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  #1  
Old 03-12-2012, 01:52 PM
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Little off topic...Inside Mercedes-Benz’s American Dream Factory

I ran across this on Wired today and thought others might be interested.

Inside Mercedes-Benz’s American Dream Factory
Inside Mercedes-Benz's American Dream Factory | Autopia | Wired.com

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  #2  
Old 03-12-2012, 02:03 PM
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many of us have dreamed of our own old diesels visiting that place.
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Old 03-12-2012, 02:18 PM
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Thanks for the link. I'd love to visit the Classic Center.

Notice the 123 in the cover photo for the article. Bottom row on the left. Though it's only the front left corner. Still good to see it sitting next to a Gullwing.
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Old 03-12-2012, 05:13 PM
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Amazing that they will make the parts if the parts are not available. Most restoration shops would not do that. Wow I would love to work there.
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Old 03-12-2012, 05:31 PM
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Originally Posted by w123fanman View Post
Amazing that they will make the parts if the parts are not available. Most restoration shops would not do that. Wow I would love to work there.
There is a video interview with Jay Leno talking about his Gullwing SL project, he needed rotors for it, and had MB make some for him. They can get or make just about any part, but it's gonna cost an arm, a leg, and your left nut.
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  #6  
Old 03-12-2012, 10:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Biodiesel300TD View Post
There is a video interview with Jay Leno talking about his Gullwing SL project, he needed rotors for it, and had MB make some for him. They can get or make just about any part, but it's gonna cost an arm, a leg, and your left nut.
Yea that's what I figured as to why few repair shops fabricate their own parts. I wonder how much they would charge to fabricate an entire car minus the parts that are readily available.
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Old 03-12-2012, 10:31 PM
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Originally Posted by w123fanman View Post
Yea that's what I figured as to why few repair shops fabricate their own parts. I wonder how much they would charge to fabricate an entire car minus the parts that are readily available.
Fabrication is all about quantity... quantity of one is at the top of the list in $$ / part.

I find that custom parts are 1-2 magnitudes more expensive than a comparable off-the-shelf part.
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Old 03-12-2012, 11:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Biodiesel300TD View Post
Thanks for the link. I'd love to visit the Classic Center.

Notice the 123 in the cover photo for the article. Bottom row on the left. Though it's only the front left corner. Still good to see it sitting next to a Gullwing.
I'Ve sat in that w123....iirc it was a factory demo with twenty or thirty thousand miles. Gen 1. It's neat to see, feel, and smell how ” new” it is..
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Old 03-12-2012, 11:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Crazy_Nate View Post
Fabrication is all about quantity... quantity of one is at the top of the list in $$ / part.

I find that custom parts are 1-2 magnitudes more expensive than a comparable off-the-shelf part.
Well most people that own a car that is so rare that parts are hard to find and they want their car to be restored, don't have to worry about the cost. Well excluding the owners the few really crappy early Korean cars that came over to the US.
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Old 03-12-2012, 11:25 PM
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Originally Posted by w123fanman View Post
Yea that's what I figured as to why few repair shops fabricate their own parts. I wonder how much they would charge to fabricate an entire car minus the parts that are readily available.
Who knows if they would agree to do it, it might violate laws because they'd be making a "new" produced example of an old car. Not sure how that works.

Also, the giant equipment (presses, stamps, etc) needed to make the large structure of the car are no longer in service, not sure how they would pull that off the same by hand.


Amazing place, amazing pictures. I want to visit....badly.
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  #11  
Old 03-13-2012, 12:01 AM
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Thumbs up cool!

excellent post, thanks so much for the link. I'd no idea that place even existed!
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  #12  
Old 03-13-2012, 12:03 AM
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They won't make a w123 dash panel....
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  #13  
Old 03-13-2012, 12:05 AM
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Who knows if they would agree to do it, it might violate laws because they'd be making a "new" produced example of an old car. Not sure how that works.

Also, the giant equipment (presses, stamps, etc) needed to make the large structure of the car are no longer in service, not sure how they would pull that off the same by hand.


Amazing place, amazing pictures. I want to visit....badly.
I would think as long as Mercedes gives them permission, they would be allowed to do it without violating any copyright laws, although they might be violating many safety laws. As for the equipment, I have heard there are now machines that can take the a 3D computer image and stamp the metal into that shape. Anyway what I would find the coolest would to be able to have like a W189 shell on a more modern chassis. Now I'm sure that would be extremely expensive.
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  #14  
Old 03-13-2012, 12:19 AM
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The place is awesome! I was there when they had two 116's in the showroom. One was a 300SD, the other a 6.9. I am not sure which one had the least amount of miles, but one had less than 2,000 ORIGINAL miles.
It even had the original German air in the tires!
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  #15  
Old 03-13-2012, 01:32 AM
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The place is awesome! I was there when they had two 116's in the showroom. One was a 300SD, the other a 6.9. I am not sure which one had the least amount of miles, but one had less than 2,000 ORIGINAL miles.
It even had the original German air in the tires!
Do you think you could get them to inflate your tires with exported German air?

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