My Custom 1980 300SD Project

[Squiggle Dog]

The bottom lip of the German trim doesn't leave a gap (I knew something was up with that other brand):


To hold the trim in place I used slide clamps with a bicycle tube in between them and the fender to protect the finish. This allowed me to fine-tune the fitment of the trim so the body creases matched:


Once the trim section was where I wanted it to be I would drill a small pilot hole followed by a bit the same size as the diameter of the screws (not including threads). I put tape around the holes before drilling to protect the finish in case I slipped. I would place the first screw in the hole closest to the area where the body lines were located. Then I would work from the center alternating outward.

The rear fenders gave me trouble because the sheet metal was double thick. The screws would bend and break in the holes. I put one screw in a vise grip and attempted to thread the holes but all it did was strip out the screw. I discovered that they don't make a tap in this size and thread, or even a self-tapping screw for that matter unless I went up a size. I wasn't excited about making the pre-drilled holes in the trim bigger and making the holes in the body larger.

I found that the screws used to hold in the VIN plates are the same thread pitch and are a hardened metal with sharp threads. They worked excellent in cutting threads in the body. After using those VIN plate screws to cut threads the stainless fender trim screws went in without trouble:


Here's the Taiwanese right side front trim. Same fitting problem:


This side has a gap, too:

[Squiggle Dog]

And the German one fits right up against the lip. You can tell they had some good engineers designing this trim:


The Taiwanese rear fender trim fits rather well compared to the fronts. I don't think it would give much installation trouble:


The German rear trim fits fine. The extra crease at the rear body line is a nice touch:


Once I had the trim screwed into place I removed it and cleaned and waxed the area where it was placed. I waxed the trim and applied the rubber molding. I left some excess material on the ends where the body molding fits in case it shrinks with age. I used 303 Aerospace Protectant on the molding to help preserve it. The rubber fit fine on the trim without adhesive though I had to use plastic pry bars to push it back in place while fitting the trim:


The slider clamps and bicycle tubes were used again to hold the trim for reinstallation and to line up the screw holes. I started with the screw nearest the body crease, then from the outside screws alternating inward. I used anti-seize paste on the threads to help prevent against rust.

I'm very happy with the way the German trim fit. There are no gaps and it is a perfect fit. I think that the Taiwanese trim could be made to fit fine. The kink in the one trim piece could be worked out and it's not in a place that is noticeable. Still, I'm glad I spent the money on the NOS German trim. Incidentally, I plan on selling the Taiwanese trim if anyone is interested in it.

[Squiggle Dog]

[Squiggle Dog]

I love the look of the chrome fender trim and think that it completes the look of the car. I am glad I got the hole drilling out of the way before the new paint job (I'm not sure when that is going to be).

[vlv8vic]

Love it, they look great.  I can't believe the number of differences in the two brands.  I hate it when that old adage is correct... "You get what you pay for"....

[oscar]

Awsome review squiggle!

[ulysees]

You're compleatly MADD!!!!   but, i'm glad that you are...   (-:

Clearly you're a mechanic and a blossoming writer too i might add,  your drawing skills are obvious as well.

Definitely go for the all manual 116 SD.

        do the 123 window regulators fit a 116??

keep us all posted   ..  ulysees   

[Squiggle Dog]

Thank you for the compliments. I am completely self-taught when it comes to working on cars. I never did quite make enough money to pay someone else to work on them. I also learned to not trust mechanics after a few dishonest shops and one of them charging me $600 labor to replace a brake master cylinder in a 1955 Pontiac because "they had to ship it to several different states because only a few shops in the world still exist that know how to rebuild master cylinders". I later found out that this a $30 part common to many different GM models. The same shop later charged me $80 to replace the spark plugs on the same car! This was back when I was in high school and making $6 an hour part time.

W116 window regulators are the only ones that work in the W116. The auto parts stores show that they carry manual window regulators to fit the 1973-1980 W116, but they don't fit and are in fact W123 regulators. Another reason I stopped buying parts at the auto parts stores. They are much more expensive than buying directly from Mercedes-Benz, are an inferior product, and most of the time their books are wrong! The parts stores seem to think that all parts that fit a W123 or any 300 series will fit the W116.

[Squiggle Dog]

I bought some brown interior parts from bgiovan so I can two-tone my interior. I had thought about having new two-tone seat skins made by GAHH or World Upholstery, but it would have been pricey and that's not including any extra labor costs to make two-tone skins. Then I would still need seat nets and door panels.

The foam in the brown front door panel inserts have broken down but they aren't wrinkled and still look pretty decent, so for now I will use them as-is. I picked out the 4 best tan door panels, cleaned them up, and installed the brown inserts. I really, really like the look.



I converted my car to manual windows so I needed to add some holes for the regulators. There is no need to put holes in the rear door panels, as they already have rectangular holes where the window switches used to attach. To make the holes I started with the centermost perforation behind the hole in the pressboard. I did a test fit on the door to make sure that it was in the right place. Then I took a razor and cut one perforation out, toward the center perforation, making a "+", NOT an "x". This way you get a larger opening and the opening will be undetectable should you decide to go back to power windows.



Here you can see the opening I made. When I remove my finger the opening closes and can not be noticed. If you were to go back to power windows you would no longer be able to see the opening, especially if you applied some adhesive to the foam behind the vinyl to keep it in place.



Here is the door panel in place with the window regulator shaft pushed through. Then I tucked the edges back in and out of the way. The location of the opening I cut was perfect.



I didn't get a chance today to finish installing the door panel as it started to get dark at 4 PM and was raining hard. Also, as I was on my way to the shed in the back yard, as I was dodging puddles and stepping across high spots, I stumbled and after trying to keep myself from falling into the water, I jumped sideways and my foot landed on a piece of wood that had a long nail in it. The nail went into my shoe, into my foot, and stopped when it hit the bone. It was difficult to pull the nail out of my foot as the nail was curved. So tomorrow I will continue.

[Squiggle Dog]

Today I installed the front door panels. I can't believe how much better my car looks with them. I also installed the passenger side window glass with the Blaupunkt sticker to match the driver side. And I attached a passenger side rear view mirror, so the 300SD looks much more symmetrical. We got about 2.5 inches of rain today but I still got it done. At least all of the rain tends to keep the temperature above freezing.

[s class]

..........I jumped sideways and my foot landed on a piece of wood that had a long nail in it. The nail went into my shoe, into my foot, and stopped when it hit the bone. It was difficult to pull the nail out of my foot as the nail was curved. So tomorrow I will continue.

Eina.  I hope you have a current tetanus shot. 

Car is looking great by the way. 

[Squiggle Dog]

I didn't die of tetanus, so this weekend I installed the rear door panels. They seem a bit harder to install than the fronts and I am always afraid I am going to break off the plastic tabs. I didn't have to cut any holes for the regulator shafts since there are already the rectangular holes where the window switches used to be. Those holes are a bit large, though, and the window crank grommets don't completely cover them (though having larger holes does help during installation). While I was replacing the rear door panels I had to replace the left rear door mechanism because that door wouldn't open from the outside, but it does now.

[Squiggle Dog]

I have a complete manual sunroof from a W123 chassis and I am hoping all of the parts will fit my W116 (to convert from power to manual). I know some of the parts like the roof panel and tracks interchange, but I wonder about the frame itself. W116 chassis manual sunroofs either don't exist or are very rare--I'm still not decided. I even have the correct color headliner panel with the hole for the handle.

I also replaced the antenna so now I get better radio reception. The same car that the antenna came from had a very hard-to-find item; a battery case. It was in good condition and complete except that it was missing one piece of weatherstripping. It looked very familiar and I remembered that the air intake horn for the battery tray (by the louvers under the right headlight) uses this same weatherstripping. The 300SDs have a battery-cooling system where cold air enters from the louvers under the headlight, up through a horn, through a hole in the bottom of the battery tray, around the battery, then out through a vent in the case. This keeps the battery from overheating and it also insulates it from extreme cold.

I put in some original and correct size rear speakers and the proper covers.

I have to admit that I'm a bit overwhelmed with all of the work the car needs, but at least it's getting better. Almost everything mechanical on this vehicle is worn out if I haven't already replaced it. I had steering wheel shake and got an alignment at a shop that was recommended by my local independent Mercedes repair shop. They said that all of the front end parts are in great shape and the wheels are balanced, but that my steering box is worn out. That explains the slop, but I'm not sure about the rocking motion my steering wheel makes when I'm putting slight pressure on the steering wheel to make a turn.

The transmission is still getting me around, but it slips a lot more in this cold weather. The turbocharger is dead and I noticed that the oil cooler is starting to leak. Then today I noticed that my wiper arms felt like they were going to come off, so I'll have to replace the wiper assembly soon. I guess that's to be expected on a car with about 400,000 miles, but most of the worn out parts were advertised as "just replaced" by the previous owner, when in fact they were in need of immediate replacement. I wish I could get my 1968 200D sold for a decent price so I could put a bunch of money into the car. The paint is horrible and large sections of clear coat peels off daily. I wouldn't mind because then I could buff the paint underneath, but the colored paint is fish-eyed.

[wbrian63]

They said that all of the front end parts are in great shape and the wheels are balanced, but that my steering box is worn out. That explains the slop, but I'm not sure about the rocking motion my steering wheel makes when I'm putting slight pressure on the steering wheel to make a turn.

The rocking motion is likely related to the worn box. There's a valve in the steering box that provides pressure to whatever side of the steering system needs to boost the turning exercise. If the box is worn, then the parts are probably wobbling around inside, which is confusing the valve as to which direction the boost needs to come from.

BTW - from what MB car did the high-mount stop-light come? I don't think W116's had HMSL's, or am I wrong?

[Squiggle Dog]

The rocking motion is likely related to the worn box. There's a valve in the steering box that provides pressure to whatever side of the steering system needs to boost the turning exercise. If the box is worn, then the parts are probably wobbling around inside, which is confusing the valve as to which direction the boost needs to come from.

BTW - from what MB car did the high-mount stop-light come? I don't think W116's had HMSL's, or am I wrong?

Thanks for the information about the steering box. I heard that I can tighten a screw to take out the play in the steering, but that probably won't do anything for the valve. I have a spare steering box in unknown condition that I could install if it's not too difficult of a job. Or, I can have it rebuilt for big money. It was hardly noticeable when I got the car a few months ago, but it is getting worse the more I drive it.

The high-mount stop light came from a Euro model W116 280SE, but it's probably not original to the car. I see these most often in W126 sedans.