W124 300D with extensive E500 added spec.

[Newera]

Recently had some problems with the boost control on my W124 300D Turbo (3 liter - 6 cylinder), which was traced to nothing more than a dirty microswitch for the switchover valve earlier this evening. Some generous squirting of brake cleaner sorted it!

As an acknowledgement of the help I found on this forum (after extensive searching!) I thought I'd put up some pics of my 300D Turbo here.



Have had the car for 4 years and as our family workhorse it's done over 100,000km in it over this time.

It started out as a near standard car with 165,000km. Having been supplied new in Japan, it was completely rust free, but mechanically & cosmetically neglected. It didn't even start (glow plugs were completely shot!) but I knew it was a good base to start from.





Shortly after getting it, I fitted E500 brakes and master cylinder + Bilstein B6 shocks and H&R springs with an E500 rear stabilizer & convertible front...



Didn't like the wheels much, so I begun to go down the slippery slope of modifications to E500 spec.



Also stripped off the lower plastics to repaint them. Soon - it looked better.





Then I begun patiently collecting parts for further modifications:

[Newera]

This was the last picture I took before the car went to the bodyshop...

The right front fender was cut out and the intake vent from a new donor 300D fender carefully welded in and smoothed before painting and fitting.







Also fitted new E500 inner fenders, carefully modified and trimmed to clear the 300D's oil cooler on the left side too.




Used E500 headlights went in, although these would be replaced later with new Hella items, as I found out the plastics inside & reflectors were damaged from age.

E500 side skirts were also sourced used, along with lower plastic trims for each of the E500 front fenders before painting and fitting. I'd also found some original AMG rear fender trims.

This is how it looked when finished.









Not entirely happy with how the rear fenders look, but I now have a set of replica E500 arches to fit on the rear, so sometime - it'll go back under the knife and have these put on, with 20mm spacers to bring the rear wheels out a little more.

One final modification I did was to fit a retractable front number plate mechanism. This is a simple spring-loaded hinged assembly that allows the plate to fold to horizontal (& upside down) at over 60km/h. Can also be locked into the vertical position, although I never bother!

[euroamg]

Nice updates i remember your project on another board. :-) I need a set of those headlights..

[Newera]

Originally Posted by euroamg

Nice updates i remember your project on another board. :-) I need a set of those headlights..

..The best things should be shared.

I'm about to fit some new Depo headlights to a wide bodied W124 E320. Guessing they'll be OK; quite a lot cheaper than Hella originals.Will be interesting to see.

Got another absolutely mint condition 300D Turbo I'm working on too. Tempted to keep it as a spare car, but it would just sit idle, so I'll probably put it up for sale sometime.

[Newera]

The interior has been extensively replaced, mostly with used parts collected over time.
These include:

E500 original Recaro electrically adjustable front seats with original seat heater relay, harness & switches.





E500 Limited - black Birdseye wood for dashboard and door trims.



E500 Limited shift bezel & knob. I couldn't find used Birdseye center console panels to match the car's heating controls (E500 have a different push button arrangement), so I had these panels custom laminated in carbon fibre by Robson Leather in Japan.



AMG replica rear seats - custom made including seat heaters for rear occupants, by Robson Leather - to match E500 Recaro front seat design.



Roof retrimmed in one-piece light grey (genuine, not synthetic) suede by Robson leather.





C Pilars retrimmed in charcoal black suede by Robson Leather.



Moman Indiglo EL gauge faces, in the same style as original, with needles painted with flourescent paint & UV backlighting to make them glow at night.





Defi electronic LED boost gauge with unknown brand sports steering wheel with W124 boss (bought used). I've since replaced the central emblem with an AMG one. Also fitted is a no-nonsense Garmin navigation unit. Useful as it warns of permanently located speed cameras and my wife can take it in her hands and set it to desired location, whilst I drive.



EL stainless door kick panels.





Parrot Asteroid Classic 1 DIN head unit to give hands-free (voice activated) music selection and IPhone use, complete with Bluetooth.



Jehnert Sound Design Twin woofer door boards with mids & tweeters mounted in original dashboard locations, beneath genuine grilles with crossovers hidden under the dash.
Mercedes E-Klasse W 124 Limousine / T-Modell – Doorboards mit 3-Wege-Soundsystem | Jehnert Sound Design Automotive

Remote central locking with chrome door pins also fitted.



Infinity rear speakers with remote tweeters and crossover, bonded into original rear speaker retainers and sitting under original rear grilles.



These are the only visible clue, aside from the head unit - that the sound system is uprated from original.





Sound deadened doors & rear-seat area.
Monster cables & high quality noise suppressed DIN cables (with signal & power cables mounted along opposing sides of the floor to avoid feedback).
Kenwood Amps of 900W for front speakers and 750W for rear, mounted out of the way in the trunk.



The car takes a fair bit of daily use, carrying bicycles for kids in the trunk, etc (Also has a W124 specific rubberised floor mats to protect the trunk and interior), but one of the amplifiers got scratched in no time at all. Works fine, so I don't care.



Drilled look original fitment method - pedal covers with new condition Yanase (Original MB Importer of Japan) 5 piece deep-pile floor mat set.



It's a much improved interior to travel in whether for short of very long trips and the quality of sound from the audio system is always a pleasure to use with no distortion or resonant vibrations from the interior.

Despite being 25 years old, it's got modern facilities, complete with LED lighting for the console controls, shift selector and interior lighting.
I love the original W124 dash design too. MB never designed a better one since.