C124 refurbish

[del320]

Following on from Jay's and SilverSaloon's labours of love I am joining these lunatics in spending unfeasible amounts of time and money restoring my C124.

She is heading for the bodyshop this Monday for a full bodywork refurbishment and respray. All trim is being removed apart from the rear screen and I'm getting a new windscreen fitted along with new wings.

I have been removing quantities of trim and am amazed at the thought and quality that has gone into the design.

From history, we know that Germans are obsessive about keeping records, but is this sort of detail typical of car manufacturers or just MB in particular?

What is this component made in November 1995?

Meantime as the car will be away for 2 to 3 weeks I have got a loan of this to smoke around in!

The deal was to clean it!

Must dash for lunch - more to follow!

 

[d w124]

+1 very soon

 

[del320]

For the benefit of...

Bill 33, The G.F.P. crammy, grober, Ade B, mercboiuk et al ... even The Boss! Ignore your plastic cladding at your peril.

Dirt washes down the doors and grit gets caught in between the painted metal and the cladding. Vibration over the years abrades away and will eventually wear down to the metal, causing rust bubbles to appear along the upper edge. I've caught mine in time:

The plastic sill covers harbour dirt - enough to feed my roses!

This is what happens to your rear n/s jacking point:

Fortunately not terminal. I've it ground down and applied Hammerite Rust Beater, Hammerite paint and once back from the shop will be dosed with underseal and Waxoyle. This was the only area of concern - the other jacking points are fine.

 

[del320]

This is what your jacking points should look like:

And this is the condition your sills should be kept:

Fingernails worn to the quick cleaning literally hundreds of clips and fixings.

 

[mercboiuk]

Well done that man for udertaking such a task!
Good luck with your project.

I'm going to enjoy following this one, for obvious reasons

Darren

 

[kth286]

Well done that man for udertaking such a task!
Good luck with your project.

I'm going to enjoy following this one, for obvious reasons

Darren

Me too.

 

[Frank O' Phile]

Keep us updated, it's going to look great.

And best not tell us how much it's all costing.

 

[c955]

Looking forward to reading all about it with great interest!

 

[The G.F.P]

that is for me the joint best colour combination (like GFP1)

i know what you mean about the side pannels as when i had my wings patched and re-sprayed in 2006 he did the drivers door and when he removed the side pannels i nearly died at the state inside them

it really was awful and took him a day to clean, spray and refit

thats why im after a mint w124 coupe as mine needs 2 new wings and could do with a full re-spray so im looking for a mint 1996 P in blue or grey with cream & full electrics so if anyone sees one let me know

can i ask how much the respray is costing and is it back to metal?

ill be watching this post with eagle eyes as im SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tempted to do mine

also where did you get the wings and how much also pattent part or merc ?

 

[blondebier]

Well done. How long is the job going to take? If you don't mind me asking - which bodyshop are you going to use?

 

[The G.F.P]

Well done. How long is the job going to take? If you don't mind me asking - which bodyshop are you going to use?

yes very important to me too

its quality not cost i look for and my last one was a bit lacking

 

[bolide]

Just buy new clips from a dealer - they're not expensive

When you have the windscreen out consider replacing the front speakers. It's the only opportunity you'll have to fit something bigger & better

Nick Froome

 

[Ade B]

Looking forward to more pics.

Just back from a London Nottingham round trip again - the miles are piling on ... As is wear & tear. Paint I had done last year is suffering from stone chips & some slight bubbling including the inevitable front wing blisters just forming on the near side.. & I can't help feeling that the drivers seat is getting more squishy (I've lost weight in last few months for the record) I'm not going to venture behind the plastics on mine yet...

Can't wait to see it lowered & with full AMG treatment including exhaust tips

Ade

 

[del320]

Thanks, chaps for the words of encouragement.

It is not being taken back to bare metal. I've been assured that is quite unnecessary as the car is fundamentally in good condition. Apart from the wings, the only serious rust was that jacking point. I decided on a virtually no-expense-spared route just because no remedial bodywork is required.

The wings and windscreen are genuine MB parts from Western Mercedes Edinburgh. I have to really thank Ellen Forgrave, the parts dept supervisor, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things 124 (my kind of gal )

She has been exceptionally helpful tracking down a couple of obscure parts as well as arranging delivery to the bodyshop tomorrow. The 15% discount has brought the parts element in under £600.

Thanks are due to Sean (ecossebev) for recommending Rocco D'Agostino at JRM Coachworks at Roseburn, Edinburgh. Judging by the metal outside his premises, I'm in good hands - but time will show, and I'll tell it like it is on completion!

Thanks also to Dave and - er - Dave for the windscreen removal and refitting and ditto for new tyres. (Did I mention all wheels are being sent away for refurbishing?) Both nationwide names but happy to oblige for "special" jobs.

I hope it all comes together but I've been solidly impressed by the service so far...

Two final photos for tonight.

Well, you can see the wing is shot, but the metal sill is a real dirt trap behind those three holes. The area is hidden by the wheelarch liner as well as the outer sill. After those items are removed, this is what you see:

You can see some surface rust but that ledge could collect a ton of crap. Anyway it's all cleaned up at prepared now... it could have been a whole lot worse!

 

[abs]

Good luck


Loooking forward to seeing the end result!

 

[Bill_33]

Just buy new clips from a dealer - they're not expensive

When you have the windscreen out consider replacing the front speakers. It's the only opportunity you'll have to fit something bigger & better

Nick Froome

Do the clips break when you remove the plastic side and sill panels?

Presumably once you undo a couple of self tapers they just pull off

Cheers

 

[SilverSaloon]

great! i look forward to the progress and seeing it in the flesh at the next Scottish meet! the car (apart from the rust on the wings was indeed in FANTASTIC condition before so going back to bare metal wont be needed.

liked the pics of the cladding removed - this is something i need to do on my 124 sooner rather than later, but i'm rather busy at the moment i know the jacking points need attention....

clips etc are very cheap from MB so make sure they are all replaced rather than bodged or missed out by the bodyshop.

fit a wooden/leather steering wheel when you're done to complete the job!

 

[del320]

Thanks, Derek. Just to clarify, I'm not considering any mods - just want everything as original.

Bill, As with virtually the entire car, trim can be removed without damage. Trouble is, it takes a huge leap of faith. Take the doors for example: after removing a small screw at the bottom of the trailing edge, you grasp the lower edge of the cladding - i.e. below bottom of actual door - and pull away.

You will be horrified at the force required and the hideous cracking sounds, but believe me, it works. The entire panel is then slid backwards to release it from the "keyholes" - see picture.

The front and rear cladding adjacent to the wheelarches has three similar fasteners top and bottom. Start away from the arch as there is a lug gripping the lip of the arch. Again, unfeasible force is required. If you really lose your nerve, you could use your wife's best wooden omelette spatula. I found a total of three broken fasteners - all easily obtained from your dealer. Replacement requires hefty clouts with your fist and forearm.

The bright strip along the top of the cladding is held by dozens of tiny white clips. Each is turned through 90 degrees to release the trim - in other words, don't attempt to slide or pull the strip away - it's fragile.

As I commented in my initial post, the detail and strength of design is just great. Incidently, no takers on my quiz! It's the back of the zero of the boot badge "E320"

(Derek, I'm taking it apart and I will be putting it together again. a) reduces costs, b)I'll see exactly what's been done)

 

[SilverSaloon]

good idea to refit etc yourself - obviously save money and you know its been done right.

one thing i learned duing the 107 restoration is that the amount of clips etc needed for all this stuff. quite fiddly to fit correctly and i reckon many bodyshops would bodge/fit incorrectly aslong as it looked ok in the end. i'd rather go back to the dealer and buy another 50p clip than glue a broken one back together. i've spend quite a bit of money on small clips, grommets etc that were either broken (but still in use) or completely missing. often if a piece is held on my say, 6 clips, 2 on each end and 2 in the middle, its only the outer ones that are doing anything.... i reckon i've spent around £40 on all these little clips in total - so far - so many were broken or missing.

thanks for the info on removal of the cladding - will come in useful.

 

[jaymanek]

well done... another thread to watch!!