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Originally Posted by tomas_maly
Zacharias,
Well, my 300SD seems to be in quite good condition in the sense that it was taken care of well.... Nobody in their right mind would take that good care of a car unless they spent $40k on it, or whatever it cost originally..
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My experience has been that the quality of care is steady from the original owner to the second owner (actually sometimes better with the second, as we 'enthusiasts' often cannot afford these cars new).
From then on, it's open season. By the time a car makes it to its fourth set of hands, unless it's moving between people in a group such as this, all bets are off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomas_maly
Going over any bump, I hear a grinding metal noise (it has a 'push/pull' sound to it, ie two equal sounds with a slight pause in between, not just a thud, so I am guessing shocks)
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Sure it isn't just the stabilizer bar links? Could also be the trailing arm bushings. My 300d creaks like that in the rear, on cold days, but the shocks are fine.
If your shocks are gone you will be having a very bouncy ride, but the ones on my old SD didn't make any noise even when they were shot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomas_maly
There is rust on the driver's trailing arm, which actually prevents the shock from being bolted on with two bolts. Which may be why they never changed the shocks. Probably said the trailing arm would be $2000 parts and labor, etc and better to get rid of the car.
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Not a reason to get rid of the car. It's a big job but many people have done it on this board. Be careful, rot in the arm is a safety issue. If it's that rusty it ought to be changed.
FYI the arms on w123 and w126 SDs are interchangeable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomas_maly
My 300TD however must've sat around for YEARS. So many things neglected. I think it's one of those perpetual project cars. I'll probably never really have it in 'excellent' shape, not unless I throw another $3000 in parts at it.
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I feel your pain. My 300td was the same way. And I ended up throwing a couple of grand of parts at it... and then the transmission calved. SIGH. But I look forward to having it on the road again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomas_maly
Either way, I only can manage because I have two of them (the POS wagon was $500 and the sedan was $1000).
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The price was right! Especially for the SD as you seem to be happy with it overall. Keep up the good fight. You will get to the light at the end of the tunnel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomas_maly
I do quite like the 81-85 W123/W126's, though. After that, it just starts getting complicated with all the modern 'features'.
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I agree but I foresee a w124 or later w126 (SDL) in my future. Those cars are still well within the DIYer orbit and the additional complications aren't onerous.
Unfortunately, once you get past that generation, the chassis electronics start to get a bit daunting for the backyard mechanic.