I'd encourage you not to make any assumptions about originality on these cars. Even if they are MB parts, I guarantee you that they are either non-original, or have been removed and reinstalled a few times in the course of other maintainence. Its always better to figure out the 'right' way to do something, because 23 years is a long time, and lot of crazy stuff can happen in that interval.

The 'boot above/below the bushing' and the 'cup facing up or down' issue is pretty minor. Like I said, it would work either way I think, I was just quoting the official Bilstein manual for reference sake.

However, I'm not very comfortable with the idea of not having a bushing/washer combo below the body of the car... That could comprimise the shocks ability to move around to self align itself, and will deliver extra stress to the body because of the increased vibration. It doesn't sound standard to me, and goes against the MB manual and the Bilstein manual... Like I said, a lot of mistakes have been made with your car (and all of our cars) in the last 23 years, and you'll want to get in the habit of verifying all your repair choices, instead of relying on 'thats how they did it last time'.

peace,
sam

__________________
"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)