Genuine if pulling the old one. Don't let the glass tech touch any interior trim, btw, remove all of it yourself unless you want stuff broken. I remove all interior AND exterior trim myself and only have them touch the glass, then I re-install the trim myself too.

Remember that late 93-up cars use front glass with a channel at the base of the glass to retain the 1-piece wiper rubber seal, make sure new front glass includes this if not buying OE. Sometimes the glass place will order the wrong part number that doesn't have this channel.

The rear deck lid is quite easy to remove, if the paint shop recommends this, it won't hurt.

Not sure on the door question. They are a PITA to R&R and re-align.

I've never had a 124 repainted so take this with a grain of salt. I have a half-dozen cars that all need full paint jobs though.

The plan is to remove the windshield and rear glass and replace them with brand new OE glass. The rear glass is already cracked and the replacement has been sourced months ago to avoid being shit outta luck if they go NLA.

I do all removal and reinstalling at home since I’m way more familiar with these cars than the body shop.


Pretty much all exterior trims Including front and rear door handles and exterior seals will be replaced with new OE parts. New grill, emblems and badging as well.

For this build I’ve decided to stay two tone, which will make r&r a lot easier since we won’t need to remove the chrome trims from the lower cladding and bumpers.

Luckily this isn’t my first w124 repaint, so my experience with r&r on the cars I’ve previously done will definitely help make this as easy as possible.

 

[gsxr]

The narrow stainless trims at the top of the lower cladding is easy to remove, the plastic clips on the back side rotate and release the trims. Trust me, you'll want them removed for painting, and it's one of the easier jobs.

Sounds like the remaining question is to remove the doors or leave them on. What's the input from the body shop?

Also, what brand / type paint are you using, and what's the rough cost estimate with you doing all the R&R? I would be attempting almost the same thing, except leaving the glass in.

 

[gsxr]

In case you haven't yet removed the 500's cladding, read post #31 at the link below. I just did this on my car, it's slightly different than the standard 124's. Getting the upper clip separated from the rear cladding is the riskiest part.

HOW TO: Remove/Replace Door & Fender Cladding /Trim and Rocker Covers | "HOW-TO" Tutorial Articles

ADMIN EDIT: See post #31 below for tips on removing the rocker covers and fender trims. Thread title udpated. I decided to replace a dented piece of metal Garnish Moulding on the rear left door. The WIS Factory Service Manual provides several W124 procedures regarding sedans & coupes, yet...

www.500eboard.co

 

[sheward]

You may want to consider painting a second set of the panels below the headlights. Two of them should cost you about $40. They take a lot of beating there out front. Good time to replace the sunroof seal.

drew

 

[alabbasi]

I just repainted my 1994 Jaguar XJ12. The prep took about a week and I took only a few things off out of concern that stuff would break and would be impossible to find. That's not a concern for any of my MB's. Even then, I easily had 60 hours in the prep between two people.

 

[gsxr]

You may want to consider painting a second set of the panels below the headlights. Two of them should cost you about $40. They take a lot of beating there out front. Good time to replace the sunroof seal.

New headlight panels are cheaper than the shop prepping old ones, and I also would have spares painted. If you have a blank filler panel for the front license plate, get the plate bracket painted as well so you have both (again, the new plate filler may be cheaper than shop labor to prep an old one). I'd consider spare door mirror backs also, these get hammered too. But, clear protection film applied once the paint is cured should help a lot, if used in the proper locations. The rockers ahead of the rear tires get clobbered on the 036 for some reason, all of mine are bad in that area.

 

[PJmak]

I just could not let anyone touch my car with a spray gun without removing everything that can possibly come off of it first.

 

[Whitemamba23]

The narrow stainless trims at the top of the lower cladding is easy to remove, the plastic clips on the back side rotate and release the trims. Trust me, you'll want them removed for painting, and it's one of the easier jobs.

Sounds like the remaining question is to remove the doors or leave them on. What's the input from the body shop?

Also, what brand / type paint are you using, and what's the rough cost estimate with you doing all the R&R? I would be attempting almost the same thing, except leaving the glass

The lower trims are still in good condition so no need to repaint them, otherwise I’d remove the chrome trims and probably paint the cladding body color. Recently repainted the front bumper and a brand new plate filler was painted to match as well.

One of the previous owners had the top half repainted and they did a horrible job. Luckily the Sacco trims were left untouched.

Body shop said it doesn’t matter either way since the jams aren’t being repainted. I think I’ve decided on leaving the doors in and taking the trunk lid and fenders off.

The plan is to apply PPF on the lower headlight trims to avoid pitting and damage

 

[speedy300dturbo]

The FSM procedure on removing the front fender cladding is basically to pry with a wedge and yank with brute force. This does work, but I found that the upper clips are a lot more stubborn than the lowers. If you pull too hard, you can warp the molding and bend the stainless trim (I believe these are NLA for the 500E500).

If your moldings aren't budging and you find yourself applying an uncomfortable amount of force, I advise removing the fender and using cutters to chop off the upper clips that poke through the backside of the fender. This will release the molding without pulling and prying, and you'll want to install new clips regardless.

 

[Whitemamba23]

New clips are a no brainer.

 

[Whitemamba23]

Update:

Decided to go all out and remove the doors, trunk lid, hood and fenders.

Rear doors were fairly easy to remove, front doors are a PITA with all the extra wiring.

Trunk lid was super easy. Next up are hood and fenders.

 

[gerryvz]

I'm not 100% sure but I think the anodized roof rail rubber is NLA? Can anyone confirm this?

 

[Whitemamba23]

I'm not 100% sure but I think the anodized roof rail rubber is NLA? Can anyone confirm this?

Left and right are both NLA. Had mine re-anodized instead.

Rails and rubber come together, not sold separately.

 

[sheward]

If we are talking about the rubber on the backside of the roof rails, I do not believe they were ever available separately. They look impossible to reapply due to the design.
Yes, the rails are NLA.

Whitemamba23; Could you share who did the anodizing and cost?

 

[gerryvz]

Interesting. Thanks for the update on that. I had thought the rubber was available separately from the rails.

 

[Whitemamba23]

If we are talking about the rubber on the backside of the roof rails, I do not believe they were ever available separately. They look impossible to reapply due to the design.
Yes, the rails are NLA.

Whitemamba23; Could you share who did the anodizing and cost?

When I did it it was $180 per rack. They can only fit a certain amount of parts on a single dipping rack so not sure what they'd charge just for those two pieces.

I went to Mid Valley Anodizing in Burbank, CA but after I anodized with them, I learned that there is architectural anodizing which is a lot more weather resistant and is best for pieces that are exposed to sunlight.

If I had to do it again, I'd find someone that offers architectural anodizing for a more weather resistant finish.

 

[Whitemamba23]

Going this weekend to remove the hood and fenders. I’ve seen thorough repaints done with doors and hood removed but fenders left on. Is it best to leave them on given they can still achieve full coverage with the hood removed? Or should I commit and remove the fenders as well? The fender bolts are painted from factory so it seems that they painted the car with the fenders attached.

Thoughts?

 

[Whitemamba23]

Hood and fenders now off. Finally eady for paint prep. Going to have the bolts and washers painted and will install them using a non-marring socket to avoid damage.

 

[Ian White]

Sorry to revive this old thread but how did the repaint turn out? Also are you happy with the result of re-anodizing the trims?

 

[Whitemamba23]

Sorry to revive this old thread but how did the repaint turn out? Also are you happy with the result of re-anodizing the trims?

Repaint turned out great! All the extra work of removing and reinstalling the doors, hood, fenders and trunk lid was 100% worth it.

The anodized trims are a 8/10. not perfect but good enough for now. Still trying to find some NOS roof rails and windshield trim to replace them with.

I’ll have to get some better pics once the car is 100% complete and ready but this will do for now.

 

[Ian White]

Great- glad to hear it turned out well for you! In that case, I've decided to use a specialty tape to "wrap" the trims on the 400E. I'll see how that turns out and then make a game plan for my 500E. My local anodizing place can only accept items up to 6' long and I think the roof rails are longer than that.