Cheap DIY Avant Garde grill mod for 190e.Instructions and photos.

I just finished DIYing an Avant Garde type grill (from the existing grill) of both mine and my kid bro's 190s.

I would highly recommend this mod to 190e owners with the standard grill as this will give teh car a classy look when finished.

Plus, the mod is much cheaper than an off-the-shelf Avant Garde grill and there will not be problems with fitting coz the existing grill insert is used.

Parts required :

6 chrome strips for grill insert
Primer
Black spray paint
Clear coat
Tube of epoxybond or any similar stuff

Total cost of project : S$30 or slightly under USD20

Process :

1 Remove grill frame (6 x 5/16" bolts betw frame and bonnet)

2 Remove black grille insert from grill frame.There are 6 retaining
clips that need to be pried off, a screw at the bottom of the
frame and the nut/bolt that holds the coin-like Merc logo.This
nut/bolt also holds the insert to the frame.

3 Remove existing 4 horizontal and 1 vertical chrome strips by
sliding them off the insert.

4 Wash the insert with detergent/soap to get rid of all the
dust/grime.

5 Thoroughly dry the insert.A hair dryer or blower would really
help.

6 Spray one coat of primer over the dried insert.Allow to dry.

7 Spray 4 to 5 coats of black paint.Allow 3 to 5 minutes between
coats to dry.

8 Spray 2 coats of clear coat.Allow to dry 3 to 5 minutes between
coats.

9 Re-fit the 4 horizontal and 1 vertical chrome strip.

10 Cut a new strip to length and bend it SLIGHTLY to the curved
profile of the insert.

11 Apply the epoxybond to the back of the strip and to one
horizontal slat away from an existing strip.

12 Slot the strip into the slat and press down.The strip should fit
nicely into the slat and is a friction fit.The epoxybond
secures the fit.Make sure that the end of the new strip fits
snugly against the vertical strip so it will look good when
finished.

13 Repeat for steps 10 to 12 for the other 5 new strips.

14 You can see that all the chrome strips (existing and new) are
evenly spaced with one black horizontal slat of the insert.So
you end up with 5 evenly spaced strips on either side of the
vertical chrome strip.

15 Re-fitting the insert to the frame and the frame to the bonnet
is a reverse of steps 1 to 2.

16 Walah.Now you have yourself and Avant Garde-like grill.

Took me just 3 hours to complete 2 grills.

The best bang-for-buck mod I've ever done!

Cheers.

Before (far).

After (far).

Before (near).

After (near).

Side shot.

I think what really makes the mod look good is the contrast between the chrome strips and the black spary painted insert (the original insert is a crappy greyish kinda colour).

Just had to share this mod with everyone.

Cheers.

Oh, yeah.

Don't forget to paint the bonnet release lever (the lever that goes through the grill insert) black as well.

[Glen]

Nice job!
Looks very nice

Thanks, dude.

Btw, louv your 2.3.

Here's the big picture...my Babybenz with the "Avant Garde" mod parked in friend of a friend's '91 200E with 90,000km on the clock...

[MTI]

Very nice DIY. Just a comment, the MB uses metric bolts, so I think it's a 10mm socket to remove the grill . . . and voila'

Looks very nice, regardless.

Yes, you're right.

In fact, a whole bunch of stuff around the bonnet (headlamps, etc) are secured by 10mm bolts.

Thanks for clarifying.

I was thinking "imperial" when I was posting...