Ok folks I am lowering my 86 420 SEL as part of a big project and I need good advice on...
1: How to adjust the camber
2: What shocks to use
3: Tips on removing rear coils
4: any suspension issues that could happen

I am also moving to 18 inch rims and installing a AMG body kit. Oh advice on Rims and the AMG body kit are welcome to

If you don't go too far on the lowering you probably will not need to adjust the camber. I would caution not to lower more than an inch.

With 18" rims it will ride like a logwagon.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

1. The camber is adjusted at the lower control arm eccentric.
2. Use Bisteins
3. Use a proper sprint compressor, see the tool loan pgm in the DIY section.
4. Lowering will cause major tracking issues. The zero in zero offset will be compromized.

5. Forget lowering, use the 18" rims and tires. Use the AMG monoblock style.

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Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

I am starting to think you are right... it's not like this car is high off the ground. In a parking lot they sit lower then a Honda

removing rear coil tip (depending on how high you get the car up I happened to be using a lift)
I did this on my 560sec, unbolt the calipers and the differential mount (I think they were 4 bolts) and the whole rear subframe pivots down, support diff with a jack and lower slowly this gives you enough to where the springs come out without spring compressors. Just make sure U disconect all sensors so U dont pull a wire etc..
If your on jack stands I'm not sure if you can get the car high enough. thats my 2c

Lower the car. It makes it handle MUCH better and looks better as well.

1. The front camber should be able to be adjusted back to factory specifications with the adjusting bolt already there. There is no rear adjustment but I haven't seen any objectionable tire wear on my 560SEC or 560SEL after over five years of use.
2. Bilstein Comfort (stock)
3. Use the correct (internal) spring compressor
4. Done carefully, this is a fairly simple job. Once you've had MB do a front wheel alignment, you will have no tracking problems.

I've lowered seven SECs and my SEL. All drove much better afterwards!

I have 18" rims on my SEC and the SEL. The installation of "H" rated tires kept the ride acceptable. Had I put "Z" rated tires on there, with their stiffer sidewall, it would not have been a decent ride.

That said, once I get the LS6 engine into the SEC, I'll put on Z-rated tires to handle the speed and improve the handling some more. It will be a very firm ride, probably harsh at that point, but necessary.

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
FrankenBenz: '87 560SEC with an '02 cammed LS6 and custom 4L60E.
Bling: '87 560SEC, ported/polished, lowered
Lisa: '87 560SEL, lowered

So I am under the impression that tires will wear quick at the rear? What is the ET on our rims? I guess it's 20 or 25? what rims have you used and can you post a pict? Do the comfort shocks do the job? or should I get those Koni red shocks?

Nope, the rear's don't seem to wear any faster than the fronts (depending on your right foot's attraction to the accelerator pedal).

ET should be around 23-25mm. I've adjusted mine with spacers. On a stock 560, spacers with long wheel bolts work just fine. Your 420 will be fine, just make sure to use hubcentric spacers. H&R makes some good ones.

Comfort shocks will do just fine. The heavy duty shocks make these cars too stiff.

I'm using some VM6 18" rims. With an offset of 38 mm, I used 15mm spacers to push the wheels back out.

http://www.autoall.com/mbenz-wheel-vm6.htm

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__________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
FrankenBenz: '87 560SEC with an '02 cammed LS6 and custom 4L60E.
Bling: '87 560SEC, ported/polished, lowered
Lisa: '87 560SEL, lowered

Thanks this is strait up info that I can use. I love the rims. Vegas was cool... err I should say hot. Death Valley with no AC in the summer was nuts but the 420 SEL kept on going. Here is a pic of my car and the girlfriend at the Hooters hotel.

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There's a car in the pictures?? OK, now I'm upset that you didn't let us know your itinerary so we could set up a Vegas meet. :-)

__________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
FrankenBenz: '87 560SEC with an '02 cammed LS6 and custom 4L60E.
Bling: '87 560SEC, ported/polished, lowered
Lisa: '87 560SEL, lowered

Ya getting around Vegas downtown can be a pain, to have a local show me around would have been sweet. I will drive there again and party it up. She is a cute gal eh. I got her to pose like that as we were leaving.

I wouldn't use comfort shocks, the damping will be all wrong with the lowering springs. The car will ride bouncier and the shocks won't last as long as HD's.

Hell Sports would be the best bet.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Nope, I disagree. I've had Comforts on the SEC for maybe five years now with the H&Rs and they're great. I took the SEC out on Laguna Seca Race Track with this setup and verified that
1. this setup (comfort shocks, H&Rs, 245/40/hr/18 tires) works really great on the track, and on the street.
2. MB is right about changing brake fluid at annual intervals (2yr old fluid will be toast in under four laps, to be discovered at the end of the front straight while aimed at the hairpin)
3. This car needs a better driver than me to achieve full potential on a track! Thankfully there is no video of my lurid slides out of turn 11 onto the front straight - blew that corner every time in the SEC.

This shock discussion has been held many times at MBCoupes.com and the concensus of the group is that Sport (heavy duty) shocks are noticeably too stiff for the street but will work fine on a track. The second consensus is that KYB shocks are terrible, KYB stands for "Keep Your Bilsteins".

__________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
FrankenBenz: '87 560SEC with an '02 cammed LS6 and custom 4L60E.
Bling: '87 560SEC, ported/polished, lowered
Lisa: '87 560SEL, lowered

Well I never even thought about changing my brake fluid, I should because I just put drilled rotors on this summer and the car stops like a son of a ***** (that's a good thing). I bought Zimmer Rotors and I spent hours cleaning callipers and putting anti seize on everything. To make a long story short I did a brake job in Calgary Alberta on the way to Yellowstone and I noticed that as I stopped at high speeds that the brakes didn't fade, in-fact they bit even better!! Well I didn't want to push it with a car FULL of luggage and the GF sitting next to me.
So there I was in Yellowstone leaving at midnight and as another car passed me I dipped my headlights, right after he passed I put the high beams back up and there were 3 Elk maybe 25 yards in front of the car!!! I hit the brakes so hard that I could feel the blood go to the front of my face, with my hand glues to the Klaxon style horn I just installed on a drunken bet I looked up to find that my grill was 1 inch from the Elk.
There is no way I will every buy any other brakes again. But yes I think the brake deserve new fluid after tackling 3 weeks of insane driving in the Rockies... I passed Lexus like there was no tomorrow in those mountains. I don't car how "advanced" they say their cars are, when I was cruising down those mountain roads they were racing.

THAT's what these cars do great!!

Brake fluid in these cars seem to pick up either contaminants or water very easily. Fluid a couple of years old has enough crap in it that it boils much easier than it is supposed to do, which is the problem. Four or five big stops are fine in any car with any brake fluid but it's the longer duration (many laps or a long descent) runs that will cook old fluid.

__________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
FrankenBenz: '87 560SEC with an '02 cammed LS6 and custom 4L60E.
Bling: '87 560SEC, ported/polished, lowered
Lisa: '87 560SEL, lowered