my take on this... whichever makes YOU (the owner) happy... if you like to slap in aftermarket mags on it.. go for it.. if you'd like to put in cone filters boost gauges, boost controller etc.. and it will make you happy... go for it...

if you like to keep everything stock... including a 55amp alternator.. good for you.. you have the originality of the car preserved...

as for me.. i'd probably be in the middle. put in some nice upgrades.. including a voltmeter, but keep the overall look stock... i've got bundt rims by the way.. thinking of getting a steel rim with MB hubcaps.. ehehe... i might be going out my mind for thinking that..:-p

but it's all in the way my car would keep me happy.. if the mod i make to it makes me smile everytime i see the car. and it makes me drive it other than the OTHER car... well then.. i say its a good change..

IMO.

__________________
Mike

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1975 200 - Sold (no pix);
1978 200 - Sold - http://www.pbase.com/hboy/redbaron
1979 300TD - Sold
http://www.pbase.com/hboy/greenwagon
http://www.geocities.com/hboy726/300TD.html
1985 230E - now my daily driver...

man after my own heart - keep it up dude..!

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

I have in my mind what I want to do to my 240D when I get it. I'm thinking simple but relatively stock. I would like to find a set of 15" 8 holes for it, add on euro headlamps with smoked corners, put a decent stereo in it, and *gasp* add keyless entry using an aftermarket system as well as an aftermarket door lock solenoid attached to the stock lock rods.
~D.J.~

this is probably one of things i'd be doing in the near future with my car.. put in aftermarket electric locks... i just really hate the vacuum locks. Right now they are dead.. I removed the line for now coz it is causing me vacuum issues... without it.. one less thing to worry.. and no vacuum leaks..

__________________
Mike

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1975 200 - Sold (no pix);
1978 200 - Sold - http://www.pbase.com/hboy/redbaron
1979 300TD - Sold
http://www.pbase.com/hboy/greenwagon
http://www.geocities.com/hboy726/300TD.html
1985 230E - now my daily driver...

which is rarely ( got a teenage daughter, and I wouldnt want her to think I am more of a kid then she already does ) I would fancy dropping a small Volvo 4 cylinder Turbo in their with a manual, turbo boost and cam and lo restriction exhaust and hide it nicely..I checked ,the dimensions are fine..then add a few fiberglass fenders, discard the rear seat, spare tire, interior panels...but this is beer dream land...

I am totally for keeping it STOCK and CLASSIC

Actually, I want to keep the vacuum locks. Just 1 acutator needs to be installed to push the driver's door lock open, which will in turn unlock the other doors.
~D.J.~

I plan on keeping my wagon until it dies, so I did some fairly extensive modding (though nothing that really sticks out in a bad way).

Basic stuff:

• Clear corner lights.
• 7" Cibie hi/lo headlights to replace the stock headlights.
• 5.25" Cibie hi/lo headlights to replace the fogs (activated by the fog switch) for extra light when I need it.
• New stereo head unit with wireless steering-wheel-mounted controls.
• Installed Wayfinder brand electric compass/altimeter/outdoor temp sensor (the latter is the most fun/useful).
• Leather steering wheel cover (okay, so this doesn't really count as a mod).
• Brighter bulbs in instrument cluster, dome lights, and reverse lights.
• Dash cover.
• Replaced my old-style black plastic center panel and chrome window buttons with newer wood center panel and black plastic window buttons.
• Installed six cupholders (one on each door, two on the sides of the cargo area for the 3rd row seat passengers).
• Fire extinguisher mounted to spare wheel well.
• 6% window tinting all around (except driver and front passenger windows).
• Leather-wrapped "oh ***** handles" (what are these actually called? ).

Other stuff:

• Installed slightly larger (5.25") speakers in the front, requiring some cutting of the dash (but looks great). Installed 6x9 speakers in the cargo area (they by necessity protrude a bit, unfortunately).
• Installed a layer or two or three (in places) of dynamat-style stuff all over the interior of the car under the carpeting (had to replace the carpet anyway). Reduced noise levels a bit, probably not worth the trouble though.
• Removed EGR.
• Radically simplified engine vacuum system by removing all EGR-related crap.
• Replaced mechanical engine fan with electric. Quieter, more efficient!
• Replaced vacuum locks with electric, plus keyless entry system.
• Intake mod (mostly to get rid of that damn air cleaner setup).
• Boost and EGT gauges in center vents.
• Voltmeter and two 12v sockets in place of the ashtray.
• Added two 12v electric sockets to the rear cargo area.
• One 12v socket underneath front passenger footwell area wired with 10 gauge wire for my 400 watt 120v power inverter (great for powering everyone's laptops on road trips!).
• New airplane-style interior lights: two for the front row seats, two for the middle row, two for the third row/cargo area, all capable of turning on via door switches (as well as a permanent on switch).
• Four small new lights in the hatch door itself - these shine directly downward when the hatch is open, illuminating the cargo area (helped by the two rearmost airplane lights) and the surrounding area of the car (like my shopping cart when I'm loading at night).
• Installed a light on the interior of all four doors that turns on when the door is opened (like newer cars have, so you can see my open doors at night).
• Installed new aftermarket cruise control wired to the original control stick - perfect cruise!
• Replaced 55A alternator with 115A one (a must with my juice-sucking mods - 2 pairs of headlights, electric fan, powerful stereo, cruise control, interior lights, 120v inverter, etc.)
• New, nicely set up fuse box and relays for the above electrical applications.
• New parallel flow condenser for the AC system.

I've probably forgotten a few things, but that's most of it . Here are some pictures...

Attached Thumbnails

         

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'81 300TD Wagon 355k (Miss Diesel)
'83 300SD 180k
'84 500SEL 190k (Parting it out)

MB made a great car and I really want to keep mine for a long time. I like its classic look and don't really plan to alter that but one thing I will do before long is replace the seats. No, I'm not going to fix them, I'm going to replace them with something else. 2 of my friends have Volvo wagons, and those seats are 10 times as nice as my crappy MB seats that hurt my back. I'll take orthopedically adjustable, comfortable, heated leather seats from a Volvo or Saab or similar. If anyone has any specific ideas, I'm all ears. But I will NOT drive this great car with those crappy seats for much longer!

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

I hate the seats too (all my other mods made my last road trip great, but my right leg and my back hated every minute after the first six hours...). If you or anyone else gets any good ideas please share!

I love the seats in my friend's 95 Toyota Avalon...

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'81 300TD Wagon 355k (Miss Diesel)
'83 300SD 180k
'84 500SEL 190k (Parting it out)

I liked the seats in the 89 Volvo for a few reasons. 1) Being 15 years old they should be cheap if I can only find a pair in really good shape. 2) They have a wide plain panel all the way around that makes it look a bit like the MB already. 3) The heaters in the seats are really nice 4) the lumbar adjustment is in just the right place for me (I'm 5', 10") Still, I need to look at several options and am inclined to get something newer because I want it in good condition

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

Despite Phideaux' contention that "...the W123 is not a perfect car" I'd beg to disagree. These were the last automobiles where the engineers were in charge, MB was at the apogee of certain developments of technology, and the products were "...built to a standard, not to a price point."

Everything in a W123 is there for a REASON. When we start changing bits and pieces, rarely can we think through to what the effects might be on the car five or ten years in the future...or how easy it will be to "undo" a modification, or other consequences (guys I know with souped-up VW beetles soon find out that they have to have brakes to go with the "big" engines). Having dealt with a number of old cars, a major puzzle is often what kind of repair an unknown "shade tree mechanic" made maybe decades before, and how to correct the problem (in trying to get an aftermarket AC to work in an early '50s Packard, the problem was that one pully that LOOKED stock had been replaced with something off a contemporary Buick).

The W123 came off the drawing board as a whole unit that...worked. They've lasted so long because there are so few weak spots of any consequence. No matter what changes we make in good faith, they might in the long (or medium) run turn out to not be such good ideas, and be hard or impossible to reverse.

Our W123s are definitely classics, but due to the large numbers of them made, probably won't ever be considered collector cars. Having said that, I think that the decision on whether or not you should do modifications to your car is very much a personal choice. There are obvious shortcomings that can be corrected with judicious modifications that will make the car easier to maintain or a better ride. On the other hand, you can go overboard with wild modifications that satisfy some inner need, but that ruin the car in other folks' eyes. In either case you can be affecting the resale value of the car, but considering the low present value, the inmpact may not be that great.

Cheers,
Wes

and my '85 300TD (only 338,000 miles and fueled with WVO blend) is in the process of conversion to 15 X 7 AMG rims just so that I can upgrade the tires, since it's getting hard to find real handling rubber in 14". If I could afford to play games with power mods and conversion to a manual transmission, I'd do that, too. Now if I had a '57 Ferrari Pininfarina Cabriolet, I'd PROBABLY leave that all original, but let's face it, there are herds of these W123 cars still on the road -- they'll never have value except as great transportation. Remember what Aristotle said: "The being of the ax is in the cutting," meaning that things which aren't performing their function aren't worth much beyond the value of the raw materials -- I believe that once, many years ago, Ferry Porsche quoted this to an interviewer regarding museum cars which can't be driven.

It's your car, do whatever you want with it. If you want to keep it stock, fine, if not mod it. I have a friend that has a 1957 olds 2-door post with the 372 j-2 engine. It came with an auto, very rare. He chopped it, souped up the engine, put a 4-speed in it and it's one bad ass hot rod. The people at the olds club almost had a heart attack when they saw it. It's beautiful now and just as he wants it, because it's his car. Do to your car what makes you happy, if it's not fast enough for you and you can make it faster and are willing to sacrifice some reliability go for it, if not don't condem others because they chose a different method of car ownership. This isn't a collectivist society of car owners, no one can tell you what you can or can't do to your car (unless it's like putting a quad 50 anti aircraft turret on the top) Good luck to everyone with whatever they decide to do.
-Nate

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'82 240D, 4-speed, 617 turbo engine

I've thought of putting these Rims (http://www.adsitco.com/catalog/productdetail.asp?ID=7742) on my car and keeping my bundts (they need refinnishing), but have a hard time picturing what they'd look like on my 300CD. Other than that, it's all stock except for an pioneer radio.

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85 300CD
83 300TD
78 240D (daughter)