My current w168 project

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pallasar

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2016
Messages
36
Location
Gt Manchester
Car
W168 A140 Elegance
Hi folks, nice to see a forum with a dedicated detailing section....

I have recently taken on the transformation of a w168 a class A140.

My last car got vandalised (mk1 Citroen xm) so I sold it on to an enthusiast to fix back up, and started to look for a new project and family hack. After a day or so of looking at options, the w168 a class caught my fancy being packed full of intelligent design and being cheap to buy and fix up.

After running it for a few days I fell in love with it, and so its transformation began...

The car has spent most of its life in Hull...and the salt air hasnt been kind to it. The front subframe was swiss cheese, so I took the opportunity to buy a solid used one, de rust it and repaint it with several coats of stone chip and get it fitted....it will likely outlast the car now :D





The bodywork is ongoing as are some other jobs it needs, but I'll post up progress pictures of it as it goes along if anyone is interested...

The paintwork was dull and swirled to death....there were 16 years of small scratches and "life" in the finish, so as soon as I could get the time, I took it into the garage and got to work correcting the finish.

The next job on the list will be refurbing the alloys, and then its onto the wheel arch areas and the whole rear subframe and trailing arm assemblies needs blasting and repainting so they look like new again...(it might be summer when I get round to that though)

Here is a few shots of the paintwork correction "day" Around 10 hours work in total.

The day I bought it:




Now:









 
You're a braver man than I. But well done and good luck with the rest of it!
 
Fantastic job there - great work! Paintwork looks better than new.
 
The cleanest W168 if I ever saw one !
 
Thankyou all.....

I know its a lot of work for a little W168, but one day I believe these first generation A classes will be collectible. The main reason is being Mercedes' first venture into the small car market...and the fact that they will get scrapped when something dear goes due to the cheap cost of replacing the car, so as numbers drop, the ones that remain will become more sought after ;)

Engine and box wise the car is sweet and smooth, and in comparison to the last car I turned around, this one may take a little while...but at least parts are a damn sight easier to obtain :bannana:

My last resto project:
https://pallasar.wordpress.com/gallery-2/my-own-1993-citroen-xm-td/
 
Hi,

What did you do to the paintwork to correct it?
 
Hi,

What did you do to the paintwork to correct it?

Washed it
Machined it with Menzerna pads and a mix of Menzerna compounds and Meguiars, sealed the finish with Collinite 476 ;)

Took about 10 hours in total and I will admit, I didnt even do the roof :D

I was tired and it got late so I'll do that another day.

This weekend Ive got a drop link to replace and removing all the wheels they will get cleaned inside and out, touched up where needed then sealed with Poorboys wheel sealant ;)

Plenty of jobs left to do on this one so no need to rush things....just plod on through ticking things off the list :thumb:
 
Going to add the facelift lights to update the look?

Excellent advice and a really nice mod. :thumb:

May I also suggest adding a few items to your update / mod list?

Firstly, the ones I had done myself, and was very pleased with:

  • A210 leather pull handles
  • A210 AMG front grille
  • Full leather interior with heated seats
  • Bonnet star
  • AMG / Sports metal pedal covers
  • Front leather armrest
  • Rear Vario armrest
  • Spare wheel storage unit

And, a few I wanted to do, but never got around to, before I sold the car:

  • A190/A210 front and rear brake discs
  • Leather trimmed Instrument Cluster Cover
  • Electrically folding side mirrors
  • Auto-dimming RVM

Also, a few I had done, but from the non-OEM realm (which might not fit with your intentions):

  • DRL - I fitted a round ones in place of the fog lights, that was otherwise empty
  • Double-DIN head unit
  • Reversing camera and rear sensors
  • Internal LED lights
  • Windows comfort feature (custom made for W168, much faster than OEM, brilliantly installed by a forum member)

I should have the part numbers for the first list, if required.
 
Forgot the A210 AMG exhaust in the first list :doh:
 
Forgot the A210 AMG exhaust in the first list :doh:

:doh::doh::doh: one more item left off of the first list:

W245 rear wiper arm and blade - makes the rear look much more modern and works well :thumb:
 
The paint work looks really good, like new, 10 hours well spent. What are your plans for the car, keep it original or perhaps some light modding?

I have an A160 Avantgarde of the same vintage. My initial intention was to keep it totally standard, then I joined some forums and read about the mods that others were carrying out to their Mercedes, the temptation was too much...

My car now has a long list of mods, many of which were available as factory fitted options. There are also some non-OEM bits ( follow me home lights/ mirrors fold+unfold with locking and also window closure).

I have enjoyed every part of the work. Researching part numbers, working through wiring diagrams. Tracking down the parts (especially the really rare stuff) and seeing it all come together.

I hope that you will enjoy your A-Class and please let me know if I can be of any help.
 
Excellent advice and a really nice mod. :thumb:

May I also suggest adding a few items to your update / mod list?

Firstly, the ones I had done myself, and was very pleased with:

  • A210 leather pull handles
  • A210 AMG front grille
  • Full leather interior with heated seats
  • Bonnet star
  • AMG / Sports metal pedal covers
  • Front leather armrest
  • Rear Vario armrest
  • Spare wheel storage unit

And, a few I wanted to do, but never got around to, before I sold the car:

  • A190/A210 front and rear brake discs
  • Leather trimmed Instrument Cluster Cover
  • Electrically folding side mirrors
  • Auto-dimming RVM

Also, a few I had done, but from the non-OEM realm (which might not fit with your intentions):

  • DRL - I fitted a round ones in place of the fog lights, that was otherwise empty
  • Double-DIN head unit
  • Reversing camera and rear sensors
  • Internal LED lights
  • Windows comfort feature (custom made for W168, much faster than OEM, brilliantly installed by a forum member)

I should have the part numbers for the first list, if required.

Thanks for the info and suggestions as I really don't know much about the w168 yet...Im still learning....

I wont be going too mad on it as the plan is at a later stage to move onto a slightly newer model A class....w169 at the newest.

I am very interested in the facelift headlights mod though...are they just plug and play? Also very interested in the vario rear armrest...could you post any pictures up of what that looks like? Also the double DIN unit appeals to me ;)

I have the centre armrest at the front already, but the base cover trim is missing (The "trunk" cover in effect.....god knows what happened to that in its past)...

Do you know if that can be fitted separately, or will I need to get a complete new arm rest?
 
The paint work looks really good, like new, 10 hours well spent. What are your plans for the car, keep it original or perhaps some light modding?

I have an A160 Avantgarde of the same vintage. My initial intention was to keep it totally standard, then I joined some forums and read about the mods that others were carrying out to their Mercedes, the temptation was too much...

My car now has a long list of mods, many of which were available as factory fitted options. There are also some non-OEM bits ( follow me home lights/ mirrors fold+unfold with locking and also window closure).

I have enjoyed every part of the work. Researching part numbers, working through wiring diagrams. Tracking down the parts (especially the really rare stuff) and seeing it all come together.

I hope that you will enjoy your A-Class and please let me know if I can be of any help.

Sounds awesome....got any pictures :p

My plan was to re create a factory brochure look to the car. The issue Im having though is that the bodywork is not perfect and to make that a viable project, I'm either going to have to throw about £600 - £700 at it; or I could continue to fix it up, do some light mods to it, make it as perfect as it can be and just use it and enjoy it.

I have always enjoyed re creating a mint factory fresh look, and if budget was no option than that's exactly what I would do to this one...right down to the original factory stereo unit. But....I bought this one in a hurry as I needed a new car within 24 hours at the time, so it may be best to buy a new base vehicle and start on that one?

The dilemma is, engine and box wise this one is sweet as a nut and its a good honest car that deserves to be saved....If I buy a new one that is tidier on the outside, but then has engine or box problems then that can be just as expensive to sort out..if not dearer sometimes.

Better the devil you know perhaps ;)
 
I am very interested in the facelift headlights mod though...are they just plug and play?

Chris (area51) is the best person to answer that, as he had done that (mine was facelift already).

Also very interested in the vario rear armrest...could you post any pictures up of what that looks like? Also the double DIN unit appeals to me ;)

Of course! It looks like a small w168 and is very cute. The storage space is useful too. I was lucky enough to find a brand new one, they're very rare, but do come up on eBay now and then. Part number B6 781 0160 (in slate grey colour)

Here's the rear armrest:

IMG_2031%20resized_zpsbnrx6g92.jpg


IMG_1952small_zpssqfk3l3f.jpg


IMG_2039small_zpsgyebhpyr.jpg



IMG_2032small_zps9tefti7h.jpg


Double-DIN was just a basic Chinese unit, but worked perfectly well for over four years. The only problem with it was, its WinCE OS limitation on displaying long filenames - this has been sorted in later models. Custom made bits for this were the middle part of the fascia (and trimmed C-class surround) and I also made a mini-USB flash drive, so it can be plugged in directly (don't like cables).

Here is the head unit with my phone on KUDA leather base:

IMG_0510%20resized_zpscrxbxlgd.jpg


I have the centre armrest at the front already, but the base cover trim is missing (The "trunk" cover in effect.....god knows what happened to that in its past)...

Do you know if that can be fitted separately, or will I need to get a complete new arm rest?

Yes, when I sourced my leather armrest it was missing one of the vertical side plastic trims too, and the other was in such a state, I binned it. Bought both side trims from MB, part numbers A168 683 2308 / 2408. Although, these are for the facelift armrest (cup holder in the back) - might be best to ask MB for correct part numbers, based on your VIN.

IMG_1966small_zpsd3f9rxeo.jpg


IMG_1971small_zpscyjmfcn5.jpg

(the USB port in the armrest is not OEM)


Oh, and here's that spare wheel storage box (let me know if you want the part number for this):

IMG_2018small_zpsg926rp1f.jpg


IMG_2019small_zpsulbck4le.jpg



Couple of more items I forgot to add to the long mod list: rear sunblind and under-seat storage (again, let me know if you want part numbers for these):

IMG_2016small_zpst1yyvxal.jpg


IMG_2048_zpsohshj9vc.jpg
 

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