Hello!
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Robert Lloyd, and I live in Laguna Niguel, California. I am "middle-aged", to say no more, and I am a Web Developer and Network Engineer by trade.
I have a 1987 420SEL that I dearly love. It is white with a grey interior, and it has 290k miles on it, and has had the heads and timing parts replaced. I just got it back from the shop where it had a transmission rebuild and the sunroof and trunk lid replaced. I have also replaced all the brake parts, the radiator, AC condenser and receiver/drier, power steering gearbox, shocks, rear springs, steering dampener ("shock absorber"), monovalve kit, cruise control amplifier and actuator, climate control controller, several ACC vacuum "solenoids", front passenger seat, and a a few other "odds & ends".
I have also made a few selected upgrades to the car. I went up to 215/60R-15 Michelin "Pilot" tires (from the stock 205/60R-15) - these are on the stock chrome wheels with "modifier center caps" - the ones that cover the lug nuts. I installed "Euro" headlights and the in-dash adjuster (very cool! - does anyone know where I can get a set of the Euro headlight wipers?) A thicker-than-stock hood pad for an SDL model keeps the noise down and the hood cool. I replaced the stereo the previous owner had in the car with a Sony CDX-M8800 frontend (it has a plain black front panel that is mostly display) and a 10-CD MP3 changer, as well as an XM receiver and an auxilliary input adapter in the trunk. I also added a Clarion SRV-303 7-inch powered subwoofer under the rear seat and upgraded the front speakers. I am going to upgrade the rear speakers as soon as I figure out how I want to do it... the stock speakers have a strange mount.
I also put in an Escort Passport SR7 concealed radar/laser detector - this has laser receivers front and rear as well as the front radar receiver. The control/display unit mounts quite nicely in the "coin tray" (between the ashtray and the console shifter wood) from a 126 with heated seats, and there is nothing visible from outside the car. I also added a Zebrano-wood console box, where the remotes for the stereo and radar detector are mounted, just under my hand when I use the armrest.
After a drive in an S500, I fell in love with GPS navigation - especially in a congested area like Southern California - so I put in a Magellan RoadMate 700 GPS nav system on a custom dash-top mount. These things are great - I find it difficult to imagine not having one now.
The newer "auto-dimming" rear-view mirrors are just too cool, so I put one of those in also. Nobody seems to make a mount for the 126s for these, and I did not want the "button" on the windshield, so I bought a used 126 rearview off eBay and mounted the auto-dimming mirror to the mounting post.
The rear seat reading lights in our cars don't work all that well, so I added two 18" LED gooseneck lamps on the rear package shelf. They are "Littlite" units, and can be switched on to shine either red or white. Very handy.
I have a set of "limo-style" rear seats - individually adjustable buckets with a center console - sitting in my garage. I need to re-cover them - they are tan. That project is on hold for a while. I also have a portable DVD player that I am going to mount in a custom console just forward of the new rear seats' console. This is just the ticket for long roadtrips with the wife - she is a media junkie, so she can sit back there and watch movies all day long on our roadtrips. I also have ordered a limited-slip differential off of eBay, but I have not yet received it.
That's about all the mods I have in mind. The car looks completely stock - and it really is. I'm not interested in spoilers, 18-inch wheels, or "bumpin" stereo systems, and I have no desire to "pimp" my ride in any way. I just want a comfortable, reliable car that makes long roadtrips fun. I commute about thirty miles each way every day, and the 420 makes the trip a pleasure.
I see from the posts that this is a very lively board, with a broad range of opinions, and a lot of solid advice. I look forward to visiting often.
-Robert
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Robert Lloyd, and I live in Laguna Niguel, California. I am "middle-aged", to say no more, and I am a Web Developer and Network Engineer by trade.
I have a 1987 420SEL that I dearly love. It is white with a grey interior, and it has 290k miles on it, and has had the heads and timing parts replaced. I just got it back from the shop where it had a transmission rebuild and the sunroof and trunk lid replaced. I have also replaced all the brake parts, the radiator, AC condenser and receiver/drier, power steering gearbox, shocks, rear springs, steering dampener ("shock absorber"), monovalve kit, cruise control amplifier and actuator, climate control controller, several ACC vacuum "solenoids", front passenger seat, and a a few other "odds & ends".
I have also made a few selected upgrades to the car. I went up to 215/60R-15 Michelin "Pilot" tires (from the stock 205/60R-15) - these are on the stock chrome wheels with "modifier center caps" - the ones that cover the lug nuts. I installed "Euro" headlights and the in-dash adjuster (very cool! - does anyone know where I can get a set of the Euro headlight wipers?) A thicker-than-stock hood pad for an SDL model keeps the noise down and the hood cool. I replaced the stereo the previous owner had in the car with a Sony CDX-M8800 frontend (it has a plain black front panel that is mostly display) and a 10-CD MP3 changer, as well as an XM receiver and an auxilliary input adapter in the trunk. I also added a Clarion SRV-303 7-inch powered subwoofer under the rear seat and upgraded the front speakers. I am going to upgrade the rear speakers as soon as I figure out how I want to do it... the stock speakers have a strange mount.
I also put in an Escort Passport SR7 concealed radar/laser detector - this has laser receivers front and rear as well as the front radar receiver. The control/display unit mounts quite nicely in the "coin tray" (between the ashtray and the console shifter wood) from a 126 with heated seats, and there is nothing visible from outside the car. I also added a Zebrano-wood console box, where the remotes for the stereo and radar detector are mounted, just under my hand when I use the armrest.
After a drive in an S500, I fell in love with GPS navigation - especially in a congested area like Southern California - so I put in a Magellan RoadMate 700 GPS nav system on a custom dash-top mount. These things are great - I find it difficult to imagine not having one now.
The newer "auto-dimming" rear-view mirrors are just too cool, so I put one of those in also. Nobody seems to make a mount for the 126s for these, and I did not want the "button" on the windshield, so I bought a used 126 rearview off eBay and mounted the auto-dimming mirror to the mounting post.
The rear seat reading lights in our cars don't work all that well, so I added two 18" LED gooseneck lamps on the rear package shelf. They are "Littlite" units, and can be switched on to shine either red or white. Very handy.
I have a set of "limo-style" rear seats - individually adjustable buckets with a center console - sitting in my garage. I need to re-cover them - they are tan. That project is on hold for a while. I also have a portable DVD player that I am going to mount in a custom console just forward of the new rear seats' console. This is just the ticket for long roadtrips with the wife - she is a media junkie, so she can sit back there and watch movies all day long on our roadtrips. I also have ordered a limited-slip differential off of eBay, but I have not yet received it.
That's about all the mods I have in mind. The car looks completely stock - and it really is. I'm not interested in spoilers, 18-inch wheels, or "bumpin" stereo systems, and I have no desire to "pimp" my ride in any way. I just want a comfortable, reliable car that makes long roadtrips fun. I commute about thirty miles each way every day, and the 420 makes the trip a pleasure.
I see from the posts that this is a very lively board, with a broad range of opinions, and a lot of solid advice. I look forward to visiting often.
-Robert
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