Thanks everyone for all the input so far.

Yeah, I'm leaning heavily towards some Lemforder parts, as well. It would be nice to be able to say I only used Genuine OE parts, but the cost savings to be had in the aftermarket are not insignificant, and Lemforder parts are by most (if not all) accounts nearly as good as the real thing. Of course, there is probably more money to be saved with other brands, but I think the consensus is that quality decreases sharply as well.

I will probably also be using Bilstein for the struts and shocks, and maybe even the steering damper. If need to replace exhaust components, I will probably go aftermarket as well, as the price differential between OE and OEM is even more drastic.

Does Mercedes sell Sportline LCAs? Do you have a part number? I thought the only option was to buy the regular control arms & press on the Sportline bushings. For this reason, I was leaning toward Lemforder LCAs, but if I can buy LCAs from MBZ with the Sportline bushings already pressed in, then the savings from not having to rent or buy the tool will offset the extra cost a bit, to say nothing about the time and frustration saved.

The problem is, I don't think I'm that handy! I've never pressed a bushing in or out before, which is why I'm a little worried about it. Looking online, it seems like it's just a matter of turning a socket, but if it were that easy then people wouldn't fuss about it so much - right?

Also a '92 300D here - glad to know I'm not the only crazy person trying to fix everything on this old car at the same time!

Right now I am leaning toward the divide and conquer approach. Probably the front end for a few days in my garage, then head over to the Auto Hobby shop and get the car on a lift Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to try and knock out the rear end. Then drive the 50 miles to the nearest dealer on a Monday for the alignment to 300E Sportline specs (assuming the toe and such isn't too out of whack).

The original steering box on my car does have a slow leak, but I'm not worried about it. I recently acquired a Sportline steering box, and I'm wondering if I should have it rebuilt before I swap it in. The PO claimed it wasn't leaking, but I'd hate to go through all the trouble to find out he was wrong, or to have it start leaking 6 months down the lie. Also, besides leaking, I'm not sure if there is any other indication for rebuilding - is there general age- or wear-related slop?

I will probably break it up into sections like you suggest, but do the jobs back-to-back in order to minimize downtime (and to avoid having to get aligned twice). Parking brakes are on my mental list, but on the back burner for now. I'm waiting until it's time to do brakes, then I will do pads and rotors all the way around, plus rear wheel bearings (fronts are done) and the parking brake shoes.

A note on big jobs. Unless one is a pro mechanic in a shop, clean , repair , paint parts _as they come off the car_ rather than taking everything apart at once. It is far easier to take a car apart than it is to repair / reinstall. Many cars have fallen to " Car all apart for restoration, lost interest, best offer. "

Restoring single parts ( or small batches as skills progress ) leaves one with continual visible progress, and parts on the shelf ready to go.

Thanks for the tip. I had actually considered the implications of getting carried away with tear down. I will try to do it in sections, and probably take some pictures before and during so that I can keep track of what goes where.

I haven't noticed any slop in the steering box of my 205K mile 190E Sportline, though my 190D with 320k miles on it did have a tiny bit of slop. The W123 boxes seem to wear out much quicker, I wouldn't be worried about these being worn out, but it may be worth hooking it up with the engine running but it not in place to see if it leaks or to just reseal it anyway. They aren't incredibly difficult to remove, biggest pain it the tie rods so having a Mercedes style separator would probably prove to be very useful.

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

I may just reseal the box myself, still looking for a good DIY. For the tie rod separator, is that something I need if I intend to its replace the entire tie for in one piece? i.e., not just the ends?

You need it either way. You will also need a ball joint separator to get the steering knuckles off.

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

Thanks for the heads up. I haven't gone through the FSM with a fine-toothed comb yet (this is realistically starting to look like a spring project, instead of a winter one), but I definitely appreciate any pearls or tips, especially concerning special tools or challenging bits.