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Feb 17, 2017 14:21:25 GMT
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Hi there My first post, I thought I'd join as I've been browsing for a couple years but not had anything worth posting other than a mk1 mx5. I decided I needed something more comfortable and had romantic ideas of long drives into Europe and the south and figured the best thing for that would be an old mercedes or lexus. The mercedes just seemed cooler so I picked up the following: W126 300SE In smoke silver.      It's in pretty good condition. I have the following things to address: Stereo is not right. The front speakers sound like they have been wired up incorrectly and just have high range and the rear sound blown. It has a Sony head unit and whilst id prefer an original becker it will do for now. Front passenger seat Base is a bit soft. I'll take it apart and see what I can do. Front suspension knocks over bumps. I need to change some bushings. The electric arial was broken and I've since installed a new unit. Also first thing I did was change the oil and filter to decent fully synthetic and replace the air filter and spark plugs. |
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Last Edit: Feb 17, 2017 14:27:49 GMT by thedude126
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mht
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 123
Club RR Member Number: 185
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1988 w126mht
@mht
Club Retro Rides Member 185
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Feb 17, 2017 15:04:32 GMT
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Looks tidy :-) I can definately see myself getting a 126 one day, 300SE is the sensible choice but the 560SEL is so tempting!
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Mark
1977 MG B
1992 Lexus LS400
1998 VW Golf VR6
1999 BMW 740i
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dikkehemaworst
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,581
Club RR Member Number: 16
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1988 w126dikkehemaworst
@dikkehemaworst
Club Retro Rides Member 16
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Feb 17, 2017 15:09:40 GMT
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WoW that's Beautiful.
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Feb 17, 2017 17:06:15 GMT
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Lovely 126! They're great for those romantic drives; I just took my girlfriend to the beach on Valentine's Day, and the car performed flawlessly the entire 400-mile or so round trip.   I've gotta ditch these 15" R9s though. Any other plans for this car? Being a 300SE, that M103 does easily open you up to a manual swap using the 5-speed from a 190E 2.6 or even the later 6-speed attached to the M111, hehe. |
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'85 Euro 190E 2.3-16 '84 Euro 500SE ~100k miles '51 Euro 170S M117 Swap Project?! '97 Jeep Wrangler Sport ~42k miles '09 E350 ~51k miles '98 Dodge Durango SLT+ 5.9L Magnum V8 ~Josh |
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1988 w126Deleted
@Deleted
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Feb 17, 2017 19:57:42 GMT
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Lovely car.
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Oh lovely. One of my favourite Mercedes. Absolutely lovely machines to drive. Check out the front balljoints as they have a habit of letting go when they become a bit elderly.
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Feb 18, 2017 12:49:24 GMT
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Sweet ride!
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-(
10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily
03 Import Forester STi - Sold
98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-(
99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold
02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX
88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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1988 w126Mercdan68
@forddan68
Club Retro Rides Member 68
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Feb 18, 2017 17:08:18 GMT
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Just gorgeous
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Fraud owners club member
1999 Jaguar s type
1993 ford escort
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Rob M
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,915
Club RR Member Number: 41
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1988 w126Rob M
@zeb
Club Retro Rides Member 41
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Feb 18, 2017 19:46:53 GMT
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I had a 420SE and they are, without a doubt, mega 'wafty' in a comfortable classy way. I don't know about anybody else but, personally, the steering wheel could have been a tad smaller in diameter, the standard ones seem to be huge to the point where you don't always know if you are driving an executive saloon or piloting a tug boat. Your seat issue could well be broken springs. The seats are easy enough to strip, I never bothered repairing mine as I found the spring design made me feel like I was sitting on a 1950s mattress. My solution was to shove a seat base foam, cut down, from an old MX5 seat I had which transformed the seat into something massively comfortable. I don't know much about the six pot BUT if your battery is on the right hand side ( looking at the engine from the grille, and in the corner by the windscreen, have the battery out and unbolt the tray for a good look underneath. They are known to rot there BADLY ( mine did ) and where the rot takes hold is around a roll bar mounting, its an awkward repair to do to, especially if the rot spreads towards the bulkhead All in all, brilliant cars and yours is an utter peach. Nothing else really comes close for street presence and utter class amongst its competitors, does it!  |
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Feb 19, 2017 19:08:19 GMT
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Thanks for the comments. I'll take the battery out next weekend and have a look. I want to do preventative maintenance as much as possible as i want to preserve it and ensure reliability as it's my daily drive, well it would be if I drove daily but I walk to work and also use my girlfriends car. I had a look at the radio and whoever put it in has wired it in all wrong and a rear is actually wired in as a front and one speaker seems not be wired in at all. So I'll get new wiring put in. Need to find some speakers to fit the rears. Found quite a few 4x6 to fit yhe front dash mounts. Sadly no door speakers. The clunk's from the suspension are getting to me and there is a new one under breaking so I will replace all the bushings and bits that wear. Wheel wise I would like a slightly larger wheel and was thinking of the the phaeton winter wheel as they are 16 inch and look like a carlsson wheel from the late 80s  I just don't want anything too modern or aftermarket looking. |
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Last Edit: Feb 19, 2017 19:13:59 GMT by thedude126
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Feb 19, 2017 20:28:06 GMT
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Regarding wheels, I was replacing all of my rotors and pads in my 190E, so I decided to swap on my 7.5" ET37 and 8.25" ET34 17" Ceginus (or Evo II) wheels onto the SE to see how they looked. This was the result:  The ET37s were a little too far in, so I couldn't put on the center cap, but I know if I got a full set of ET34s (I had the R129 16" 15-holes for the longest time, which are ET34) I'd be okay. Tires weren't meaty enough either, and that vehicle could use some lowering; otherwise I think these 17s would work out nicely as well, especially if you can get your hands on a body kit (Carat, AMG, etc.) Do love those winter wheels though, buddy of mine used to run them on his VW back when we lived in Germany. |
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Last Edit: Feb 19, 2017 20:28:21 GMT by Azryael
'85 Euro 190E 2.3-16 '84 Euro 500SE ~100k miles '51 Euro 170S M117 Swap Project?! '97 Jeep Wrangler Sport ~42k miles '09 E350 ~51k miles '98 Dodge Durango SLT+ 5.9L Magnum V8 ~Josh |
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Feb 24, 2017 17:12:37 GMT
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I take the the 126 needs a really low offset? I'll look at another idea. I may even just get these stock ones refurbished. Jobs done today. I removed the speakers to have a look to see why they sounded so bad and hilariously none of them were even bolted in. Just loose to rattle around! Also they are flimsy paper and the connection to the sides has turned to dust!  I've ordered some 4x6 alpine for the front and some 6.5cm alpine for the rear. I want to order one of those continental retro looking head units but their output is pretty poor so looking at putting an amp in to run the speakers. Changed the plugs also and it went much better than I had prepared for as all the wires popped right off and everything behaved. Spark plugs look great too showing no valve stem seal oil leaks and a nice clean burn. This ties in with the history as it had the seals changed.  Next job is bushes and also noticed the bonnet sound proofing has become dust so I'll order a new one. Going to be driving around 500 miles next week in it down to London and then up to Liverpool and then on to the lake district! I've signed up to recovery! |
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Last Edit: Feb 24, 2017 17:15:38 GMT by thedude126
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Feb 24, 2017 18:46:53 GMT
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Depends, offset requirements for Gen II cars (late '86-91) are different than Gen I cars like mine.
I can run ET34 without spacers, but many with later model cars who elected to run the 16" R129 15-holes had to do so with spacers.
I think ET23 might be the stock offset on the wheels you're running, so anything lower than 23 should fit without an issue on your car!
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'85 Euro 190E 2.3-16 '84 Euro 500SE ~100k miles '51 Euro 170S M117 Swap Project?! '97 Jeep Wrangler Sport ~42k miles '09 E350 ~51k miles '98 Dodge Durango SLT+ 5.9L Magnum V8 ~Josh |
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Feb 24, 2017 20:31:26 GMT
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I had a 420SE and they are, without a doubt, mega 'wafty' in a comfortable classy way. I don't know about anybody else but, personally, the steering wheel could have been a tad smaller in diameter, the standard ones seem to be huge to the point where you don't always know if you are driving an executive saloon or piloting a tug boat. Your seat issue could well be broken springs. The seats are easy enough to strip, I never bothered repairing mine as I found the spring design made me feel like I was sitting on a 1950s mattress. My solution was to shove a seat base foam, cut down, from an old MX5 seat I had which transformed the seat into something massively comfortable. I don't know much about the six pot BUT if your battery is on the right hand side ( looking at the engine from the grille, and in the corner by the windscreen, have the battery out and unbolt the tray for a good look underneath. They are known to rot there BADLY ( mine did ) and where the rot takes hold is around a roll bar mounting, its an awkward repair to do to, especially if the rot spreads towards the bulkhead All in all, brilliant cars and yours is an utter peach. Nothing else really comes close for street presence and utter class amongst its competitors, does it! Wonderful stately cars with presence! I agree on the steering wheel, but it is a catch 22 situation - go smaller and the steering wheel starts to obscure the instruments. |
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1986 Mercedes 200 (W124) (Standard and daily)
1976 Peugeot 404 1800 Stickshift (Standard - awaiting complete resto, engine done)
1984 Ford Cortina (P100) LDV - Cab and chassis restored, interior and glass not fitted, brand new 3 liter engine (last 110kw Sierra XR6 engine fitted and married to 5 speed Toyota Gearbox), load body needed.
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Feb 26, 2017 21:13:20 GMT
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I have that issue in my W201; swapped in a Momo AMG wheel because the stock 390mm wheel would rub my knees when turning, now I can't see the top of the cluster!
I moved my seat rearward a bit and now don't have that much of an issue anymore.
For my 126, I'm torn between the original wheel or looking for a Wood-grain wheel from a 140.
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'85 Euro 190E 2.3-16 '84 Euro 500SE ~100k miles '51 Euro 170S M117 Swap Project?! '97 Jeep Wrangler Sport ~42k miles '09 E350 ~51k miles '98 Dodge Durango SLT+ 5.9L Magnum V8 ~Josh |
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dbdb
Part of things
Posts: 821
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The W126 is such a handsome car. I prefer the slightly earlier interior yours has too.
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dbdb
Part of things
Posts: 821
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I had a 420SE and they are, without a doubt, mega 'wafty' in a comfortable classy way. I don't know about anybody else but, personally, the steering wheel could have been a tad smaller in diameter, the standard ones seem to be huge to the point where you don't always know if you are driving an executive saloon or piloting a tug boat. Your seat issue could well be broken springs. The seats are easy enough to strip, I never bothered repairing mine as I found the spring design made me feel like I was sitting on a 1950s mattress. My solution was to shove a seat base foam, cut down, from an old MX5 seat I had which transformed the seat into something massively comfortable. I don't know much about the six pot BUT if your battery is on the right hand side ( looking at the engine from the grille, and in the corner by the windscreen, have the battery out and unbolt the tray for a good look underneath. They are known to rot there BADLY ( mine did ) and where the rot takes hold is around a roll bar mounting, its an awkward repair to do to, especially if the rot spreads towards the bulkhead All in all, brilliant cars and yours is an utter peach. Nothing else really comes close for street presence and utter class amongst its competitors, does it! Wonderful stately cars with presence! I agree on the steering wheel, but it is a catch 22 situation - go smaller and the steering wheel starts to obscure the instruments. The huge steering wheel is part of the appeal, in a strange way. I'm not sure I would want to be without it! I have the Jaguar competitor, so i'm not sure I agree about class (boo hiss!  ) but you do have the edge in street presence ! - I am a Jag man at heart and have owned my Sovereign a long time, but I do still love the old '126. Keep us updated! |
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Rob M
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,915
Club RR Member Number: 41
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1988 w126Rob M
@zeb
Club Retro Rides Member 41
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Wonderful stately cars with presence! I agree on the steering wheel, but it is a catch 22 situation - go smaller and the steering wheel starts to obscure the instruments. The huge steering wheel is part of the appeal, in a strange way. I'm not sure I would want to be without it! I have the Jaguar competitor, so i'm not sure I agree about class (boo hiss! ) but you do have the edge in street presence ! - I am a Jag man at heart and have owned my Sovereign a long time, but I do still love the old '126. Keep us updated! Fair comments!! Ive only ever driven an XJ6 Series 3 once and that was back in the early 90s and it wasnt a 'classic' ( I think it was only about 6 yrs old) and I didnt get on with it TBH. Mind you, the discs were warped and I was driving it like I stole it, which didnt help.... I actually think the 126 and the XJ6/12 are very different cars to suit different drivers. The Jag felt more of a drivers car and the Merc more of a Limo. Id have a Jaguar all day long and another 126 V8 too. |
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gn3dr
Part of things
Posts: 391
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Feb 27, 2017 20:35:55 GMT
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Wow, those Phaeton wheels are nice. Off to do a bit of googling
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Feb 28, 2017 15:26:32 GMT
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Fitted new alpine 4x6 in the dashboard and 6.5 in the rear. The wiring was all over the shop with all the speakers wired incorrectly and the 12v feed was just twisted together with a bit of tape. My friend who is an electrical engineer redid the wiring and now it sounds great.  Just completed a 300 mile round trip and no problems to report. Was very relaxing drive and still got half a tank of unleaded left! Just keeping the below for my own info. Mileage 154000 Oil change Oil filter change Air filter change 6 x bosche super spark plugs Climate control pump bearing greased 4 x new speakers Stereo rewire Door locks greased |
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) but you do have the edge in street presence ! - I am a Jag man at heart and have owned my Sovereign a long time, but I do still love the old '126. Keep us updated!