2005 SLK55 AMG Mini Resoration - Pic Heavy

[rgv250ads]

So having got this car 12 months ago i had a initial tart up with new type III wheels and a through clay and clean for spring and summer 2014. In the summer an X Pipe was fitted and 2nd Cat delete.

When the weather closed in, October 2014 time, i set about really giving the car a propper sorting. I mean cosmetically as well as some mechanicals.
Basically over the winter I have:
Completely overhauled the brakes, new pads, discs and total caliper refurb. the paint was good on the calipers just needed alot of elbow grease to get every last spec of crap off them. Changed discs, fronts are C55/CLK55 machined down to 340mm (Brembo Merc AMG ones £650 each - ouch). Hub areas painted and baked in caliper paint. Rear are OEM merc, again painted hubs. Alot of effort but with the type III's wheels all is on show, so why have ugly parts on show. Pads are EBC red stuff. ZERO dust and pull the car up brilliantly and i'm still on the first 75 miles.

All the rubbers have been cleaned and gummi phledged. all windows cleaned and polished to remove rubber seal marks. all roof mechanicals cleaned, greased where required.

I then set about the paintwork, with a Meguires 3 stage DA polisher. It was clayed first. The car is stored inside over winter so perfect to allow works. This was some effort and took a total of 3 days. Cups of tea between of course. However, every single blemish and scratch on the car has been removed and the paintwork is just superb. Looks new, better than new.

All bulbs replaced for LED including cockpit and number plates. Some required in-line resistors fitting, pain, but at night car looks fresh and new.

Interior was cleaned throughly and used Meguires interor plastic care (non greasy and non shine) is superb for doing the 'elephant skin' plastics which are a nightmare to get properly clean.

Nice little touch is the Widnow etch stickers on the wind deflector, AMG and Merc Star. only a pound from ebay but look great!

I also changed the (notorious for leaking!) cam cover gaskets with new OEM merc ones, and used an Anerobic Loctite 574 in addition to the rubber gaskets to get the best possible seal. So far, completely leak free and very happy.

After that the car went up on ramps and had a complete outside engine wash to remove all leaky oil from the cam cover job (there was alot down the outside past the headers) along with the wheels off and complete clean and degrease of the underbody. Found the exhaust to be rust free and seems to be stainless steel so cleaned up from the cats back with wire wool and came up like new. Rear boxes brought back better than new and polished inside and outside of Chrome tips. They really look lovely now poking out past the black paint.

All i need to do now is repair the seat lower heating elements and the car is 100%. That's a spring time job for my friendly upholsterer and Merc Indy.
Let me know what you think.

The MOT tester today said he's never seen one like this, which made it worth while too.

With N/A V8's rapidly consigned to history then I feel the value of these is only going to go one way after a dip over the next year or two.
This has had a Eurocharged remap and K&N's and is now 405bhp. is a little car - alot of fun !

Adam.

[rgv250ads]

Pics

[Pixelpeep7r]

topic said:

pic heavy

rgv250ads said:

Pics

I demand a refund!

[rgv250ads]

Will upload more, Internet playing up.

[rgv250ads]

Pixelpeep7r said:

I demand a refund!

Eh ?

[samj2014]

rgv250ads said:

Eh ?

1 photo, not exactly pic heavy!

[rgv250ads]

[LaurasOtherHalf]

I've had cars that I like to be kept clean before, but wire wooling your exhaust? That's devotion for'ye!

Car looks mega, bet it sounds fantastic too.

[rgv250ads]

You can see quite a bit of the exhaust pipework and rear boxes through the rear arches, and once you've done one bit.....
Agree its OCD but while it was up in the air was only half hour.

Yes it sounds fantastic. When it gets going you tell its a very large grunty motor, just pulls like no other car ive owned, or been driven in

Its like a bike in that it gets to 120ish without batting an eyelid and just keeps pulling without even noticing the already high speed. Would encourage anyone to dip there toe into an AMG at least once.

I'm hooked

Edited by rgv250ads on Tuesday 20th January 19:44

Edited by rgv250ads on Tuesday 20th January 19:49

[KillerHERTZ]

Very nice apart from the eBay cheapo centre caps...!

[rgv250ads]

Yeah I am still 50/50 on them but they are growing on me and do look better in the flesh - promise!

[DanielSan]

Like the car, but I prefer the standard multispokes to be honest.

[rgv250ads]

Yep fair enough, I prefer the 5 spoke type III's

It had the 20 spokes on it when I got the car (they were wrecked, 3 were buckled and all 4 were kerb to hell) but the type III's show off the brakes which I like to see...

Didnt want to go after market and not much will clear the 6 pot front brembo's...

[robemcdonald]

Lovley car. I wondered what sort of restoration a 2005 car could need, now I know.

[theholygrail]

Absolutely love these. They just look so right. Much nicer than the current shape. Real pocket rocket appeal. Pure class.

[mwstewart]

Totally immaculate. What pads are you using?

I loved that engine in my CLK - so sonorous!

[rgv250ads]

mwstewart said:

Totally immaculate.

Thanks

mwstewart said:

What pads are you using?

EBC Red Stuff.
Actually not easy to get hold of. Rears, the SLK AMG shares the same rear calipers as the SL55 of similar age. no worries to get EBC Red Stuff for these
Fronts, interesting, Beleive the caliper is the same as the C55AMG/CLK55AMG but couldn't seem to source pads. then found out Maserati use the same brembo caliper and pad size in their 3500GT or whatever that model was with the boomerang rear lights i beleive. So, even although on the EBC box it says they are for a maserati, they fit perfect and slot in a treat.

Edited by rgv250ads on Wednesday 21st January 15:44

[rgv250ads]

theholygrail said:

Absolutely love these. They just look so right. Much nicer than the current shape. Real pocket rocket appeal. Pure class.

Have you been in one? they really are surprisingly fast.

I've had 600CC and 1000CC bikes so know about quick things. And this really does move along.
Car enthusiast mates/family have been really surprised by it's performance, one said 'christ this thing is f*****g quick' and he's had Ducati's and Fireblades.

I have only seen one other on the road in the 13 months i've had mine, it was a black one too and looked very good. i know it sounds daft as i own one myself by seeing another one on the move they look different to just stationary or pictres, know what i mean?

[mwstewart]

rgv250ads said:

EBC Red Stuff.
Actually not easy to get hold of. Rears, the SLK AMG shares the same rear calipers and the SL55. no worries to get EBC Red Stuff for these
Fronts, interesting, Beleive the caliper is the same as the C55AMG/CLK55AMG but couldn't seem to source pads. then found out Maserati use the same brembo caliper and pad size in their 3500GT or whatever that model was with the boomerang rear lights i beleive. So, even although on the EBC box it says they are for a maserati, they fit perfect and slot in a treat.

Interesting, thanks. I can understand why you swapped them; I had the same brakes on my CLK and the MB original pads were awful.

Do you track the car?

[rgv250ads]

No i dont track the car. I raced in MRO (level below BSB) for 4 years so done a fair amount of racing and track stuff, albeit two weels.
These are a bit heavy for serious track work in my opinion.

One of my biggest bugbears with the OEM pads was the sheer volume of dust and crap. even after 50 miles or so the wheels would be cacked in it. Almost nothing from these EBC's.