Titivating my Mercedes 124
Discussion
kamilb1998 said:
Not sure if this is your kind of thing but I personally think it would compliment your collection rather well. It's an estate based on a 560 SEC offered in an upcoming RM Sotheby's auction. Some fussy, awkward details aside as is commonplace with these kinds of conversions, I think it looks rather interesting.
https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az21/arizona/lo...
Nice. But there’s something missing from the photos in the ad. Tulips? Where’s CdeG when you need him? Is it Friday yet?https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az21/arizona/lo...
Blackpuddin said:
loudlashadjuster said:
I replaced whatever my 300TD had with a Hirschmann 2050, fitted perfectly.
This is interesting info, was/is yours a straight non turbo W124 E300 estate? Only asking because the exact model seems to make a difference when it comes to aerials for these old Mercs. Quick service today, oil, oil filter and fuel filter. I have switched to Hengst filters from autodoc.co.uk. They seem slightly better than the Mann equivalent. The Merc ones I noticed are Hengst, at least in this application. I have also started using this Mannol oil, it is very cheap and is delivered whereas the Triple QX stuff necessitates a trip to Eurocarparts which increasingly I have less time to do. £36 for 20 litres delivered to the door: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-Litre-Mannol-10w40-S...
As always, the main ball ache was getting the under tray off. I notice the suspension fluid is too high and I think I'll swap out the power steering fluid and filter. Jobs for tomorrow. Mileage is 412,491.
As always, the main ball ache was getting the under tray off. I notice the suspension fluid is too high and I think I'll swap out the power steering fluid and filter. Jobs for tomorrow. Mileage is 412,491.
I changed to summer tyres today. While it was off the ground on stands I also changed the differential fluid. What came out is either two or three years old, not sure which; it was very clean, much cleaner than the black gloop that came out of the G-wagen's diffs last weekend (I still have the transfer case to do on the G-wagen).
Today I treated myself to a Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB stereo to replace the utterly hideous Pioneer Fruit Machine that I installed on a temporary basis about two years ago when the Becker went bad. Expecting a big wiring job, I also sprang some cash on various bits and bobs of soldering equipment. Even though it hasn't been delivered and even though I am up to my eyes with work, when the nanny went home at 4.30pm, boy one and I set about steps preparatory to installation.
I ordered the Blaupunkt from Amazon for safety's sake and for quick delivery, even if it was £20 more than some other vendors: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XVMBKW4/ref... It looks great:
This Alpine KTP-445U compact Class D amplifier has been reinstalled in the front passenger footwell. It is not the most powerful amp in the world at 45w per channel RMS but that is twice what the Blaupunkt headunit puts out. It is very well reviewed here: https://soundcertified.com/alpine-ktp-445u-review/
I expected a wiring nightmare but it was all surprisingly OK.The Blaupunkt will connect to the Alpine amplifier by two Amazon Basics RCA cables: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01D5H8P0G/ref... (I do love Amazon Basics and Amazon Essentials). The output lead from the amplifier is fitted with an ISO female plug end so it can be connected straight into the factory speaker wiring harness which would usually plug into the back of the radio:
There is already a 12v feed from the battery. I need to tap into the 12v switched accessory supply. This has been butchered in the past. My intention is to tidy it up and tap in with a Scotchlok connector. That's a job for tomorrow evening when all bits have arrived. In the meantime we took the opportunity to remove a load of unused wiring:
I will also fit a black USB to Lightening lead to the rear of the new headunit and run the Lightening end either into the glovebox or into the centre console tray. The former is tidier. The latter more convenient. As I type I have had a brainwave. I could connect it to a wireless charger which I would put under the carpet in the centre console tray. Genius. Do you thing it will work? How close does a wireless charger have to be to the phone? Hmm, not sure about this.
The boy dismantled the old Pioneer. There is hardly anything inside it. It was a delight to see him carefully pull it apart to destruction.
Edit: scratch the wireless charger idea as I do not think the wattage will be sufficient to drive a wireless charging pad.
Edited again: this was the hideous Pioneer. Apologies if you have one and love it.
I ordered the Blaupunkt from Amazon for safety's sake and for quick delivery, even if it was £20 more than some other vendors: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XVMBKW4/ref... It looks great:
This Alpine KTP-445U compact Class D amplifier has been reinstalled in the front passenger footwell. It is not the most powerful amp in the world at 45w per channel RMS but that is twice what the Blaupunkt headunit puts out. It is very well reviewed here: https://soundcertified.com/alpine-ktp-445u-review/
I expected a wiring nightmare but it was all surprisingly OK.The Blaupunkt will connect to the Alpine amplifier by two Amazon Basics RCA cables: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01D5H8P0G/ref... (I do love Amazon Basics and Amazon Essentials). The output lead from the amplifier is fitted with an ISO female plug end so it can be connected straight into the factory speaker wiring harness which would usually plug into the back of the radio:
There is already a 12v feed from the battery. I need to tap into the 12v switched accessory supply. This has been butchered in the past. My intention is to tidy it up and tap in with a Scotchlok connector. That's a job for tomorrow evening when all bits have arrived. In the meantime we took the opportunity to remove a load of unused wiring:
I will also fit a black USB to Lightening lead to the rear of the new headunit and run the Lightening end either into the glovebox or into the centre console tray. The former is tidier. The latter more convenient. As I type I have had a brainwave. I could connect it to a wireless charger which I would put under the carpet in the centre console tray. Genius. Do you thing it will work? How close does a wireless charger have to be to the phone? Hmm, not sure about this.
The boy dismantled the old Pioneer. There is hardly anything inside it. It was a delight to see him carefully pull it apart to destruction.
Edit: scratch the wireless charger idea as I do not think the wattage will be sufficient to drive a wireless charging pad.
Edited again: this was the hideous Pioneer. Apologies if you have one and love it.
Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 30th March 20:20
The new Blaupunkt is almost in. Quite a lot of effort tonight and I forgot to take photos. Here it is laid out in best internet saddo fashion:
These are the Amazon Basics leads, which are very good for the money:
First of all, we made up a tidy harness for the RCA leads to the amplifier and also the accessory line, which switches on the amp and can be seen poking out half way up. I marked one of the leads with blue tape on either end. Wrapping it in wiring harness tape took about ten minutes but makes it much easier to manipulate and much tidier.
We took out a length of bodge in the middle of the accessory line, soldered it back up (with rosin and also with silicon grease) then heat shrank it. Then we spliced the amplifier switch on line using a Scotchlok connector.
Next we ran a USB/Lightening lead to the glove box. This necessitated removing the glove box lining, which is easy enough, just pull out the lamp, 7 plastic push tabs and unscrew the latch. It is then easy to run the wire down the centre console. The Lightening end emerges from the glovebox lamp aperture.
Finally we ran the microphone line from the headunit aperture, under the back of the dash, behind the weather stripping and up the passenger door pillar and then under the roof trim, the microphone emerging out of the interior light opening. Not too much trim had to come off for this but it was a ball ache.
The moment of truth.... The lights are on but nobody is home. No sound. Plugging the speaker loom directly into the unit gave us sound, so the problem is with the amp. I was sceptical of my accessory switch-on splice but thought I'd check the fuses. The Fuse in the amp was fine. So I went under the bonnet to check the inline fuse for the power supply from the battery. Weirdly, very weirdly, the fuse was completely absent. Not blown: just not even there. I have no recollection of tampering with this. I found a fuse lying round and tried to fit it. Weirdness upon weirdness, the parts of the fuse holder that would take the fuse weren't there, either. This is a bit of a head scratcher, I must say.
So I have ordered a new fuse holder for tomorrow but hopefully my local garage man will have something that I can pick up first thing in the morning.
These are the Amazon Basics leads, which are very good for the money:
First of all, we made up a tidy harness for the RCA leads to the amplifier and also the accessory line, which switches on the amp and can be seen poking out half way up. I marked one of the leads with blue tape on either end. Wrapping it in wiring harness tape took about ten minutes but makes it much easier to manipulate and much tidier.
We took out a length of bodge in the middle of the accessory line, soldered it back up (with rosin and also with silicon grease) then heat shrank it. Then we spliced the amplifier switch on line using a Scotchlok connector.
Next we ran a USB/Lightening lead to the glove box. This necessitated removing the glove box lining, which is easy enough, just pull out the lamp, 7 plastic push tabs and unscrew the latch. It is then easy to run the wire down the centre console. The Lightening end emerges from the glovebox lamp aperture.
Finally we ran the microphone line from the headunit aperture, under the back of the dash, behind the weather stripping and up the passenger door pillar and then under the roof trim, the microphone emerging out of the interior light opening. Not too much trim had to come off for this but it was a ball ache.
The moment of truth.... The lights are on but nobody is home. No sound. Plugging the speaker loom directly into the unit gave us sound, so the problem is with the amp. I was sceptical of my accessory switch-on splice but thought I'd check the fuses. The Fuse in the amp was fine. So I went under the bonnet to check the inline fuse for the power supply from the battery. Weirdly, very weirdly, the fuse was completely absent. Not blown: just not even there. I have no recollection of tampering with this. I found a fuse lying round and tried to fit it. Weirdness upon weirdness, the parts of the fuse holder that would take the fuse weren't there, either. This is a bit of a head scratcher, I must say.
So I have ordered a new fuse holder for tomorrow but hopefully my local garage man will have something that I can pick up first thing in the morning.
New fuse holder and fuse installed, everything now works. My local garage had one for £3 and he gave me two fuses. I ditched the cheap antenna splitter and affixed the DAB antenna to the passenger side of the windscreen. I am hoping it will disappear from notice with familiarity. Only the film bit is visible, I concealed the black plastic gubbins under the pillar trim.
I have not had much time to fiddle with it but it sounds great and works great. There is the layered menu accessed by a single rotary knob which is familiar to us since the iPod arrived 20 years ago but it is much more intuitive than that Pioneer thing. As for sound, I suspect the amplifier never has been connected. The additional volume is huge; there is no need for more than 45W RMS to drive the Rainbow speakers throughout the car. I have to do some work (given my hourly rate, this is probably the most expensive stereo installation ever) but I am looking forward to fiddling with it later.
I learned a few new skills doing this and had to put my thinking cap on a couple of times: a very satisfying business. Inevitably the final installation involved shoving a big web of cables behind the set with brute force but it is much tidier back there than it was.
I have not had much time to fiddle with it but it sounds great and works great. There is the layered menu accessed by a single rotary knob which is familiar to us since the iPod arrived 20 years ago but it is much more intuitive than that Pioneer thing. As for sound, I suspect the amplifier never has been connected. The additional volume is huge; there is no need for more than 45W RMS to drive the Rainbow speakers throughout the car. I have to do some work (given my hourly rate, this is probably the most expensive stereo installation ever) but I am looking forward to fiddling with it later.
I learned a few new skills doing this and had to put my thinking cap on a couple of times: a very satisfying business. Inevitably the final installation involved shoving a big web of cables behind the set with brute force but it is much tidier back there than it was.
Edited by r129sl on Thursday 1st April 12:09
I've just bought another pair of repro Hirschmann masts from Malcolm at Car Masts UK, one for this car, one for my r129. I find they get stuck pretty quickly, which is strange because I look after them, generally polishing them with Autosol once every few weeks and even lubricating them with the proper Hirschmann antenna wipes. I wonder whether it is yet another consequence of living so close to the sea?
I have now done about 200 miles with the new Blaupunkt and really love it. Expensive, yes (although nothing compared to a Becker in period) but it looks first class and really works. It is far more intuitive than the Pioneer it replaces. I can't fault it. Whether I take to DAB is another matter, time will tell. DAB seems to be a bit of a white elephant. However, the FM/AM reception is excellent, the Bluetooth streaming works flawlessly and so too does the Bluetooth telephone. What is refreshing is how easy it is to navigate the layered menu. As I say, much easier than that Pioneer.
Andrew, I would have gone for a period tape deck had I just been using the car for fun on high days and holidays but if we ever get back to normal I expect once again to be covering 20 to 30,000 miles a year in this car, much of it for business, and the need for a good telephone and good sounds overwhelms the need for vintage cool.
So an unqualified recommendation from me. The combination of the Blaupunkt headunit, Alpine amplifier and Rainbow speakers all round is everything I need in a car stereo. It goes pretty loud, too!
I have now done about 200 miles with the new Blaupunkt and really love it. Expensive, yes (although nothing compared to a Becker in period) but it looks first class and really works. It is far more intuitive than the Pioneer it replaces. I can't fault it. Whether I take to DAB is another matter, time will tell. DAB seems to be a bit of a white elephant. However, the FM/AM reception is excellent, the Bluetooth streaming works flawlessly and so too does the Bluetooth telephone. What is refreshing is how easy it is to navigate the layered menu. As I say, much easier than that Pioneer.
Andrew, I would have gone for a period tape deck had I just been using the car for fun on high days and holidays but if we ever get back to normal I expect once again to be covering 20 to 30,000 miles a year in this car, much of it for business, and the need for a good telephone and good sounds overwhelms the need for vintage cool.
So an unqualified recommendation from me. The combination of the Blaupunkt headunit, Alpine amplifier and Rainbow speakers all round is everything I need in a car stereo. It goes pretty loud, too!
I did 320 miles in 4.5 hours in it today. It just thrummed along at 85mph, ever so smoothly. I don't think I exceeded 90.
It needs some work to the underside, there is a big hole under the off side rear footwell and the rear anti-roll bar brackets are only just clinging on. It is booked in to be stripped, all welding carried out, any surface rust ground back and treated, then the entire underside and around the sills and behind the bumpers coated with zinc primer, epoxy mastic, stone chip, then paint, then underseal. I have a newly powered-coated rear subframe, new subframe and diff mounts, another set of new suspension links, new handbrake cables, to make the re-assembly job easier. I am going to fit a slightly longer diff from an E300 diesel saloon to give it more motorway legs.
Then it is off to the bodyshop for another titivation. New wings, clean out the windscreen aperture, tidy up various other bits of rust and then a full shoot.
Mileage is approximately 415,400.
It needs some work to the underside, there is a big hole under the off side rear footwell and the rear anti-roll bar brackets are only just clinging on. It is booked in to be stripped, all welding carried out, any surface rust ground back and treated, then the entire underside and around the sills and behind the bumpers coated with zinc primer, epoxy mastic, stone chip, then paint, then underseal. I have a newly powered-coated rear subframe, new subframe and diff mounts, another set of new suspension links, new handbrake cables, to make the re-assembly job easier. I am going to fit a slightly longer diff from an E300 diesel saloon to give it more motorway legs.
Then it is off to the bodyshop for another titivation. New wings, clean out the windscreen aperture, tidy up various other bits of rust and then a full shoot.
Mileage is approximately 415,400.
|https://thumbsnap.com/vRwKSdQW[/url]
My 124 is due another major titivation. It is 7 years and 150,000miles since the last, during which it has spent precisely zero nights inside my garage and almost all nights soaking up the salt air approximately 150 yards from the north sea. The last inspection revealed some serious holes in the floor where the front and rear floor pans are joined, under the main cross member. At the same time, the front wings have rusted quite badly (rather disappointingly, I feel, and perhaps an indictment of prior work quality) and various blebs have emerged elsewhere.
The plan is to attack the work in two stages. To deal with the structural rot first and foremost and then when that is cured, to tackle the cosmetics. We will see how the wallet holds up but my other cars are giving it a battering at the moment.
The car is presently on a ramp having everything stripped off the underside from the front wheels back over. Minor rust will be ground out and treated with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80. Major rust will be replaced with new steel. The result will be primed with Electrox zinc primer, any seams will be sealed, then two coats of epoxy mastic will be applied (all Bilt Hamber products). On top of this will go 3M 8879 grey textured stone chip. All cavities will be filled with Dynax S80 or whatever it is called. I have had to spend about £300 on coatings so far but hopefully these should give the car serious longevity.
Although much of the rear axle is relatively recent, there are significant works planned. I have a reconditioned subframe, freshly powder coated (£180), all new sub frame mounting bushes from Lemförder (about £100) and a new link set from Febi Bilstein (£125). I suspect we will be renewing the suspension pipework that lies behind the axle.
More significantly, courtesy of Northbrook I have a used differential from an E300 diesel saloon to replace my car's worn and noisy diff. The estate car has a 1:3.07 rear axle, the saloon 1:2.87. I do not really foresee the lower ration significantly affecting off the line acceleration and since we don't use the car for towing, I am prepared to pay the cost of any slight blunting of urgency for more refined cruising. Above 85mph, the car is really working its socks off: the saving of about 350rpm will be welcome. Also, I always found the third gear change up point a little too short for continental motorway driving: I'd rather be changing up at 85 than 80.
Enough gibber-gabber, here is the damage. On the ramp:
Near side floor holes:
Off side:
Various bits new and old:
The plan is to attack the work in two stages. To deal with the structural rot first and foremost and then when that is cured, to tackle the cosmetics. We will see how the wallet holds up but my other cars are giving it a battering at the moment.
The car is presently on a ramp having everything stripped off the underside from the front wheels back over. Minor rust will be ground out and treated with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80. Major rust will be replaced with new steel. The result will be primed with Electrox zinc primer, any seams will be sealed, then two coats of epoxy mastic will be applied (all Bilt Hamber products). On top of this will go 3M 8879 grey textured stone chip. All cavities will be filled with Dynax S80 or whatever it is called. I have had to spend about £300 on coatings so far but hopefully these should give the car serious longevity.
Although much of the rear axle is relatively recent, there are significant works planned. I have a reconditioned subframe, freshly powder coated (£180), all new sub frame mounting bushes from Lemförder (about £100) and a new link set from Febi Bilstein (£125). I suspect we will be renewing the suspension pipework that lies behind the axle.
More significantly, courtesy of Northbrook I have a used differential from an E300 diesel saloon to replace my car's worn and noisy diff. The estate car has a 1:3.07 rear axle, the saloon 1:2.87. I do not really foresee the lower ration significantly affecting off the line acceleration and since we don't use the car for towing, I am prepared to pay the cost of any slight blunting of urgency for more refined cruising. Above 85mph, the car is really working its socks off: the saving of about 350rpm will be welcome. Also, I always found the third gear change up point a little too short for continental motorway driving: I'd rather be changing up at 85 than 80.
Enough gibber-gabber, here is the damage. On the ramp:
Near side floor holes:
Off side:
Various bits new and old:
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