Hello forum,

I'm in a serious dilemma right now. I'm getting my 1985 300TD ready for body prep and paint work, but I'm having a hell of a time finding a reputable shop in the Sacramento area that is willing to do the job and do it well. Main line body shops wont do restoration work and restoration shops wont do anything German. Its been frustrating to say the least!

The body shell is completely stripped down to sheet metal only and on a rolling caster cart. It has all new hinges for the hood, doors, and tailgate, a new tailgate, new rear doors, new hood, and used front fenders and front doors that need to be blasted and primered. There is a small amount of rust repair that would be necessary at the bottom of the left and right rear fixed windows (between C & D pillars).

The last hitch I have is I really would like to get it painted this summer so I can spend all winter and spring putting it back together. I am a tech at Mercedes-Benz of El Dorado Hills and I've already tried the body shops that we deal with, but they won't take on the job. I'm also not looking for a cheapo low priced paint job either. I'm willing to spend some money to get this done once and done right! The body shell is currently painted in classic white (737), which is what I plan on keeping it.

If I could PLEASE get some help on this with what I should do! I don't do body work or any prep or paint. I want to find a shop that will. And if I need to, I have NO PROBLEM putting it on a tailer and taking a road trip down to the classic center (assuming they would even have an open paintbooth this summer).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

This is a bit of a slow forum so please be patient with us! If I were you - and you really don't want to try and do it yourself - then I would start PMing people near to you who might know someone who knows someone else...

Charmalu and dieselkraut23 spring to mind but there must be others.

Good luck - and post some before and after photographs if you can.

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

joshuajeeper have you looked around at any small town shops. I think the reason you are having trouble getting the job done is that the people your are talking to all have plenty of work. When and if you are out and about, check some of them out. You might find just what you are looking for

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

I feel your pain, I really do. It's so bad up here that no one wants to even do mechanical on the older cars. Forget bodywork, you have to beg to get a piece of rust fixed.

However, if you tried shops that deal with the dealer, you were shopping on Rodeo Drive for used shoes

The small-town suggestion is very good but (at least around here) the greed in the auto body sector has gone rural too. You may find many of them are addicted to insurance work only, as well (or you may have to drive further afield than you imagine).

You could also take a drive into the diry industrial-park section of town and look for nondescript shops off the beaten path. Some of them will for sure just be the low-flyers who do zip-up jobs for low-end car dealers, but from time to time you hit some old timer who's been hidden away there for 30 years or whatever and survives on word of mouth.

Have you asked the actual bodyshop techs at your shop for recommendations?

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22