How would getting paint done on the side work? Sheet metal work I could see but doesn't a good-quality paint job more or less require a closed garage and expensive equipment?

If resonse to your ad is not promising I would check to see if any good local shop has an employee that does the occasional car or more at home. Discrete inquiries might locate such an individual. If you are a good auto body type you will have the equipment as working at home without it is almost pointless.

Pondering this issue with my 126. Chassis is solid but rust under the right tail light, about 6 inches of the left side trunk channel and under the back window. Rear glass is delaminating on both bottom corners anyway so it needs to be replaced if I do repair the rust. My local glass guy says he can't find a rear glass other than from Benz at over $800 (I think he's jerking me around). We have an outside bodyshop that we use. A real German guy (Jurgen). He quoted me roughly $6500 to re-do the whole car. He will take it to bare metal and repair the rust.It has been painted once before badly. The roof is peeling apart. Talking to my co-workers, they tell me Jurgen will have the car looking like it did in 1983 but it will cost and take 4-6 weeks in all likelyhood.

OR: Use the putty made by POR-15 - I can grind the 6 inches out of the trunk channel and form they putty (hardens like steel and can be drilled/tapped), grind the tail lamp surround and do the same, have a body shop do the cut/weld in the window channel and a Maco paint job.....

$500 cash to a body shop worker who makes $12-15/hr is good money. He has no overhead and it's cash in his pocket. With an airgun and a compressor in a garage he can even prime and sand it. That is roughly 40 man hours. It won't take that long to prep the car. I have a guy in SC that will prep the car including fixing a few dents and paint the car with dupont paint using base and clear for $600. It's $100 more for wet sand and buff. I've seen some of the best paint jobs done with a dirt floor. It's all in prep and the sprayer(painter).

Huck

I wouldn't waste your time with Craigslist you want good body work not crack heads looking to make a few bucks. I have never found a normal person on that site.

The quotes you got are for decent repaints, thats what they cost. You can go cheaper but as you do the quality will decline.

I was at the same crossroads with my SDL last year. Spend $5k to do the body or sell it for that, and spend $10k on a better example. Bruce can probably find me a crazy mint low mileage 1991 560SEL for that. I would love an AMG Hammer but one of those would be closer to $20k. I decided to keep my car because the SDL, other than paint is in better mechanical shape then 99.9999% of them that still exist. I am never going to find another where someone has replaced the shear number of parts that I have. Also at this point in my life I don't really want another project car, after I paint the SDL it will be done, I'll just have to keep it up. Any other car is going to require some sorting.

Don't be in a rush to sell it, forget about this $3k offer. If you want to sell your car you can probably get $3k for it anytime. But once its sold, its sold and you may regret it. Finding a clean older MB isn't easy these days, so don't be so quick to part with yours.

So true. :D We got our 300D from some weird guy that lives in the pine forests of Eastern Michigan (in the Thumb). Weird transaction....but we drove away with a mechanically awesome (and cosmetically pretty good) 300D for $1500. It has essentially no rust. We were amazed. Its currently my dad's daily driver and has needed nothing other than oil changes, some vacuum line repairs, and a new starter and glow system....soon it will need some steering work, but thats no big deal. We've had it over 14 months.

Anyways, KEEP THE CAR AND PAINT IT. Selling it is a bad idea, when you have a mechanical gem, keep it.

Though I gotta say if anyone can do it Tyler can :cool:

Actually he has....:D:D

Only you can decide.
I spent $5K on my 240D 77, it had lots of rust, holes in the floor, both windshields had to be taken out and re-installed, rust at the door bottoms, leaking battery had eaten metal on its way down including the jack support and more.
The car had to be either fixed or go to junkyard, since I had installed a brand new motor in this car I decided to fix the car, before going ahead I had it checked for structural integrity, it was ok.
A decent paint job is going to cost a lot and if you also have rust you are in for a big one.

Vahe

I have to say, I'm faced with a lot of your same issues. I'm VERY attached to my girl and will probably keep her forever, but I'm faced with a hood that's oxidized with almost no clear coat left and cracking paint. Clay bars can only work so well when the paint's dead. However, I'm also dealing with a rusting quarter panel. (Be thankful that's not on your list, it's breaking my heart).
But after three years and we're almost to 300k, let me just say, it's better to know what you're getting into. You know the problems you have with this car and it's history, be careful when you go the other way and buy another car. You're guaranteed to be buying into another set of problems which may or may not be worse than the ones you already have. It's a gamble. Best of luck to you, I feel for your dilemma.

What d'ye mean by "death sentence to friend?" Guess yer talkin about the vehicle, sure am glad the old fogey selling *first* MB i ever bought at age 17 wasnt squeemish about me trashing the car. Saved 2 yr Summer earnings to afford it. Yep, the ultimate party mobile (nicknamed the "merciless benz") served me well into college driven cross country fully loaded to Fla spring break Mardi Gras etc. And have driven nothin but Vintage MB's ever since.

Only if the kid's buyin the car with his own money and thus can fully appreciate it, then let him have it says me.

This kid does not care for the car one bit. He likes Mustangs, or something like that. Its the dad that wants the car for him.

I got a phone call from a friend of mine who owns his own shop; he told me it would be $3250.00, and he would pull all the windows and seals; a great deal!!! If he didn't pull the windows, and masked off those areas, I'm looking at $2,500. Considering the value of the car, I'm leaning towards the latter. I don't see a 750.00 dollars worth of benefit. Opinions?

Keep in mind my car will lead a garaged, pampered life for the remainder of her days. So the paint will not be subject to extreme wear.

really if the kid doesnt car i wouldnt sell it i was 24 when i got my first car and it was and is still a 300d. make him wait till he can understand what hos father was going to get him

If you just tape around the seals it won't look as good up close, a sharp eye will be able to see the masking marks.

Whether thats worth $750 depends on how picky you are.

By the way Zeke, the AC did actually only needed a charge.:D:D:D wooohooo!!!!!! I bet that's a first on ebay.

Yeah, they're out there. I refuse to look at any, its just like going to the pet store; you'll always want to bring one home.

On my SL show pony... yes. As for the 300d... I'm not sure. I am very picky, but I would feel a lot better with an extra $750 in my pocket, just in case something arises in my fleet. Some 15" Ronal R7 wheels may be coming my way soon, as well.

I also just bought a brand new home, and need to irrigate and landscape this spring. So I can't go overboard. On the other hand... if I am keeping it forever, I will probably regret not doing it completely right the first time.