Project C43 W202

[Abb]

As some of you may recall I sought advice whether or not to take the plunge on a C43 which I knew would require some work to bring it back to standard.

C43....Yes or No??

This thread is a little behind, as I eventually took the plunge, knowing it was going to be a long and no doubt expensive process, but hopefully worth it in the end.
Always like the look of the W202 in AMG/Sport guise but was out off with the horror stories of rust and general poor quality of that era of MB.
Coupled with the fact I am in no way a mechanic nor do I profess to be a wizard with a set of tools, however I am not afraid of getting my hands dirty and learn as I go, so I thought why the heck not, and divided in!

I will update the thread as I go, here's how it all began..

 

[alabbasi]

Nice save. Any longer and birds will start nesting. How do people let cars get like that?

 

[merc85]

Mate fair play to you Sir, Can't wait for more updates, I too love the c43, They just look "Right" i had a N reg c180 and loved it to bits but sold it as couldn't get used to it being Manual, this was quite a few years ago btw.

 

[Abb]

It's certainly fair to say, she was looking a little sorry for itself!

 

[Abb]

Got it picked up on a flat bed low loader and transported to it's new home, much to my sisters delight as it was going to live in her garage and be seen on her driveway....curtains will be twitching at the scrap gracing the driveway
After a quick clean..

 

[Headhurts]

Well that looks like a project, particularly if not trained to work on these.

You will find a wealth of knowledge on here along with people willing to help, sadly I’m not one of them, although I have a city & guilds in motor mechanics this was in the days of points and condensers in a distributor.

Good luck I will follow this with interest.

Robin


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[noogieman]

in UK, are all w202 sorry looking a$$ dreaded with rust?
w202 cars turned into heavy rust buckets if not treated properly.

this car will not be a cheap project for you.
after you fix her up I hope you don't sell her,.

how is the interior, can you show us some pics.
any cobweb inside the car?

good luck with your restoration

 

[Abb]

Thanks for the comments folks. I guess I should have started with a little history of the car and why I took it on.
The car was originally supplied to a Les Ferdinand (think I got the name wrong on my original post, goes to show what I know about football ) brand new on 5/3/99, who owned it for approximately a year, when the second owner purchased it from Signature used cars (SMAC) on the 12/10/2000 for the screen price of.....£32,995!
This chap kept the car mechanically perfect, keeping every receipt/invoice etc and was in his ownership for 10 years.
On the 10/02/10 I accompanied my friend to Chinnor in Oxfordshire where the car was being advertised for sale by the 2nd owner. A deal was done and off we came back up North.
Was my 1st time in a 43 and I loved everything about it, it just felt 'right'. It seemed to do everything well, nothing extraordinary, just very very well.
Told my pal if he was to ever part with it, I would have 1st refusal.
A year later my friend changed jobs and he needed a diesel for the commute, so the 43 got parked up.
Although the car seemed to be mechanically perfect, the same couldn't be said for the bodywork . Slowly I watched it 'decompose' as my numerous attempts to get him to prep it for storage, cover it, remove wheels etc, whilst it wasn't been used constantly failed.
Fast forward to late 2016 and the car is still parked up in the exact place it was some 5 years ago, outside, open to the elements. The only change is the build up of dirt, the increase of rust, flat tyres, cobwebs and the remainder of the AMG badge which someone has tried to steal
As I (like many of us insane people on here ) was looking to take on a restoration project, but wanted to be able to try and do the work myself (or at least attempt to), the 43 seemed to make perfect sense
Made my friend see sense, a deal done and I became the new custodian of the piece of rust.
My aim is to restore the car to stock excellent condition, keeping everything OEM or as close to as I can, using OEM parts or good quality alternatives, and hopefully I will have a mint 43 at the end of it. I am not doing this to sell, profit, move on etc, I am doing this because I must be mad, no other logical explanation.
Yes I could have started with a better base, but as most of them suffer the dreaded rot, I decided its better the devil you know, and as I knew this used to be mechanically perfect, at least that shouldn't be too much hassle to get it going again, the low owners, the documented history, MOT history, all made sense (to me at least) to use this. As all the panels will all be being replaced as I go, and all the necessary work (brake rebuild, suspension rebuild etc) carried out before going into the body shop.

As always, hints, tips and advice most appreciated.

 

[Abb]

How much???

 

[daveenty]

Good man for looking after it.

Hopefully it will give you much happiness and little grief, though I suspect I may have got this the wrong way round.

Have fun with it Abb, show it the respect it deserves.

 

[Alex]

Big job this one, good luck Abb. The car looks great in black, will be a stunner when finished.

 

[Abb]

So, having had a quick clean, following advice on here and elsewhere, I purchased and replaced the fuel filter, drained the fuel tank and replaced with fresh, removed all plugs, dropped a few drops of oil in the chambers, replaced plugs, a brand new OEM battery fitted, four tyres replaced, turned the key......all dash lights illuminated as they should, and could hear the fuel pump kick in, final turn of the key and.....fired up immediately!
I then put it into D and off I went, what do you now, it moved forwards, backwards and even left to right Pleased it was running with no unexpected noises, whines, or smoke, I got it up on all corners to see what the not so good news awaits me.
As much as I know the engine will still need a proper service and fluids all flushed, I wanted to see 'what lurked beneath'.
All four corners raised, wheels removed, this is what I found, not unexpected really

 

[Abb]

Duplicate

 

[Abb]

 

[Abb]

A reminder that it will all be worth it in the end......

 

[Abb]

Having gone through all the paperwork, prior to the car being parked up, some 6 weeks prior it had been fully serviced, incl brake discs and pads all round as well as plugs, oil change etc.
So leaving the engine alone for now, I began to strip the brakes and suspension components, as they obviously needed attention if not replacing in their entirety.
My steps for carrying out the work probably don't make sense to the experts, but as I was winging it with a plan 'I thought' made sense, I continued ahead.
My plan was:
1) Start with underneath, check, clean replace any parts which require it, including brakes & suspension.
2) Engine, full service inclusive of every fluid change, and replacement of any parts required.
3) Cosmetics, send running car off to the body shop to replace more or less every panel, weld repair any parts which require it (ie jacking points, new sills etc), followed by a full respray in original colour, black, a detail and ceramic coating and full rustproof protection underneath.

I know it sound very basic, but to me thats all thats involved when you break it down! I know it will grow 'arms & legs' at each stage and am expecting it, especially the costs to escalate. I am realistic and I know what it will cost me will far exceed its monetary value, but the end product should hopefully keep me smiling for years to come.

 

[Abb]

I now began to shop for bits I could see I was going to need, from brake hoses to bonnets and everything in between. Scouring the various sources, I soon began to mass parts (and continue to do so almost a year later ).
A fellow member on here was contacted @mattk1, email & phone conversations exchanged followed by £££ and I was soon the recipient of my 1st major delivery!

A palletised delivery housing:
A Bilstein Pro 12 kit (Biltein B8 shocks and uprated/lowered Eibach springs)
H&R Anti roll/Sway bars front & rear
Goodridge SS flexi braided brake hoses
OEM AMG full set of interior mate incl tunnel mat

All items brand new, unused and in packaging. Thank you once again to Matt for being an absolute gent throughout my dealings with him and for his patience with me and my numerous questions.

 

[Smart320]

Well good luck to you, what an interesting project, am sure knowing exactly what you are starting with and being clear about your end game will make it less painful when it comes to paying for the work.
After it is finished if it looks anything like it did 18 years ago you will certainly have a big smile on your face.

 

[longman h]

This is awesome mate and well done for just going for it and getting involved. There's always a reason not to do something but that shouldn't always stop us from being adventurous and taking us off the beaten track.

Definitely subscribed to this and looking forward to some more updates as and when they appear.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Abb]

So I set about changing the front ball joints (MOT advisory some years previous), followed by changing the shocks, springs, and brake hoses all round. Some more boring pics....