Harvesting parts for a rainy day...

[WDBCB20]

With the dwindling supply, with the possible exception of CA, to the yards of w123 w124 w126 w201, not to mention the coupés and convertibles of the vintage, I was wondering whether an exchange of ideas on what to get, preemptively, at the pick and pull would be worthwhile. Assuming you have a place to store the stuff...

What with ever increasing NLA parts and aftermarket crappiness...

[carock]

Interior parts, like seat springs and seat plastic.
Climate control and air conditioning parts that are in excellent shape.
Throttle linkage parts.
Wire harness or parts of harnesses. You can always use it as a pattern or rebuild one.
Klima relay
Glo plug relay- new ones are not as good as good used ones
Any rubber bits that are in better shape than yours.

[g300d]

Good condition body/interior trim
Interior wood panels

[dkr]

Pulleys, thermostat assembly, turbocharger, injection pump, bolts, seat assembly items, plastic interior items that break

Dkr.

[WDBCB20]

Seat belts - don't know if the retracting mechanism is rebuildable but it is easier to replace a high-mileage specimen with anemic pull with a low mileage less tugged at one with more spring left in it.

VCVs for the diesels - NLA. Buy the warranty, test it on your car, take it back if shot. Also vacuum pump - the rebuild kit appears NLA for the 617. Also the central lock vacuum pump. Buy warranty, swap into your car to test, return if bad.

ABS wheel speed sensor can be bought new for w126 front left north of $200 front right around $150. Much cheaper at the yard - bring multimeter to test Ω and V.

[83w126]

Seat covers for sure, people in my area often go shred them with knives in the junkyard for some reason. As far as w126 parts, gen 2 speaker grilles, interior parts (especially seat trim, center console, uncracked dashboards, door panels), 89+ seat springs, door lock vacuum pumps, bumpers (if they are perfect), the metal trim from the trunk lid (again if they are perfect), etc.

[dkr]

I wouldn't bother with the seat covers. There are new ones that are of like quality that are affordable -- that is except maybe for some of the more exotic colors. I tried to economize by putting a good used cover on my driver's seat and here I am 4 years later about ready to pull it off again to put a new cover on it.

Dkr.

[83w126]

Originally Posted by dkr

I wouldn't bother with the seat covers. There are new ones that are of like quality that are affordable -- that is except maybe for some of the more exotic colors. I tried to economize by putting a good used cover on my driver's seat and here I am 4 years later about ready to pull it off again to put a new cover on it.

Dkr.

Where can you get leather W126 seat covers for an affordable price (less than a running 300SD for example)? Its less than $100 for a full set at the junkyard in my area, so it seems like a good deal to me.

[dkr]

You can get a set of MB-TEX front seat covers for $450 on eBay. If you check the 35 year old used ones, they all have micro cracks that become more apparent with usage and sun exposure. There are a number of weak points on the back seats also that just get worse over time. I realize $450 is more expensive than a used part, but seriously why bother if it's just going to fall apart again in a few years?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-W123-SEAT-COVERS-240D-250-280-E-CE-TE-300D-CD-TD-1976-1985/180179993854?hash=item29f39084fe%3Ag%3AstMAAOxy7RBRY8t3&LH_ItemCondition=3

Dkr.

[tdoublenastywitit]

U can get the brand new off brand skins for $300 saves u time messing around pulling them off at the yard. Plus they are brand new. Not half way new.

And I've never had yard that will actually tell u if the seats or anything for that matter is good condition let alone even still there. A whole lot ta hit n miss for me.

But ya for $100 in good condition is good price. If they are easy to pull

[Mxfrank]

The parts you hoard will fill your storage spaces and never be used. The parts you leave in the yard will be the ones you desperately need. Now if you could only figure out which was which.

[83w126]

Looks like leather ones are $800 for just the front seats, that's literally almost the value of most diesel W126s. I think its worth pulling good covers for $100-$150 a complete set. I barely paid over $800 for my whole car, and I have several seats of perfectly fine junkyard leather seats for it.

[WDBCB20]

Originally Posted by Mxfrank

The parts you hoard will fill your storage spaces and never be used. The parts you leave in the yard will be the ones you desperately need. Now if you could only figure out which was which.

Well, which parts present the highest probability of being needed and not being available in future? Start with NLA parts, then go to parts most likely to fail, wear out or be involved in fender benders, then parts you'll be needing to rebuild on your car anyway e.g. turbo, starter, steering box.

[Screwdriva]

There is a thread on NLA parts floating around somewhere...

[Maxbumpo]

I keep some 124 headlights, signal lights and tail lights, plus inside rear view mirrors and visors, and nice center console wood when I find it. Window regulators, instrument clusters, HVAC blower fan, windshield wiper assembly, starter motors, alternators, compressors, power steering pumps. I'm always tempted to get the nice rims when I see them, but thus far I have resisted. Pre-glow relays are also a great idea, as are cruise control amps and HVAC push button assemblies.