Under-sealing our 1984 Mercedes

The final task ahead of it’s return is to under seal the car for extra protection on the Suffolk roads.

Investigating the camber issues

With reports of uneven tyre wear to the offside front we were asked to investigate to see whether we could establish and rectify the issue. The camber had already been adjusted and it had been looked at by a number of other garages who were unsuccessful in diagnosing the problems.

Our Tommy has been trained in this kind of issue so he was quick to jump on to see whether he was able to find the problem.

With all of the adjustments reset he already had a good idea of what it may be. Whilst underneath he saw a bush that was not looking as healthy as it should but he needed to investigate further before making any decision.

After the adjustments had been made John took her on a test drive to see what movement, if any, would occur.

As expected, the bushes that Tommy found previously had not operated as they should and the adjustments that had been made previously were already way out. So it was time to remove the affected parts.

After a new set (both sides) of suspension arm bushes had been fitted the issue looked to be resolved.

Detailing the engine of our Mercedes

After the full respray our 1984 Mercedes W123 300TD engine bay was in desperate need of a good clean to freshen up the look. Previously, someone had been a little happy with the WD40 over the engine which is not ideal when you want to inspect the engine. With it now cleaned and detailed it will be much easier for it to remain clean. Cleaning an engine is never an enjoyable task but little and often is certainly the most effective way of keeping it clean.

A complete transformation…

Back in our Ipswich workshops

Our 1984 Mercedes W123 300TD has returned to our Ipswich workshops from the paint shop. With the offside front arch now fully repaired, the trims can once again be fitted to the car to help finish off the exterior.

The new screen and rubber have been installed so all that is left to do in this phase is to detail the engine.

We have Paul from Paul Johnson Mobile Valeting coming in on Monday to carry out the task as well as detailing our 1924 Riley too.

Phase 2 of the restoration will be carried out in January 2018 which will see us working on the interior areas of the vehicle.

…we are saving the straightening of the badge til last thing! haha

Mercedes W123 300TD Respray

The respray is now complete on our 1984 Mercedes W123. With a few more components to work on our next job will be to finish off the refit before carrying out a full polish and thorough clean.

This is a stage restoration project, agreed with the customer. Stage 1 was to repair the bodywork, carry out the full respray and refurbish the wheels. Once we have the sign off we can then arrange the schedule for Stage 2.

First coat of paint now applied to the car

The car is now fully primed and the first coat of paint has been applied all round.

Refurbishing the Mercedes Mexican Tophat Wheels

As part of the restoration of our 1984 Mercedes W123 300TD, we have two full sets of Mercedes Mexican Tophat alloy wheels to refurbish.

A very desirable wheel indeed.

It wasn’t until we removed the set from the vehicle that we realised the car was actually fitted with odd wheels. It was sitting on three 6 inch wheels and one 6.5 inch wheel. This was most strange until we pulled out the second set of wheels to refurbish to find three 6.5 inch wheels and one 6 inch wheel.

Very difficult to see on the image above the the wheel closest to us is slightly lower than the rest.

Either way, the wheel refurbishment is now completed, 2 full sets and a spare all ready and looking amazing.

Our 1984 Mercedes Touring Diesel Turbo in primer.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We are now into the priming stages of our 1984 Mercedes W123 300 TD.

The front arches have been temporarily fitted up and all lines have been checked to ensure a neat fit and finish.

They have now been removed and primed separately along with the bonnet.

Trevor will be concentrating this morning on correcting the damage to the front quarter. We believe the vehicle was involved in an accident early in it’s life whilst in California.

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Preparing the Mercedes W123 bodywork.

We are now busy preparing the bodywork on our 1984 Mercedes W123 300 TD. As the car spent many years in the states the hot climate has been a huge help keeping the underneath in fantastic condition.

The damage to the arch is now being rectified and the existing paint is now being flattened ready for primer.

Mercedes 300TD the stripping continues…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]More pictures from today as we continue to remove the external components of our 1984 Mercedes 300TD estate.

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Mercedes 300TD starts to be stripped

We’ve started to strip our 1984 Mercedes 300TD today. The front end is our main concern so this is the first sections to be removed, that way we can fully assess the damage that will need to be addressed to the offside front caused by an accident on the Californian roads.

Mercedes 300TD – Phase 1 begins

Work is now underway on our 1984 Mercedes 300TD. We first looked at the car back in October 2016 in a view to carrying out a sympathetic restoration. To freshen up the paintwork, improve the overall appearance and protect the exposed areas for many more miles and years to come.

As we reported back in October, the car is a US import, having spent the majority of it’s life in California. Whilst over in the states damage had occurred to the offside front which resulted in the wheel alignment not being right.

Our first job is to investigate the issues and to correct anything that needs rectifying. Once we are happy with this we’ll be able to concentrate on the rest of the bodywork and get her prepared ready for paint.

Here we have the very first pictures of the car arriving with us ready for the work to commence:

As part of phase 1. the Mexican TopHat wheels will also be fully refurbished; stripped back and powder coated.

The chrome work is in very good condition still.

Our objectives are to restore her to a standard that does not lose the character of the car. This vehicle has bags of personality and we want this to remain. Replacing all of the chrome with new, losing everything that shows off the age would be too much.

Once the body has been prepared and painted we will once again assess the finer detail; the chrome work, the plastics etc. A final decision will then be made as to whether to refit, replace or repair.

…The front grille will be replaced with new.

A UK restoration for a US Mercedes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today, we welcomed a 1984 Mercedes 300TD in to the Bridge Classic Cars workshops. The purchase of the call was to assess the car as a potential winter restoration.

The car has spent the majority of it’s life over in California where, at some stage, sustained damage to the front offside which had affected the wheel alignment. It appears that the repair work, carried out over in the US may not have been to accepting standards so this will need to be addressed and corrected as a priority.

Once we are satisfied that the work is corrected our Mercedes 300 TD will then receive a full respray. The Mexican TopHat wheels will also be refurbished, the underside will be protected and the interior trim will be perfected in places. There are also a number of slight mechanical issues that will need to be addressed too.

The owner of the 1984 Mercedes 300TD uses her everyday on our Suffolk coastal roads so this project will be broken down into stages so that there aren’t too many long period’s of time that the car will be off the road.

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