[jmiller689]

Restoring my 86 190e 8v 5 speed

Finally getting into the restoration of my 86 190e 5 speed. I bought the car for $1000 with a wrecked passenger side door and fender and a lot of aftermarket parts. I scored a new door and fender at the local pull a part for $50 and a complete perfect dash for $50 as well, the dash was a lucky find. The car came equipped with h&r springs and sway bars, adjustable strut tower bars, Bilstein Sport shocks, Bosch Euro headlights and hella smoked taillights. I know it's an 8valve but I've grown pretty attached to it much like my 89 300e and I figure if I put $2000 in it with me doing all the work I'll still only have $3000 in it. Since I'm an automotive painter I'm going to replace the rocker panels which have rust at the jack points and respray the whole car after all the suspension and underhood work is done. Here's the list of new parts I already have

Plugs
wires
cap and rotor
New injectors and seals
valve cover gasket
oil pan gasket
serpentine belt
belt tensioner
belt tensioner shock
timing chain and guides
Motor mounts
tranny mount
All new radiator hoses
thermostat
overflow tank
washer fluid tank
ac compressor
ac condenser
ac drier
hood pad
strut mounts
ball joints
center link
tie rods
steering dampener shock
wheel bearings and seals front and rear
control arm bushings front and rear
400e brakes front and rear
cross drilled slotted rotors
stainless braided brake hoses
new parking brake shoes and cable
new sachs clutch kit
rear suspension link kit
adjustable rear camber arms
flex discs
new magnaflow exhaust with hi flow cat
new steel rocker panels


This is what I've got so far and I plan to have all the engine and suspension stuff done in about a month just because I'm sending parts out to the powder coater as I get them off, such as control arms, sway bars, springs and wheels. Then I plan to tackle the paint and body to be done by spring so I can just hopefully drive it this summer and work on the 300. I'll post pics of my progress as I go along.

 

[Turnpike]

looking good...what kind of rims are those?

 

[1984babybenz]

looks good. Where did you get the rocker panels? Mine are have rust around the jack holes also.

 

[silarrow]

Hat off the die hard 190 fans..keep up good work ..you have a good w201 with 5 speed here..and it's a lucky car in your hand, color : smoke silver ???:beerchugr:

 

[Benznoob26]

wow good luck and nice find, are you going to do the valve stem/seals? it'd be pretty cool if you took a lot of pictures of the paint job:thumbsup:

 

[zephyrueffer]

Nice looking car with nice looking rims

 

[jmiller689]

Thanks. They are DTM copies I got on ebay new from RVM Wheels and on sale for only $200. I wanted to buy another set but they discontinued them. They're going to the powder coater in a couple of weeks and have them done in a dark satin gunmetal.

 

[jmiller689]

Thanks. I am doing the valve stems and seals. I will take very detailed pics of the paint and body process as I do with all my restorations.

 

[jmiller689]

I got the rockers from

84-93 Mercedes 190 Body Panels from Sherman at Andy's Auto Sport

Somebody posted the site on the forum. I had given up on finding them and was just going to fabricate my own like I've done before but this will save me a lot of time. People give out some really good info on here.

 

[Benznoob26]

hell the rims/headlights/taillights/rack were easily more than $1k. what's the mileage? all it sounds like it will need is a system

 

[jmiller689]

The mileage is really unknown because the odometer didn't work and I don't think the mileage on the title is right either. I'm going to run a car fax and see if I can try to figure out the mileage as close as I can. The car will have a nice infinity system with a pioneer deh7200 head unit.