W 126 Roll call!
 

Hi,

Im new to the board i own a w126 280 SE 1980 and would be very intrested to see how many w126 owners are on this board.

and plz post pics

This one is mine

Ice,

Love those lights! :)

Minnesota winter driving:

http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~tredin/moving.JPG

4 W126's over 7-1/2 years. Anyone top that?

I don't have any pics of my current one. Here's my previous car(1987 420SEL)

Here's my W126

http://www.pe.net/~mktangas/nutires.jpg

A 1986 560SEL that I have just finished bringing back from the dead.

Ted, I love that picture of your car. It looks like a Mercedes advertisment.

Thanks Mike!

The snow/muck shocks some of the folks who never see the fluffy stuff in their neck of the woods.

I'd say your 560 has been resurrected -- an automotive metaphor for Easter? ;)

Amazing transformation -- Kudos Mike!

How's the leather and wood?

Leather is in what I'd call "good shape for 167K", but needs a little attention. A real good cleaning the a dye job will take care of the front seats. The back are in great shape.

The wood is in great shape, except for the center console as it has a bit of cracking. I'm down to about a 10 minute job to swap out that panel, and keep checking the bone yard for an impecable replacement.

I also have an extra panel that has the common break at the front edge. I plan on doing a DIY article on how to repair this break - it's sure to help a few folks out there.

Mike, do you also have a w108?
Me and my dad have one 2 (2.8L w/injection) and my dad has a w111 220S that he keeps for himself but its half way trough restoration and the w108 is next inline for a complete resto, do you know of any good parts sources for the w108?


Thanks

Yes, I have a W108 (280SEL 4.5) too. It is featured in the DIY section (at the top of the page) during a front sub-frame mount replacement. I get nearly all my parts (mechanical) through this site, but I don't know if they ship to Iceland. Body parts are getting a bit harder to locate but there are several places. Go back through the posts in the Vintage section and you should find some leads. I understand some body parts might still be available through MB, but at a price.

My 1991 560 SEC. Completley original!

1987 560 SEL 82000 Kilometers
 

I am also farly new here is my 126 submission. Presently in for transmission attention. So far I have only driven it in first and second gear.

Don't have a picture yet, but I've got one!

1985 380SE, 192K miles, with a custom exhaust, free-flowing cat too. Woke up the car a lot....as of 1 week ago, a new fuel pump too....

-Sam

Sam, what kind of muffler did you use? And did you remove the resonators? The thing I want to know the most is...how is the sound? especially inside the car. Thanks

1987 300SDL and Friends!
 

Found these guys on a road trip, UniMog East, my 12 year old MB aficionado had been counting every MB she saw all day (150+)and just before dark we came around a bend in the two-lane and she was speechless, so we pulled in and had a look around. Way off-road!

Here's my baby

http://www.zemkowski.com/021802/dcp_0555.jpg
http://www.zemkowski.com/021802/dcp_0553.jpg


I think I can beat your 4 126's in 7 years

'85 500SEL 9/00 to 3/01
'87 300SDL 1/01 to Present
'82 300SD 7/01 to 9/01
'86 420SEL 8/01 to 11/01
'91 350SD 3/02 to Present

Here is my previous W126

300 SE 1990

Folgado

93 S500

couldn't get left out.....
 

Welp, here is "Mr. Bojangles"

Btw camowen, do you have any more pics of your W126? That is one sharp looking ride. I always wondered how AMG's looked on a W126, your car is the first i've seen with them, do you have a side shot? Thanks!

http://home.adelphia.net/~nychis/benz03-small.jpg

Btw...that stupid right whiper still gets stuck occasionally until I re-wash the windows. Anyone have a clue?

Yeah....get euro headlights complete with euro headlight wipers (and motors and body panels under the lights). A bit pricey...but will takes a few years off the car. And the light output/pattern is phenomenal.

Here's my 83 300Sd i'm doing a lot of work to it right now. Here it is

I have an '88 420SEL which I got last year for my 17-year old daughter's first car -- a grandparent's trade-in at our local dealer with 75,000 miles on it which we fully refurbished (details at link below). She has driven it for a year and we use it for family road trips to keep the mileage down on our leased cars -- runs like a locomotive on the highway -- just back from a trip to Jekyll Island averaging 80MPH all the way.

We have put 16,000 happy miles on it but have switched her to a '93 190E Limited Edition with factory Sportline as she wanted something smaller and more maneuverable, so have decided to sell it as we have four cars (wife has an Infiniti QX4) and three drivers:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-benz-cars-sale/28337-low-mileage-refurbished-88-420sel-post151202.html#post151202

Will get some pix soon to add to post -- a great Southern rust-free fully-renovated 126.

Yeah I have 1985 Mercedes 500SEL that's in not too great condition.
If you don't know what I'm talking about see this thread: thread

Here is a side pic of my 560 and a list of the mods I have done so far. The side pic was taken before the new rear lenses were fitted.

Clear front, side and rear indicators (markers)
Custom 3in exhaust with Remus rear muffler
17x7 and 17x8 AMG Monoblocks
Tinted windows
Remote locking
Illuminated door sills (to be fitted)
Matt black grill

To be done:
New stereo
Minor paint touchup
H&R springs and new Bilstein shocks

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mat...ar%20front.jpg

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mat...car%20side.jpg

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mat...car%20rear.jpg

Mattman, Nice car where did you get the Taillights?

How much did they cost?

They are from www.hova.com. The site is swedish but they speak english so you can email them. The rears came with the lenses and the housing and seals however the seals were crappy and the housings were a poor replica so I fitted the lenses to my original housings.

Matt.

Matmann, your car looks awsome! Do the wheels change the ride much? How about the springs?

Here's a question for those of you who know a lot about the 126s - which cars came with the grill that has the gigantic three-pointed star in the middle (like you see on the SLs)? I saw a 420sel this weekend that had that kind of grill, but I don't remember ever seeing an SEL with that kind of grill before.

P.S. I test drove an '88 560SEL this weekend and was very impressed with the ride and power. On the other hand, it didn't have any maintainence history (even though it was being sold by the shop that allegedly worked on it for the previous owner), it needed new tires, turned or new rotors, and, strangest of all, the oil pressure gauge shuddered up and down wildly when I came off the highway and was waiting at the traffic light. I didn't like the looks of that, so I think I'll keep looking.

Greg
'84 300D

Hi Greg, yes there is a noticable difference in ride quality going from the 15's to the 17's however the looks more than make up for it in my opinion. Renewing the shocks and bushes would probably help restore a lot of the quality though. I haven't had the springs replaced yet, that's top of the list though to reduce the gap around the front wheels. The type of grill you are referring to is only available as an aftermarket fitment and in my opinion is a bit tacky. I think ************************ sells them.

Cheers
Matt.

In my opinion
 

Matt,. that is the nicest looking 126 I have seen on this role call. Nice lookin' car.:D

Thanks very much.

Cheers
Matt.

Heres my 126:
Future mods: new stereo, Europeans, Wald kit, Remus

Heres another pic. The rear has been lowered another inch since these were taken.

Is that a factory color? If so, whats it called?

Mike that is one seriously low 560. What spring pads do you have in it? Did you use the self levelling at the back to lower it further? How does it ride? I am planning the H&R springs myself so I am intrigued by your 560.

Cheers
Matt.

Rich,
yeah the color is factory. its called sea foam green.

Matt,
#1 in front, #2 in rear (MB dealer told me #1 doesn't exist for the rear). After I lowered it I set the self leveling to the lowest setting lowering it about another inch. I'll take some new pictures and put them up. I think it rides fine, as you said earlier I think the looks more than make up for the rougher ride.

Mike, are you having any problems with negative camber and/or increased tire wear?

I only get 8-10,000 miles per tire. I've gone through 3 or 4 different tires and they all last the same

Well I think that right there is reason enough for me to leave my suspension alone! :)

How much did you spend on those rims?

Heres my Benz right before I bought it - when I am done with it i'll post pictures of the new look. (euros, wheels, the system, interior reparis, lighting upgrades, possibly lowered?)

What is that color called? I've honestly never seen another W126 sporting a color like that on the road.

-Sam

A vtec 380se?

When I bought the car I was told the color was a special order from the factory called palimitno (SP) gray - I think that is a color they only had on the coupes right? Yeah what Is a v-tech 380se? you throw a v-tech into a benz??

For what its worth, I think I saw that exact color on a 190E 2.3 this afternoon. It was the first time I had ever seen that color myself.

Greg
'84 300D

I'm BSing. The only variable-valve-timing powerplant I'd want in my car would be a DOHC 4.2 or 5.0 liter M119 V8, lol. Probably cheaper to buy a 400E to get one of those engines, though.

-Sam

ahhh good plan there!! I was gonna say - ive heard of people putting benz engines into strange cars - but honda engines into a benz - hmmmm....

All these W126 owners on this site, and there still aren't any owners of 280S/SE 5-speeds?

If I ever find a W126 with this combination, I will use any financial means available (selling a current car, etc) to pick it up, as long as it's in okay condition.

I'm a sucker for five on the floor and a clutch in a full-size Mercedes luxury sedan.

Does anyone know of anyone who owns a car like this? I've seen them in AutoTrader....

-Sam

1987 560 SEL
 

Here is a second picture after $4536.00 including $2487.00 in transmission $649 Power steering pump. $1400.00 in tires and wheels. Now this thing drives like new.

Nice, very nice. Have you had the suspension done?

Matt.

Thump in rear.
 

Matt,

The suspension seems ok, I did replace the idler arm with the power steeering. There is a thump when the rear tires hit bumps. I have checked the shocks they are ok. I presume this may be something to do with the self leveling system? which I know next to nothing about, I will begin researching some links on here.

P :rolleyes:

I was thinking more along the lines of having had it lowered, your car seems quite low for stock suspension. Very nice looking car though.

Matt.