I just wanted to say how great this forum is and how much my car has improved because of it. I've spent the past year bringing back an '85 300SD from the dead. I am hopefully almost done after getting the body sorted out with new paint and rust repair and getting a decent set of used factory rims.

When I initially got her last spring, she was in sad shape. She had been sitting for awhile. Her champagne paint was faded and peeling, the seats sagged and didn't adjust, the black leather interior was ripped, the windows didn't work, the locks didn't work, the ACC didn't work, her radio had no sound, her suspension rattled, she ran hot, she left puddles of oil and coolant underneath her and her transmission clunked and jerked. She was one owner away from becoming a parts car for sure. But, she had "only" 190K on her odometer, and I had every service record, including a pile of receipts and 2 stamped service books, since she was brand new.

My intentions were to buy her and drive her into the ground. The more I drove her, however, the more I realized that such a classy vehicle didn't deserve that fate. Plus, the number of really nice first generation w126's, probably among the better MB's ever built, have been dwindling.

It's been a satisfying but, also at times, a frustrating experience to get her running right again and often doubted that it would ever hppen.

I am more of a lurker rather than a poster, probably because I am by no means an expert mechanic. Thanks to this forum, I replaced pretty much the entire vacuum system in the car, dismantled the entire dashboard to replace the crusty ACC vacuum components, dismantled and fixed the seats, replaced most of the cooling system and replaced the oil cooler lines. Without the various posts, the TLC that the car needed would not have been economically feasible. I was able to limit the use of my independent mechanic to stuff that required a lift.

I just wanted to say "thanks" for the excellent information that this forum provides. Hopefully, she will last another 25 years. For those in the same predicament, hang in there.

I will try to post a few pictures of her when I get the chance.

Brian

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Brian
'94 E420 - 99K
'12 C300 4 Matic

Previously owned:
'06 CLK 500K Cabriolet
'85 300SD (Old Smokey)
2002 Boxster
2002 C320 (The five-pointed star Mercedes)
1993 300E 3.2 (Dealership's cash cow)
1979 300SD (Chrome beauty)
1983 300D (Old faithful)
1983 240D (Right lane cruiser)
1977 240D (Miracle of bondo)

Hey Brian, always nice to hear another MB saved and enjoyed Good luck with your project!

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth