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New Project E55

3K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  alabbasi 
#1 ·
Just purchased yesterday. It was repo'd and is a little rough around the edges. Radiator is shot, one of the side tanks leaks like a sieve so that's the first item on the agenda.

SERIOUSLY needs front end work.

Headliner and front seats also needs attention but all said, quite excited because I do like my black W210's.

Should be fun.

 
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#2 ·
Congratulations on your find! I recently had my headlining reupholstered with alcantara, I strongly recommend going that route, it ups the level of refinement.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks, that's actually a pretty good idea. I have alcantara in one of my other cars and it's good stuff. Did you get the sunroof lid done too?

Here's a better pic next to my 2002 E55 and my 98 SL500.



The car is somewhat not mobile right now because of the radiator. I've ordered a replacement from Rock Auto ($280 vs $640 at dealer).

Once I get the radiator in, I can then shake it down. It has the ABS, Traction light on which I think is the brake switch . It really needs a front end rebuild as it can't drive in a straight line if the road has a pothole. I have the old control arms from my 02 E55 from when I rebuilt the suspension on it. I'll rebush these instead of buying new lower control arms which should help with costs. Then four new tires.
 
#4 · (Edited)
The car looks really good cosmetically, taking into consideration their age. Is it suffering from rust at all? Rock Auto is a great choice for parts, very popular with many forum members. It's actually not a drastic to-do-list you have either, which you must be relieved about?

To answer your question, I did have the sunroof lid done, the pillar covers and sun visors as well. A full reupholster.
 
#5 ·
No rust, appears to be a Texas car all its life. It's OK for the most part, few dings, a couple of scratches , cracked bumper, nothing horrible.
My list is probably far from complete, but the radiator and the front end work and other initial findings will allow me to shake it down and identify other issues.
 
#6 · (Edited)
A genuine work-in-progess then. Keep the updates coming.
 
#7 ·
Good Luck

Well done.

Nice looking car.

I also got a radiator from Rock Auto, it was a really good deal.

I should start a thread for my new project.
 
#9 ·
Installed a new radiator, the job was successful and it appears that there was no engine damage caused by hot running. It will need a fan clutch as the existing clutch is weak but I have one in my R129 SL500 parts car that I know to be good.

The A/C EC light was turned on and the pressures were low. Yesterday, I was able to pull a vacuum on the system but not to put a charge in as the compressor would not engage. Thankfully, I was directed to a thread on this forum which showed me how to reset the climate control fault codes which allowed the compressor to engage and take a charge.

Today I stopped by the local junk yard to get some misc parts as the radiator mounts were missing, as was the ash tray. I also replaced the hood struts and used my AST retriever to reset the SRS light which was one.

Someone had gone into the console who did not know what they were doing looking for the airbag module and managed to break the console so I'll need to source a good one at some point. I also need to get a new switch pack for the electric windows as the mirror and trunk opening switches are damaged.

It's starting to turn into a real car.



 
#10 ·
Nice work AlAbbasi! Great to see it coming together for you and another 210 being brought back to its original glory.
 
#11 ·
Quick update. With the radiator installed The car no longer leaks when running, however it still would puke out a bunch of coolant as soon as you shut the engine off so I replaced the water pump which resolved this problem. The suspension feels really loose and the tires so worn, they're slick.



Judging by the hew tire hair on the sidewall, most of the wear was caused by alignment. Taking measurements of the tire, the drivers side front tire is about an inch closer to the rear of the front wheel arch when compared to passenger side. I pulled the wheels off and checked the suspension and everything seems OK visually but clearly the alignment is off. I have a spare set of control arms from when I replaced the set in my 02 E55, I'll re-bush them and put them on the car along with new ball joints and shock absorbers as the fronts are leaking

I also changed the oil as the old oil looked really dirty. This is what the filter looked like coming out.





Hard to believe how it collapsed and must be due to old age and a cheap filter (not a fleece filter). The oil was really dirty also, so much so, that the fresh Mobil 1 0w40 turned black as soon as the engine started. I'll run the oil in the car for 2-3000 miles and add marvel mystery oil for the last 100 miles before I change to clean it out.

Driving the car after the oil change was a revelation. I've never seen an engine feel so much better after a change of oil.

Tires and suspension next.
 
#14 ·
FWIW... just replaced the tires on my E55 and decided to try Sumitomos latest HTR3 from Tire Rack (best price I could find).

These replaced the General GMAX tires that went 25k miles before I could no longer take the noise level - other than that good handling and smooth riding tires.

It is always hard (unfair) to compare New tires to Old ones, but my initial impression of these Sumitomos has been really good. Sumitomo is owned by Goodyear and Dunlop and this is their newest tire - time will tell but pretty unbeatable especially for the price so far...
 
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