Stiff as in going over bumps, or stiff as in reducing body roll when cornering? Body roll is controlled by the Anti-roll bar (ARB) or sway bar, and that is a real pain to change on the front of a 123 car but is possible. Stiffer ARB are available, I think the wagons and the limousines had stiffer bars.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

Mr. Dillon, I mean stiff in that you feel the road and it's not mushy like an old American cruiser. I like to feel the road and I like the shocks/suspension to eat up the bumps and dips the way the designers intended. My front end is scary high, wobbly, and noisy. I will look at the shocks and see if there is a part number on them. I bought them (Bilstein HD's) from Shock Warehouse and I've never had a problem with that outfit before in terms of shipping the wrong part. They looked right coming out of the box but something is definitely wrong. I do need to replace the upper control arms and probably the lower control arm bushings but even so, it seems like the noise is excessive. Should I try different shocks?

Thanks,

__________________
Will



72 280SEL
85 300CD 288k
00 E320 Wagon 4-matic 100k
11 E350 Wagon 4-matic 45k

73 VW Westfalia Camper
67 VW Westfalia Camper

66 Porsche 912

AMEN !

__________________
1980 240d ,

chain elongation, cam marks reference:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/10414-help-i-need-check-stretch.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/305365-9-degrees-chain-stretch.html

evap fin cleaning:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/156207-photo-step-step-post-showing-w123-evaporator-removal-1983-240d-1982-300td.html?highlight=evaporator

A/C thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/297462-c-recommendations-mb-vehicles.html

Will,

In your case, I'd fix what you know to be wrong (replace upper control arms / bushings / etc) and use OE parts from Mercedes. Get an alignment from a shop that knows how to align your car (hint: MB service manual calls for a spreader bar to push out on the front edges of the tires to simulate the force of driving down the road, shop needs to use the bar or have a tech that knows a technique to compensate for not using the bar). Check your tires to make sure they are the proper rating for your car. Go with a higher speed rating (stiffer side walls) for a more responsive feel. Inflate the tires above the recommended pressure, play around with the pressures until you like the feel.

I'd ditch the HD shocks and get Comforts. If your springs are wrong, fix that too. Go with the factory specification for your car.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

Great advice, all of the above. Thank you very much.

__________________
Will



72 280SEL
85 300CD 288k
00 E320 Wagon 4-matic 100k
11 E350 Wagon 4-matic 45k

73 VW Westfalia Camper
67 VW Westfalia Camper

66 Porsche 912

A good thread .

I've had five W123's and still run three daily .

All have stock suspensions and Bilstein HD shocks, also from The Shock Warehouse .

Only my Coupe's strut rod bushings ever creak and I drive all three cars harder than most ever will, over Los Angeles' crappy pot holes roads and freeways plus road rallies and cross country jaunts .

The clunking noise is the only thing here bothersome .

Lemforder isn't the manufacturer of the last motor mounts I got from the M-B Classic Center .

I'd go back to the NA rated springs before doing anything else .

Many here are only interesting in how cool they look instead of actual ride quality, arm chair quarterbacking doesn't begin to compete with decades of experience engineering firm riding, good road holding cars like Mercedes .

To each their own but reading the original posters thoughts, it's clear he wants the stock shocks back in .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Disclaimer: I am not a total W123 purist. As much as I appreciate the beauty and engineering of these cars - I am also open to customizing things to my personal taste. Everyone is welcome to disagree with my personal taste.

If anyone is still interested, I finally managed to cut off some coils to drop the ride height. It is currently sitting slightly lower than stock - which I actually prefer.

Impressions:

Looks better to me

Changing direction is about the same as before

Steering feel has improved

Not as floaty on the highway - which makes for reassuring handling.

Takes bumps significantly better

I suspect the last one is happening because the shocks are now no longer at their most extended state (like they were when the car was taller). I can actually feel the shocks doing what they are supposed to do. To be honest, this is the first time I am truly experiencing what nice Bilsteins are supposed to feel like and they are great.

The drop has somehow returned some balance to the car. I really like it.

Anyway, thought I would share a photo with anyone that cares. I apologize for taking so long to do this. Replacing the springs was a huge pain and didnt want to rush into doing that work again.

Attached Thumbnails

 

Aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder. In my opinion your car looks slightly too low in the front, but it's a lot better than in your first pic where it was definitely way too high. Glad to hear your good ride quality has returned.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

I like that Oriental Red, my first two 300CD's were that same color .

I too live in and around Los Angles and wonder how you manage to not need to replace the engine's oil pans ~ I've changed so many out I can almost do it in my sleep, they get not only dents but scraped thin just in front of the drain plug and begin to drip slowly .

I'd think I'd ruin an oil pan in a matter of hours was my car this low .

Looks very sharp .

Remember : you're paying the bills so however you like it, is correct .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Thanks VWNATE1.

I have somehow managed to escape the oil pan destruction. Before I put the taller springs on, I didnt really have a scraping issue. During the tall spring days, it definitely didnt scrape as the ride height was pretty high.

So far, I havent scraped anything but I might have subconsciously adapted my driving style to Los Angeles, having see and heard way too many horrendous scrapes. Its only been a couple of days though. I will report back if I start leaving engine bits behind me.

It's vaguely possible that I drive a tad too fast in my Diesel Sports Coupe.... .

So far I've managed to not crash it and few keep up with me anywhere .

I blame it on oil pan pixies who come late at night after I'd abed and attack my poor old Coupe .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better