My W123, don't know what to do with her.

brembo26

Keep it or sell it? :-P

I've put it up for sale but i'm in two minds. They seem to be asking nice money if they are restored but I don't know the first thing about restoration. Would the likes of the rusty arches be something a complete novice could take on?

2cv

192,000 miles... she's barely run in so

2cv

btw... rusty arches is not necessarily a problem, only costs a couple of hundred to get fixed properly...

brembo26

Wonder would it be worth it though, if I was to keep it I would like to try and do the bits myself but I dont want to ruin it either :pac:

2cv

brembo26 wrote: »

Wonder would it be worth it though, if I was to keep it I would like to try and do the bits myself but I dont want to ruin it either :pac:

a W123 is ALWAYS worth keeping, no matter what condition it's in... and you're better off spending a little bit of money on it to get the work done right...

brembo26

What's that "paint" called again that stops rust? Don't have a shed for it so its going to be outside a lot and wouldn't like the arches to get any worse.

Capri

Rusty arches - first thing I'd do is a screwdriver inside to scoop out mud - then a garden hose with spray piece to flush out any mud left, that would mean the arches wouldn't be the moisture trap they'd be with he mud in place !

African chap bought a D21 off me the other day, first thing he did was spray WD40 on all the rust patches - might be an idea.

Like the 280E W123, big six in a small body. Another few months and it'll be cheap VinVet tax so I'd keep it and just tip around.

Vinny Byrne http://www.vinnybyrne.com/ would do touch up spray can for you to keep the arches fresh, unscrew the petrol flap and bring with you for paint match. I'd say it's Astralsilber 735 or , less like Silberdistel 883, you might even get it off the shelf in your local motor parts store

Paint Codes For Mercedes Benz
A typical Mercedes Benz paint color code is 3 digits long and contains numbers only. Older codes may have a prefix of DB followed by a three digit number such as DB-723. Check the #1 driver side door jamb, #2 the radiator crossover or support bar, and also in the #3 engine compartment adhered to the underside of the hood. For a list of touch up paint colors for your Mercedes Benz go here: http://www.automotivetouchup.com/choosecolor/year.aspx?make=Mercd Benz.

Hifive

brembo26 wrote: »

What's that "paint" called again that stops rust? Don't have a shed for it so its going to be outside a lot and wouldn't like the arches to get any worse.

This one maybe?
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_188249_langId_-1_categoryId_212430#tab3

I used this on my last car and it seems to work well. Grind out the loose stuff with a drill powered wire brush, then paint this stuff on. when it dries I then paint on a coat of a galvanic paint called Galvafroid, then rattle can primer followed by the top coats.

Stained Class

OP. It depends on your circumstances.

If you're single & like the car, go for it!

If you got family & bills to pay, get rid of it pronto.

Old Mercs are great cars, but if the Metal Weevil gets hold, things can get expensively nasty very quickly.

Especially if your'e dealing with metallic paint. Localised resprays usually show up big time.

Quite simply, the market for classic cars has fallen thru the floor in recent times.

If you want to keep the car & use it, fair enough.

To do it up & sell on for a profit, forget it.

Maybe, put it up cheap & hope for the best.

mattroche

Having seen the close up photos which you sent me, fo which I thank you, I would think the car is past restoration, unless you were prepared to spend at least E2000 + to restore it to a fairly decent standard. There seems to be serious rust issues allround, which I think will be hard to cure, plus the upolstery, sliding roof, exaust, bumpers wheel trims, ect. If you could get another one with a reasonable good body, and use yours as a doner car may be your best option.

brembo26

mattroche wrote: »

Having seen the close up photos which you sent me, fo which I thank you, I would think the car is past restoration, unless you were prepared to spend at least E2000 + to restore it to a fairly decent standard. There seems to be serious rust issues allround, which I think will be hard to cure, plus the exaust, wheel trims, ect. If you could get another one with a reasonable good body, and use yours as a doner car may be your best option.

upholstery, sliding roof, bumpers are all sound, If you seen the car in the flesh you would quickly realise the rust isnt as bad as your saying in fairness

brembo26

brembo26 wrote: »

Wonder would it be worth it though, if I was to keep it I would like to try and do the bits myself but I dont want to ruin it either :pac:

Not worth attempting the arches yourself really tbh unless you're unusually skilled which would be unlikely

brembo26 wrote: »

What's that "paint" called again that stops rust? Don't have a shed for it so its going to be outside a lot and wouldn't like the arches to get any worse.

Clean them as suggested and put Kurust on them, will look fairly crap admittedly.
Try a small bit of arch first.

mattroche

It was an opinion I formed by looking at the enlarged photos. However, if u decide to go ahead with doing it up, look at a company in the U.K. for new panels, which I think would be much better then fillers, ect. There prices are what I would consider quite good. car z 2.co.uk. Ph. No. 00441684565882. The man I got the white limo from had the rear arches done on that, he said they cost around £30 each. I hope may be of help to you. Best of luck anyway, whatever you decide on.

shawnee

Buying the bits for restoration is not really that expensive, however getting someone to put them together and do a decent job is very expensive. At a glance and having already restored one I would agree with Matt's view. Best of Luck in whatever you do:D

allana13

I would Love to buy a 300 Diesel 123 series very rare now ...

mattroche

There is a 1981 300D for sale in Swansea. Its L.H.D. £3995 ( E5000 approx) It is on E Bay.

Kenny Logins

One on Donedeal in Armagh, €4000.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/vintagecars/3492552

One in Cork for €3k (although tax over next few years makes it a more expensive option).

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/vintagecars/3885884

allana13

Thanks Guys saw the One on Flea Bay... Dont really want a LHD....

There is a Estate too which i would always prefer buts for 6K

Its a TD which is better though.... With a Auto i should add

Seweryn

allana13 wrote: »

... Dont really want a LHD....

There is a Estate too which i would always prefer buts for 6K

Its a TD which is better though...

What do you mean by saying a TD is better?
Every single Diesel engined 123-series estate is a TD.

allana13

Seweryn wrote: »

What do you mean by saying a TD is better?
Every single Diesel engined 123-series estate is a TD.

Ah ok... I thought they all were not td's ...

Only some of them came in a TD model

Kenny Logins

T means estate and D means diesel. Are you thinking TD as in Turbo Diesel?

Seweryn

allana13 wrote: »

Ah ok... I thought they all were not td's ...

Only some of them came in a TD model

I still do not know what you mean by "TD". Transporter Diesel is a shape of the bodywork with a Diesel engine, so all Estates are TD or T/TE/TDT models.

w124man

Seweryn wrote: »

I still do not know what you mean by "TD". Transporter Diesel is a shape of the bodywork with a Diesel engine, so all Estates are TD or T/TE/TDT models.

Correct!

I recently had the pleasure of driving a LHD 1982 Turbo Diesel saloon whilst on holiday in France. It really brought home to me how good modern turbo diesels are these days as this thing had a very narrow powerband. Even though it had almost half a million kilometres up it would cruise all day at 120kph and return (Im told) 8lts/100kms or 35 to the gallon. This car also reminded me of why I love Mercedes Benz's

Seweryn

w124man wrote: »

Correct!

I recently had the pleasure of driving a LHD 1982 Turbo Diesel saloon whilst on holiday in France. It really brought home to me how good modern turbo diesels are these days as this thing had a very narrow powerband. Even though it had almost half a million kilometres up it would cruise all day at 120kph and return (Im told) 8lts/100kms or 35 to the gallon. This car also reminded me of why I love Mercedes Benz's

Another thing in comparison to modern Diesels is the simplicity, reliability and service / repair costs. Yes, modern units are more powerful, more refined, more torquey, usually quieter and use less fuel. But when it comes to the overall running cost, the old Diesel still wins, especially if it was made by Mercedes-Benz. These engines are extremely reliable and if anything needs to be done, it won't break the bank.

allana13

Wish it was a 300 Diesel mate

Would have bought it off you

brembo26

allana13 wrote: »

Wish it was a 300 Diesel mate

Would have bought it off you

Ah but the 185bhp 2.8 is much better

Nekyggub

The vin plate situated on top/in front of your radiator will have your colour code. It will be the three digit number on its own, maybe slightly to the right of other numbers with a letter beside it. Eg, 737 G. If the car has been resprayed, left in the open, etc etc then your new paint is not going to match, or unlikely to. As I am mainly concerned with having my 123 looking respectable as opposed to having a show concourse model I made up a mixture of metal paint. In this case I used RUSTOLEIUM, COMBICOLOUR paint. My car is slightly off white,I mixed some COMBICOLOUR White with a drop of COMBICOLOUR cream until I got as near as possible to my white. I used this mixture to hand paint parts of the car which will never be see by the human eye, eg under the bumpers,engine bay, under the hood and so on. Where the paint is seen I will got to my local auto factor with the code and get the proper stuff. A small touch up can and a spray will cost about €30......or I could save € 10000 to have a proper job!

winnie the schtink

id say it's well rotten now 4 years later:)

pmg007

Bring it on the w123 run to Dingle on the 24th and you will change your mind about selling it :cool: It would cost between 350 and 500 to repair the arches depending on how bad they are. There are inner and outer panels. there is always more rust than you expect and with any old car when you start poking around more rust/holes etc will be found.