78 450SEL BODY RESTORATION

[jbrasile]

Hello everyone,

Around March of last year my 78 450SEL (DB419 / Tobacco Velour) was diagnosed with the classic issue of rust on the firewall (behind the fuse box) that afflicts a lot of 116s. In fact I had had  a water ingress problem since buying the car in 2007 but was able to temporarily seal the leak with some window sealant. Things deteriorated over the years and I finally decided to bite the bullet and get the whole car done. The paint already had some defects such as chicken feet on the trunk lid, different shades on the sides and whoever painted the car previously did not get the color right, it was just not enough "Ikon Gold"

6 days taking it apart, 4 months in the shop, 3 1/2 months putting it  back together in my garage....

The bodywork, paint, sunroof restoration and glass installation  were done at Divena Automoveis, one of the local MB dealerships here in Sao Paulo and the disassembly and a/c work took place at Tecno-Max, a shop we use for all of our client's mechanical, electrical and a/c service.

I had never actually done such an extensive body restoration on one of my personal cars and even though we did a couple of 6.9's, a few 107's, 113's, etc... it is a different feeling when you actually do it yourself for "you".

Here are some pictures of the process  and I hope this will also assist those in need of some reference for their own projects.

Best regards,

Joe


This is how it all began, after 6 days of taking things apart, all small pieces were put into ziploc bags, labeled and stored.  Every single clip, rubber part and perishable item was replaced. All the chrome, moldings, lights, etc... were meticulously cleaned, polished and restored in the best way possible. The goal was to have a car that looked great but is not overly restored so it can actually be used without one going paranoid....













Beside the firewall rust, there was a little but of "tin worm" under the doors and on the lower part of the front fenders.











Stripping began.... engine was left in place and only the sides of the engine bay were painted usign a matt finish to give it as original a look as possible.







Here is what precipitated everything, the dreaded fire wall rust, before and after







New panel welded in



From inside the driver's footwell



Body completely stripped undergoing engine bay preparation and paint as well as wheel well cleaning and paint















Finally... a painted body...











9/3/2010 - car is back home





Sunroof tray was removed to have it sandblasted and restored



Engine in need of detailing



End of arrival day... time to go to sleep



After 4 months in a shop environment, interior needed some serious cleaning





Re-assembly begins, first the window chrome moldings



Hood pad installation - tip - use 2 cans of 3M 90 adhesive, I used only one and had to re-do it...









Front and rear seats are in





First door to be pretty much completed





Grille and headlights



Detailed engine compartment





Side moldings installed



Rear end done



Mirrors and all door glass and chrome installed



First door panel in place



New internal plastic door linings cut and installed



Sunroof restored and ready to be installed





Headliner and sunroof panel back in





Windshield and rear window replaced







Finished product

[calvin streeting]

WOW

[Big_Richard]

Yep!

WOW!

Thats an awesome looking car.

[koan]

Fantastic job, surprised it took so little time!

koan

[jbrasile]

Tks guys,

Koan, I know what ou mean.... the 77 6.9 we finished last year took 2 1/2 years in two phases. If the owner (who is also a member) allows I will post some pictures, incredible car!

Joe

[Hemersam]

The "finished product?": wow! Those velour seats: wow. Wish Iwere that talented!
Hemersam

[Squiggle Dog]

That is an amazing-looking car! I will have to tear down and repaint my 1980 300SD at some point since it was repainted in a non-original color and most of the clear coat is peeling off, while the color coat is bubbling.

[MB_Mike]

Great looking car! Congratulations on a fine job. I am really digging the color combo as well.

[TJ 450]

That's extremely well done... a really thorough job. The Ikon Gold looks great.

Tim

[jbrasile]

Squiggle Dog, taking it apart is not that hard but you do need to be extra careful not to bend or break any of the chrome trim, plastic pieces, etc... ohh and do be super cautious while removing those super heavy and awkward front seats, one slip and the sharp tracks will destroy your center console, dash, etc...

The most difficult job  when putting it back together must be the window mechanisms, very hard, time consuming and irritating...

Joe

[thysonsacclaim]

Joe,

That's an amazing job there.

Adam

[Gerard]

absolutely amazing job, and the car looks fantastic!
Well done..
Gerard

[jjb-w116-hu]

a million points! fantastic looking machine! in the photo of your door lining what is the gear around the door lock? is that new vacuum piping or electric?

[jbrasile]

jjb-w116-hu

Tks.

Vacuum piping is all original, just cleaned it.

I don't quite understand your question regarding a gear around the door lock. On the front portion of the door you can see a round spring which is from the window regulator and not part of the door lock mechanism.

Near the door lock itself is the control valve and the piping.

Joe

[KenM]

Really nice work Joe, looks a million bucks, looks brand new in fact. The interior must have been in very good condition before too, congratulations on a great job.

Ken