The time has come to give this old 190 a reboot. It's old, tired, and in great need of some TLC and major surgery. I've got a long list ahead of me, for what I'm sure will be a year long project. Luckily I'm starting with a rust free New Mexico chassis with straight bodywork, there's only one dent in the rear quarter that will pop out nicely.
This is not going to be a crazy performance build. I'm setting out to build an ideal daily driver, with a upgrades, and a personal cosmetic touch.
To do:
Engine:
- Source a replacement M102. I'm going to be looking for a later model, with higher compression and a duplex chain.
- Get the CIS working well. The car runs and drives okay. Has some cold start hiccups and the idle isn't perfect.
- Rebuild the head for good measure.
- Take care of all those little things in the engine bay that should have been done a long time ago (water pump, dizzy cap, spark plug wires, etc).
- Fix the exhaust.
Suspension/Brakes/Stuff under the car:
- New shocks/struts.
- New springs. Riding on the PO's Eibach lowering springs right now, not really working out.
- Bushings, bushings, bushings.
- Fix broken sway bar mount.
- Upgrade to 4 pot calipers or rebuild current calipers.
- Replace brake booster.
- Brake lines.
- Tie rod ends.
- Wheel bearings.
- Find some steel wheels and new(er) tires.
Cosmetic/Comfort:
- Paint bumpers and trim.
- New front lip and skid pan.
- Paint engine bay.
- Refresh interior.
- Delete the spoiler, probably will just source another deck lid.
- Do something about the awful paint.
- Swap in composite headlights and add fog lights.
- Get the heater working correctly.
- Find a steering wheel that doesn't touch one's knees.
- Install sunroof motor, this one was missing when we got the car.