Best Smoker Barges 1-5 large [Vol 7]

[schuey]

For those of you who love a W124 (i.e 95% of thread contributors!),I have put a thread in readers rides for the shed of the week 300CE.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[0a]

Here is the post that R129sl very kindly made for me and I have passed onto others for my 300e 4 door. Obviously some of the ebay links may not be current but everything else will be very helpful reading (thanks again!)

r129sl on barge thread said:

Aerial.
If yours is an original Hirschmann (look at the end of the mast for a stylised 'h'), then this is your man: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/car-masts-uk-shop and in all probability this is your mast: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Merc-W123-W124-S... and if you need the whole kit and caboodle (which is unlikely), then this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Genuine-Hirschm...

Buy lots of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Electric-Aerial... (I buy 3doz at a time).

Rear suspension links
Lemförder do a kit, part number 33500 01. It includes 4 links for each side plus the mounting hardware.
£180 here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REAR-SUSPENSION-CONTROL-...

Rear subframe bushes
Front pair, Lemförder 10984 01, £12 for the pair here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-C-CLASS-W2...
Rear pair, Lemförder 10982 01, £17.50 for the pair here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-E-CLASS-W1...


Front suspension, lower control arm
Lemförder 10973 02 and 10974 02
£149 each here: http://www.bestpartstore.co.uk/1242760
But see these analogous parts here: http://www.findpart.org/part/lem-1097302
Febi Bilstein 05023 here for £100 (but the ad has lapsed): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-Saloon-W12...

Front suspension, other
Strut top mounts, Lemförder 10969 02, £32 each here Lemförder 10969 02; Febi Bilstein 08669, £18 each here http://www.sparepartstore24.co.uk/1870782-febi-bil... I've used the Febis in the past and they were great.
Anti-roll bar bushes, just get from the dealer.

Steering links
L track rod Lemförder 10725 02 £29 here http://www.bestpartstore.co.uk/1242364
R track rod
Centre link Lemförder 10766 01 £32 here http://www.mister-auto.co.uk/en/side-rod/lemforder... but shop round
Idler arm bush
Shock

I've run out of time and will return to this. But here is the ZF catalogue. http://webcat.zf.com/index.asp?SPR=4 With this, www.findpart.org and google, you can't go wrong.

Edit: which bit of exhaust is knackered? There are some NOS Bosal items on Ebay at the moment for a song. And I got Eberspacher parts from Euro Car Parts for seriously cheap prices.

Further edit:

New old stock
These sites are good for NOS (new old stock) genuine MB parts but they are not very well organised:
www.starpartz.co.uk
http://cart.euromercmercedesparts.co.uk

High quality, discounted after market
Here you will find good aftermarket parts for your particular car (i.e. a 300E, 124.030 with 188bhp). But be careful that you pick parts from respectable manufacturers and then, in the terms and conditions, make sure you tick the box which does not allow them to substitute equivalent parts from other manufacturers when fulfilling your order. http://www.rexbo.eu/mercedes/saloon-w124-84/300-e-...
For example, here is a Febi Bilstein rear link kit http://www.rexbo.eu/febi/rod-strut-wheel-suspensio...

Here is a similar outfit, again, already set for your car: http://www.onlinecarparts.co.uk/car-brands/spare-p...
An example, the Lemförder lower control arm: http://www.onlinecarparts.co.uk/lemforder-1242760....

And another: http://www.mister-auto.co.uk/en/mercedes-benz-salo...

This place specialises in cheap aftermarket parts for the German taxi market: http://www.te-taxiteile.com/Mercedes-Teile/W124-Bj...

Sensible worklist — I have marked the big wins with a star
Front
Lower control arms (but only if necessary)
Shocks*
Shock top mounts
Springs (but only if necessary)
Anti-roll bar bushes and brackets

Steering
Idler arm bush*
Centre link
Track rods
Steering damper

Rear end
Shocks
Springs (if necessary)
Front pair subframe bushes*
Rear pair subframe bushes (only if necessary)
Link kit
Control arm bushes (only if necessary)
Diff mount bushes (if you're having the subframe lowered, you might as well)
Anti roll bar bushes (these can get dry and then they can eventually tear their mounting points off the floor of the car)

If you did all of this (I seem to recall you have done the shocks), you will have a car that drives as good as new and is better than 99% of the 124s out there. Hell, it will be better than 99% of all but the newest cars out there. It is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on an old and essentially worthless car but it wouldn't buy you much by way of alternative. Of course, it all depends on how much money is worth to you. Just to set my parameters, I also figure I can stand £500 without too much trouble, but £1,000 I have to think about and any more than that is going to hurt.

A good mechanic could do this work in a day. Most of it you could do yourself on the drive with minimal specialist tools (just watch those springs) so long as you live close to a suspension alignment centre! It's just nuts and bolts and brute force.

Less sensible—maybe next time
Engine and transmission mounts
Propshaft centre bearing
Propshaft dampers

I have never had any problems with—and use without hesitation—parts from ATE Braking, Behr-Hella, Bilstein, Febi Bilstein, Lemförder, Sachs/Boge, ZF Group. These people make them for Merc anyway. Their catalogues are very helpful:

http://www.ate-brakes.com/www/ate_de_en/themes/20_...
http://www.behrhellaservice.com/behrhellaservice-c...
http://www.bilstein.de/en-uk/products/search-servi...
http://www.febi-parts.com/vehicle.php?r_manufactur...
http://webcat.zf.com/index.asp?SPR=4

Edit
Febi lower control arms, £90. Given that these include a ball joint and the mounting bushes and given that the Merc part is £300, these are a bargain. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-05023-MERCEDES-200T...

Febi rear suspension link kit, £141. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-17300-MERCEDES-300E...

I have bought from this seller and he was ok.

Now, I can't get obsessed with finding your parts but you're probably figuring out how it works. Basically you use catalogues to find part numbers then google and Ebay to find vendors.

Edited by r129sl on Saturday 12th April 11:53

I was speaking to a poster via email this weekend and he asked what I would have done differently. As, in my case, I use a mechanic to do the work, I would have done everything on R129's list. My car wanted for brake and fuel lines, so the whole underside of the car was dismantled. I ended up pausing the project and buying extra bits - with hindsight I would buy everything up front and have had it ready (in the end we purchased some of the optional parts from merc - and I can tell you 'just this bit', and 'just that bit' gets expensive very quickly!)

[devnull]

Have we had this yet?

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/221536951285

22k mile 230e.

[SuperHangOn]

Mad price. If the mileage is legit and it has sat around for yonks, you could spunk thousands getting that useable again (recommissioning in classic car speak) . Anything and everything rubber (stem seals!), coolant system corrosion etc.

[0a]

Pretty car. But no 6 cylinder, it's a 4 door, and has no leather or AC.

W124s are fantastic at being used, this is simply unused. It will still need all the rubber suspension parts replaced, and any other issues with not being driven will also need to be addressed.

[0a]

This looks rather nice (high end of budget though) http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C534984

[Sterillium]

Five litres of Merc well into thread budget...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

[dscam]

harry kular said:

SpeckledJim said:

It's a bit ITV though, isn't it.

Have you seen Slippery's garden?

This is clearly not a chap who wears shiny 3/4 length trousers.
He thinks Lonsdale is probably a terrier of some sort.
He doesn't know what a McFlurry is.

That's a cracker!

"It's a bit ITV" is a fantastic term of derision! Will have to use this at the next opportunity

[hornetrider]

Sterillium said:

Five litres of Merc well into thread budget...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

Wow. Awesome.

[slippery]

The 500 SE has gone to its new home, which will probably be a pretty temporary one, as it went to a local trader that I have known for a couple of decades. He says he is going to drive it for a while and sent me a text tonight to say what a lovely car it was.

[Biglips]

My old S124 E36

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/181513745424

I loved this car! Would buy it back if I had any storage space.

[dom9]

Sterillium said:

Five litres of Merc well into thread budget...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

That looks lovely and I can't spot any rust in the arches, in those pics - looks very clean!

However, with those miles (although I guess most would argue it's barely run in and it doesn't look worn inside) - is it a bit pricey?

Nice wheels too

Is the Airmatic suspension good for these distances or will it need a good looking over in case it's hiding large bills?

Edited by dom9 on Tuesday 2nd September 08:35

[idiotgap]

Biglips said:

My old S124 E36

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/181513745424

I loved this car! Would buy it back if I had any storage space.

idiotgap said:

It was the W124 day today at the Haynes museum, good barge day out! There was one of the 7 RHD AMG S124s up for sale for I think 3.5k.

oh - was this the one I saw on Sunday at the W124 day?

[Biglips]

Yep that's the one

[cat220]

hornetrider said:

Sterillium said:

Five litres of Merc well into thread budget...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

Wow. Awesome.

That does look nice, it's been on and off Autotrader for the past year though.

[BigBen]

dom9 said:

Sterillium said:

Five litres of Merc well into thread budget...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

That looks lovely and I can't spot any rust in the arches, in those pics - looks very clean!

However, with those miles (although I guess most would argue it's barely run in and it doesn't look worn inside) - is it a bit pricey?

Nice wheels too

Is the Airmatic suspension good for these distances or will it need a good looking over in case it's hiding large bills?

Edited by dom9 on Tuesday 2nd September 08:35

That has been for sale for ages now, at least since about 2 hours after I bought mine (wanted a V8 could not find one so settled on a diesel). It is missing Command which is a bit mean of the original owner.

Airmatic can have problems but no where near as worrisome as ABC suspension.

I think it is a bit pricey but does sound good, you would also have to factor in travel to Inverness. A colleague also bought a W211 estate at the same time as me and we both agree they are fantastic cars, very strong all rounders

Ben

[dom9]

BigBen said:

Airmatic can have problems but no where near as worrisome as ABC suspension.

Cheers Ben... This is good stuff!

I noticed it was a LONG way from me (Epsom, Surrey), which made me wonder whether it was worth a look...

Command isn't so important to me but condition (obviously) is, especially rust/ suspension, if I was to travel that far for a look!

[S3_Graham]

cat220 said:

S3_Graham said:

cat220 said:

Managed to get the w210 washed over the weekend, not a brilliant picture but just happy to see it clean...

extremely nice. Dont think i'll ever tire of the noise!

Mine goes into the indy tomorrow. fingers crossed it comes out with a clean bill of health. Although the exhaust has developed a bit of a blow

Addictive isn't it! I'm contemplating the secondary cat delete although I don't want it too loud.

Hope all goes well tomorrow!

erm. possibly regretting asking for a thorough inspection.

Expensive.

Expensive appears to be the word of the day.

One front wish bone - bushes are shot, replacement advised for the pair. £177 each!
Exhaust clamp
forward lower, rear subframe bushes are beginning to go. 5 hours labour!
fuel leak
Oil leak
Discs on the front a below spec, (small lip which I thought was fine but apparently not!)
Pads non Merc part and causing the clonk i'm getting when I reverse and stop
Front tyres are low, caused by the wish bones - knew about this

Think that's it. In for a penny in for a pound. Still think its a lot of car for the total investment!

[cat220]

S3_Graham said:

cat220 said:

S3_Graham said:

cat220 said:

Managed to get the w210 washed over the weekend, not a brilliant picture but just happy to see it clean...

extremely nice. Dont think i'll ever tire of the noise!

Mine goes into the indy tomorrow. fingers crossed it comes out with a clean bill of health. Although the exhaust has developed a bit of a blow

Addictive isn't it! I'm contemplating the secondary cat delete although I don't want it too loud.

Hope all goes well tomorrow!

erm. possibly regretting asking for a thorough inspection.

Expensive.

Expensive appears to be the word of the day.

One front wish bone - bushes are shot, replacement advised for the pair. £177 each!
Exhaust clamp
forward lower, rear subframe bushes are beginning to go. 5 hours labour!
fuel leak
Oil leak
Discs on the front a below spec, (small lip which I thought was fine but apparently not!)
Pads non Merc part and causing the clonk i'm getting when I reverse and stop
Front tyres are low, caused by the wish bones - knew about this

Think that's it. In for a penny in for a pound. Still think its a lot of car for the total investment!

Looking at the positives, a lot of the work once done will last for a long time to come. So hopefully should be trouble free for a while. Mine is due an MOT in December so will see what that throws. (had the gearbox oil and spark plugs done just before I bought it)

[sam303]

Hello fellow bargists. I have been driving a BMW 745i for the past year (bought from a previous volume of the smoker barge thread!) and am now about to complete the time-honoured petrolhead process of 1) buying a car 2) investing thousands into fixing what’s wrong with it, and then 3) selling at a significant loss

Think I got the 745 at about the same time as E65Ross got his and immediately had to fix the ‘E65 coolant leak’ issue (google it, unless you own a 745i or 545i, in which case on no account google it unless you want sleepless nights), which I did using a top quality kit from America that permanently solves the problem whilst only costing a small fortune as opposed to the medium-size one that BMW want for the fix. Since then, and once I’d sorted out some worn suspension parts, and replaced all the tyres, it’s been brilliant. However I have come into some cash since then and now want to move on to a new barge, hence this post.

I am thinking about an Audi A8, either the 4.2 petrol V8, perhaps the diesel V8, or maybe even the 6.0 W12. It's not too ostentatious, and I really like the interior. My eventual purchase will likely be out of thread budget but I was wondering if anyone here is running, or has run, one of these beasts? It would be the D3 i.e. second generation, 2002-2009 model. Any obvious pitfalls – I know the autobox on the Audi S6 was prone to the same fault as with the E39 5-series – anyone know whether the D3 A8 uses the same box? And – anything else to look out for?