Virtually every one here on this forum says not to weld these parts. I think for the cost of a good second hand one it is not worth the risk... it is a pretty critical part of the car.

The main problem with these parts is that they are hollow - the only way to spray them inside with anti rust stuff is to undo the lug that supports the parking brake (at the bottom) where one of these holes is drilled through into the cavity. The rust you can see on the outside is quite likely to be just as bad on the inside anyway...

Furthermore even if you could get it welded the chances of making it true are slim - you'd need an accurate jig to make sure that the rear suspension alignment was correctly set. Take a look at the FSM for accident damaged sub frame and trailing arms... Mercedes say you need to have the whole sub frame and trailing arms set up on a special surface plate - I bet you couldn't find a dealer who has that kind of kit!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

I'm sure your advise on replacing with a good second hand one is the way to go. Does anyone have one at a good price?

__________________
2000 Mercedes S500
1990 Mercedes 560SEL
1970 Triumph Spitfire

B, you might try some of the recyclers on eBay. They may not have a trailing arm on their listing, since it's not a high-demand part, but give them a call.
I have had good luck with Ideal Auto in Chicago 773-509-9999 (Alex).
also SoCal dismantles a lot of 126's.

I found new rear subframe bushings to have more effect on rear ride ht that any other thing.
Also, the 300SE has a 9.5mm rubber shim above the spring. This can be replaced with the next thicker spacer (14mm, or even 19mm) to raise the ride ht. I did the subframe bushings and the 14mm spacer and she came up a couple inches, just right.

DG

I have a trailing arm taken from a 1991 300SE which is my car. The car needed a wheel bearing in that arm and it was cheaper to replace the whole arm than to find someone who would do the wheel bearing. I have that trailing arm for the right rear if you would want to replace the wheel bearing.
I would sell the whole arm for $20 plus shipping. Let me know. In the meantime you can check out the replacement bearing cost. BTW, the car only has 97,000 miles on it.

What state are you in?

I have some W126 trailing arms.

I'm in northern Illinois, about 100 miles west of Chicago.

__________________
2000 Mercedes S500
1990 Mercedes 560SEL
1970 Triumph Spitfire

I will check my collection for the correct one today.


1989 300SE
Right rear trailing arm
MB# 126 350 33 05

Sorry I forgot:- there is another way to spray anti-rust stuff into a hollow trailing arm but you need to remove the hub and the dust shield. Just behind the dust shield there is a rubber bung in a hole too...

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!