[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Call me old-school (and maybe one of the minority), but I find the old alloys(?) looked nicer. Still, the newer ones grows on you - from the first picture that you posted to the last one, I was already starting to like them.

The original wheels are steelies + hub caps.

[Utopian]

This is one stellar looking car. Congrats for addition of such a looker in your garage. Any mods planned for the interiors

[bamaboy]

Originally Posted by GTO

Congratulations on owning one of the most iconic & legendary cars ever sold in India. Your W124 is going to our homepage today .

Thank you for such an honour. I'll be adding some more posts on rolling restoration and maintenance of this car.

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Congratulations man! You picked the right car. I have interacted with Viraat on WhatsApp and know his passion for the W124. I am sure he will be happy after reading this thread, there is nothing better than seeing your car in the hands of an enthusiast. Good job on the lower springs, they have changed the stance completely. Happy mile munching with the W124.

Thanks! I would'nt have dared to buy a W124 had it not been this car. Euro spec springs plus Sportline shocks are perfect combination. Its not aftermarket(Eibach or H&R) kind of low and it doesn't scrape or compromise driveability on rough roads.

Originally Posted by kamilharis

Congratulations for this beauty my friend !

The small and subtle modifications you had done looks perfect and classy for the car.

Every now and then I convince myself by saying "OK, Stop searching for a W124 to buy, this is not the car for 2020."

But man, some people like you keeps buying and rule the roads with it, and it again fires up the desire to own a W124!!

Thanks! Mods are minimal. I didn't want it to be overdone.
Buy a W124 only if you have enough passion & time to fix gremlins and have a really good FNG. Ownership won't be a fairytale but trust me it will be very much rewarding.

Originally Posted by TheGearBox

That's a great look for the W124, classic yet modern. Congrats on the new ride.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by CountryDriver

Congratulations on the new ride bamaboy. The car surely looks killer with the new rims and suspension changes.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Fabulous! I know exactly what you mean by it feeling analogue. I so want an analogue car in my life. Congrats!!

Thanks! This car has a completely different feel and character.

Originally Posted by bajica

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...419_104846.jpg

This pic says it all..... A Superb car with an enthusiast.
May you enjoy the car for a long time to come.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Viraat13

Rahul bhai, so happy to see you here. I never made a thread about my car, yet here it is!

Thank you for taking such good care of the car, it always makes me happy and I know that I did the right thing.

I'm lucky to have a friend like you. This thread is straight from the heart.

Originally Posted by sterlingsilver

Wow!! You picked the perfect ride and the perfect upgrades!!

The last couple of pics were ABSOLUTELY droolworthy and easy to ga-ga over!!

Absolute best mix of the vintage, lineage, ride and most minimal upgrades to make it 2020 ready! Wish you lots of great miles in this fab ride!

Thank you! I wanted this car to be Mafia spec. Perfect car to flex on the streets.

Originally Posted by turbowhistle

What a lovely thread to start Monday morning. Took away all the blues from it. The car looks epic and have subscribed to see further upgrades.

I hope you will make it Gangsta spec Only thing I would suggest is to get a darker shade on wheels ( matte black or anthracite).

Cheers!

Thanks! Gun Metal Grey is a very good option. I like Hyper Silver more. Contrasts to the body colour and forgiving when dirty.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Thanks for penning this down - that's a beautiful car and it has aged so well.

Call me old-school (and maybe one of the minority), but I find the old alloys(?) looked nicer. Still, the newer ones grows on you - from the first picture that you posted to the last one, I was already starting to like them.

Btw tivia moment - that Auto India image has an interesting bike comparison

Hero Honda Splendor vs Bajaj 4S Champion vs Enfield Diesel!

I wonder how that comparison fared!

Thank you for your kind words. Old wheels are steelies with plastic caps. I have retained them. Alloys indeed grow on you and looks better in flesh.

Originally Posted by sheelRP

Congrats mate, one of most beautiful nerds we had in india and with superb engineering, TELCO days. Wishing you happy ownership with the iconic MB.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Utopian

This is one stellar looking car. Congrats for addition of such a looker in your garage. Any mods planned for the interiors

Thanks! Interior is all original Black Leather. No more mods required. I will cover them in future posts.

[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by bamaboy

Following parts were replaced :
- Tie Rods (Meyle)
- Ball Joints (Febi-Bilstein)
-

Congratulations on your project car. If at all, I have learnt one thing about DIY on old German cars esp. BMWs, Mercs, replacing a new part in the suspension components will only solve half the problem and probably not the root cause. Because, the other half which one have to keep in mind is How you replaced the new part. Because, the workskop manuals provide a very detailed way in which you have to preload the car, while tightening the suspension components and in most cases a wheel alignment is absolutely necessary after replacing critical components connecting the upright. Hope it was taken care of in your case.

Cheers.

[lifeat100k]

Heartfelt thanks for starting this thread. Just saw the photo on the homepage and immediately i subscribed the thread. Did it even before reading the second line. Right from my school days this car has always stayed with me. While cycling to my school every day i used to see a Bright Red W124! Would somehow manage to be on the right time on the road to see the red beauty everyday! What a timeless shape it has. Someday i want to own one that is what is making me go through all the threads of this lovely car. Congratulations! Really appreciate and happy that you could fulfill your dream of owning this beauty. Now let me savour the pleasure of reading about one of my most loved cars.😊✌

[parrys]

What a beautiful machine.
Could you share more pictures of the interiors please?

Also, if you could add a cost sheet, on how much the vehicle cost + the total set of upgrades till date. Will help us dreamers plan for the future.

Keep it running, and keep clicking as many pictures possible.

[51morris]

Originally Posted by bamaboy

I profoundly remember my Dad showing me this cover of Auto India magazine featuring Mercedes-Benz W124 E Class way back in 1995 and telling me "One day, I'll buy this car.":

Attachment 2049741

Now that, sir, is a beauty! The W124 is one of the most timeless Mercs in my mind and yours looks stunning!

I am torn between the stock steelies and the alloys! The steelies complement the "tank like" build quality of the W124 (like the steel discs on a Harley Davidson Fatboy) and the alloys give it a propah-gangsta look!

Enjoy the car and keep us updated with more pictures of this timeless beauty.

Cheers,
Praveen

[bamaboy]

Originally Posted by carthick1000

Congratulations on your project car. If at all, I have learnt one thing about DIY on old German cars esp. BMWs, Mercs, replacing a new part in the suspension components will only solve half the problem and probably not the root cause. Because, the other half which one have to keep in mind is How you replaced the new part. Because, the workskop manuals provide a very detailed way in which you have to preload the car, while tightening the suspension components and in most cases a wheel alignment is absolutely necessary after replacing critical components connecting the upright. Hope it was taken care of in your case.

Cheers.

Thanks! You are correct. I've got the arms and suspension tightened on the ground(not on the lift). Also alignment has been done thrice since March 2019 with every update. Alignment data for Indian spec W124 and Euro spec W124 are different. I'm currently on European W124 alignment parameters.

Originally Posted by lifeat100k

Heartfelt thanks for starting this thread. Just saw the photo on the homepage and immediately i subscribed the thread. Did it even before reading the second line. Right from my school days this car has always stayed with me. While cycling to my school every day i used to see a Bright Red W124! Would somehow manage to be on the right time on the road to see the red beauty everyday! What a timeless shape it has. Someday i want to own one that is what is making me go through all the threads of this lovely car. Congratulations! Really appreciate and happy that you could fulfill your dream of owning this beauty. Now let me savour the pleasure of reading about one of my most loved cars.😊✌

Thank you for your kind words. I wish you good luck finding your dream 124.

Originally Posted by parrys

What a beautiful machine.
Could you share more pictures of the interiors please?

Also, if you could add a cost sheet, on how much the vehicle cost + the total set of upgrades till date. Will help us dreamers plan for the future.

Keep it running, and keep clicking as many pictures possible.

Thanks! I've spent overall around 5.5 lacs till now. More pics coming up.

Originally Posted by 51morris

Now that, sir, is a beauty! The W124 is one of the most timeless Mercs in my mind and yours looks stunning!

I am torn between the stock steelies and the alloys! The steelies complement the "tank like" build quality of the W124 (like the steel discs on a Harley Davidson Fatboy) and the alloys give it a propah-gangsta look!

Enjoy the car and keep us updated with more pictures of this timeless beauty.

Cheers,
Praveen

Thanks! Wheels do change the stance and character of this car.

[Aafaq]

Congratulations!
This surely is one of the good looking classic cars.
But somehow I personally like this car with those old stock wheels caps with big Mercedes logo. Now that they have been changed to after market alloy wheels, I suggest you change the Hub caps to the one's having Mercedes logo, something as shown below.



Keep updating the thread.

Cheers!

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by bamaboy

More updates on brakes, headlight and paint restoration coming.

Beautiful car Bamaboy! It looks stunning riding on the Lowered European Suspension height and those wheels. Kudos to you and BHPian Viraat13 for maintaining it so well. All I feel it needs is the Wheel Caps to be changed & a mild paint-restoration job. Please keep this thread updated as you progress on with your ownership.

[Vikram74]

Lovely looking W124 !!

Mine is presently work in progress hope to share a few pictures soon.

[Prakritij]

Congratulations on the W124. Looks absolute gangsta. Reminds me of movies with Russian mafia. Don't mind me, but looks really droolworthy.

[Entsurgeon]

Kudos for your hard work and passion. Its stories like these that make tbhp experience worthwhile.
How silent/refined is engine as compared to modern diesels and petrols?

[bamaboy]

I also got the Engine Oil service done in September 2019 while changing the Springs. Got the following stuff :
- Petronas 20w50 Mineral Oil - 6L
- Hengst Oil Filter (E142H D21)
- Mann Air Filter (C29144)
- Bosch Spark Plugs (FR8DC)

I opted for thicker mineral oil on Viraat13's recommedation. He has been using this grade(20w50) since 2010. Bosch Spark plugs were also arranged by him.









Condition of old Air Filter and Spark Plugs :





Brakes on this car have been done in stages. I initially changed the brake pads with new ones. Again Viraat13 helped me sourcing new old stock genuine MB parts :















Brakes were also bled after replacing with new pads. Braking with new pads had a very incremental improvement. I was not happy with the outcome. This was proving to be an "Achilles' heel". The front rotors had developed grooves on them. Rear rotors were looking pretty bad, they had surface rust and pitted. Although they did have enough meat(thickness). I immediately ordered new Front Rotors. These were sourced from UAE supplier so took almost a month to arrive :

- Textar 92031900 (Made in Germany). These are OEM quality and have very good reviews in European market.









I also got the Rear Rotors sanded and painted the calipers and hub to matte black. Since Rear Rotors had enough thickness, my mechanic suggested to wait and see if the surface rust diminish with usage.







The car also had developed Oil seepage from the Steering Box. I believe the seepage caused due to changing to lowered springs. :





W124 has a box type hydraulic power steering unit. The system is old and inefficient than modern Rack & Pinion steering assembly. Power Steering Box has numerous oil seals which harden over age developing oil seepage or leakage. To fix it, I bought :

- Febi Bilstein Power Steering Box Reseal Kit (06470)
- Hengst Power Steering Oil Filter (E26H)
- Valvoline TASA Fluid Power Steering Oil - 2L







The old PS fluid was drained. My mechanic didn't wanted to take out the steering box assembly so he changed two main oil seals from below which were accessible to him. We also replaced PS Oil Filter with new one. The first one liter PS fluid was used to flush out the system to remove any sludge/dirt from the box. After flushing we filled around 600ml to the system.

Did it fixed the seepage?
Answer : No.

The PS box wasn't properly rebuilt. Changing only two oil seals didn't fix the oil seepage. My mechanic wasn't capable enough of doing the job. The seepage(not leakage) is still there albeit very minimal. I need to do PS fluid top-up of about 10ml every two months and currently living with it till I find a good mechanic who can rebuild the box keeping all the steering calibrations in check. One good thing about this service is that sloppiness in the Steering is gone and it has become lighter and smooth at low speeds.

Did the Front Brake Rotor upgrade improved braking performance?
Answer : Yes but still not upto the mark. I still felt the lacuna and clumsiness. The brakes still were spongy. I thought they were not bled properly but my mechanic double checked for any air in the system.

I drove the car another three months and after doing some more reasearch on the braking issue, I found out that all four Brake hose in my W124 are from factory and never have been replaced. These hydraulic hoses were not leaking but have seen better days. These were the reason of poor braking performance due to loss in braking pressure. Rear hoses would also balloon out while braking resulting in more pressure loss. Which also led more surface rust at the rear Brake Rotors.

I bought new LPR(Italy) & Febi Bilstein(German) hoses for Front and Rear, respectively. These were very good quality and both had the same hose hydraulic pressure ratings and EU standards.











These were replaced and DOT 4 brake oil topped up and bled.
I was able to make out the improvement in braking immediately after taking out the car from workshop. The brakes felt eager, effortless and no more spongy. Changing the hoses have a tremendous improvement in braking performance and now the brakes feel like a modern Mercedes-Benz. They have also improved high speed confidence in this car. Rear brakes are very much efficient now. The Rear Brake Rotors are under observation, I will change or skim these at a later stage.

More updates to follow..

[bamaboy]

Originally Posted by Aafaq

Congratulations!
This surely is one of the good looking classic cars.
But somehow I personally like this car with those old stock wheels caps with big Mercedes logo. Now that they have been changed to after market alloy wheels, I suggest you change the Hub caps to the one's having Mercedes logo, something as shown below.

Keep updating the thread.

Cheers!

Thanks! I'd changed the center caps to modern MB ones during suspension job. This is how they look :







Following your advise, I've placed order for the same center caps(silver with MB logo) on Aliexpress. Will update once I receive and install them.

Originally Posted by akash_v12

Beautiful car Bamaboy! It looks stunning riding on the Lowered European Suspension height and those wheels. Kudos to you and BHPian Viraat13 for maintaining it so well. All I feel it needs is the Wheel Caps to be changed & a mild paint-restoration job. Please keep this thread updated as you progress on with your ownership.

Thanks. I will update on paint restoration. Also will be logging all updates. This is how it looks now:

Originally Posted by Vikram74

Lovely looking W124 !!

Mine is presently work in progress hope to share a few pictures soon.

Thanks. Do share your build.

Originally Posted by Prakritij

Congratulations on the W124. Looks absolute gangsta. Reminds me of movies with Russian mafia. Don't mind me, but looks really droolworthy.

Thanks! Mafia and Yakuza loved their W124s and W140s.

Originally Posted by Entsurgeon

Kudos for your hard work and passion. Its stories like these that make tbhp experience worthwhile.
How silent/refined is engine as compared to modern diesels and petrols?

Thanks. The engine was rough and higher NVH when I got the car. I have changed many parts related to fuel and ignition and switched to a thinner Oil now and still working on it. I can say it is much refined and smooth then what it used to be. Still you can not compare the NVH levels to a modern MB. I'll soon update the work done.