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You bet - I remember when I was a little boy and saw an AUDI as a taxi, it was like it turned my world upside down, before that I thought that a taxi HAD to be a W123. ;D Well, unfortunately, it got a bit more "stock" and "bangerified" today. I removed those. And put those back. But on studded snow tyres now - it came a fair bit of snow last night (even if it is all melted now) and they have shown snow, rain and degrees below 0 celsius on the forecast - so I better put them on. The chinese curse word rubber that's on the alloys now have absolutely NO traction (good summer tyres at least have some winter grip, but those are like if they are made of soap). I know that 65 profile on a stock height benz looks stupid - I think that my head fits between the tyre and the arch - but I got those snow tyres with the car and they have only been driven about 500 kilometers, so they are good enough for me! ;D But it is not all negative - after all, now I have my chance to take off the tyres, refurbish the alloys, and put some nicer rubber on them. That will make it a joy to change back to summer tyres in...ehrm... APRIL Why does it have to be that far away?
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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Great when the trim is back in place - less great that it collects dirt and salt. Brushed on some rust protection - that will probably not make things worse at least. Brand new fasteners aren't wrong... Thought that I would get some help with the car from him, but NO. He ran away when he thought that nobody saw him. But I got evidence on picture now of his escape - so guess if I'm going to yell at him when I see him the next time? In place - not the best condition but at least it looks more elegant than having nothing at all.
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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I've been told on a Swedish merc forum that a 1985 w123 can never be more than just an old banger, but as said here, everything has potential, so I got a little confused... What´s Swedish for load of b*llocks? Your car is definately not a banger and fits in well here, don´t worry about it. Ok a lot of people on here (me included) like to see cars a little bit lower than normal but that doesn´t mean if yours Ăsn´t that it doesn´t fit in. If we were going to start deleting readers rides thread´s (which we won´t be doing) then yours wouldn´t even be on the list mate. ;D Please keep this thread going there´s a lot of us out there reading it regularly Oh and you´re not the only one with a W123 on here
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Think that "Skitsnack" is the word you're looking for, Oldbus.
Now when this thread is officially mod approved, I will keep it ;D Lol
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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i cant believe ive missed this thread. stunning car, love it. mine looked nice and shiney like yours, before i lowered it and neglected the bodywork a bit. seeing matt jones' v8 come together, and now reading about your build, i think i should do something with mine. its been sitting in my garage for over two and a half years now. i know how i want it to look, maybe time to put plans into action.
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Do it!
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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Oct 17, 2009 15:30:03 GMT
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A dull old stone chipped headlamp? That's nothing interesting about that! What the h.....a HOLE in my car? AH! I'm going for crystal clear headlamps like the hip people do today? Well, I guess that's not the answer, because why would I upload a picture of a brand new OEM headlamp glass then? AH! I've got a blackout? Now I have fresh headlamps on both sides. (The right one may look a little worse, but keep in mind that it is very dirty like the rest of the car) Got some new - and better - bumper rubbers instead of the crappy ones that's on the car. Stripped the paint on the alloys... Love it or hate it. Hehe.
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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Oct 31, 2009 18:28:26 GMT
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Mounted plastic inner arches (do they have any "more correct" name in english?), as I think those are very necessary on a winter beater. A lot less noise from the studded snow tyres are a bonus (studs aren't really quiet...). But most important are of course that it will keep the rust away... To not bore you completely, I give you a picture of the car when newly washed, I came to think of that I haven't shown many good pictures of the whole car after being mounted together.
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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SIGH! How should I say this... Well, the car needs a COMPLETE repaint again. Something clearly went wrong with the paint... I washed the car some days ago. When it dried up, I saw different colored spots all where the water had been... The worst case was above the trim on the C-pillar... The paint there was wrinkled and had started to peel... I peeled some off from the area under the trim. It still smelled of thinner... Seems like the clear only hardened on the surface while it is still soft underneath. Which clearly sucks since it means that ALL the new paint needs to be grinded down to primer to avoid strange chemical reactions... At least, Standox says that they are responsible to give me new paint since something is wrong with it. It is just so annoying to have to do the work again. But curse word happens... At least I got those valve hats today to lessen my sorrow a bit. However, they do not fit through the hole in the hubcap so I will use them on the summer wheels, but that's good enough for me.
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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Oh no! What a shame about the paint, it looks so good in the photos. But hey, at least you are getting compensated!
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It really DOES look good in the real world too...except where it have started to peel... That doesn't help me very much.
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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annoying. good that they're going to sort you out with new paint. chin up it will be worth it again.
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Mark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,097
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Gutted for you man
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Matty
Part of things
Posts: 316
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Sorry to hear about the paint I need a few spots of paint on my W123 when i've sorted out some rust on a couple of the arches, hope i can find somewhere to do a good job.
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It sucks, yeah... But at least the car is driveable and I'll get it sorted, so when that's done, I'll probably be happy again...
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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Jan 28, 2010 13:44:05 GMT
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Got some nice stuff today. Now driving probably will be somewhat more comfortable than with a slippery plastic steering wheel.
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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mrj
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,662
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Jan 28, 2010 20:30:50 GMT
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this is a great car and a great thread.... couple of years ago there were loads of them over here, since we have that high tax for non-catalytic cars, a lot of those Merc 123s have gone the usual way to Africa/Middle East ... everytime we got a new Merc model, the press were saying that the previous car was the last "proper" Merc, they said this about the /8, the 123, the 124 and so on.... i have fond memories of those cars, as most of the taxis back in the day were 123s; they had a market share of ca 90%. If you look today, the percentage of Mercs is much lower, and that has a reason for sure. Anyway, the 123 is one of those "last proper Mercs" and though i hated them when new because of the design, i really like to sit in one and feel the 80s.... look at the way the door card is fitted; i am sure you can take it off a couple of 100 times without destroying it. Try that with a brand new car today the only thing i hated about this car, was the gear change, so a Benz for me would definitely need an autobox, which was probably one of the best available back in the days... but it's not just the car, it's also the philosophy of Daimler this car shows today... well, that is that "last proper Merc" myth again; over here it is very popular for the 20/25 year old boys.... the 123 is one of the most popular "younger" classic cars in germany..... i remember when the "experts" said, that a 114/115 can never be a classic car..... ;D
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- 1971 VW 1600 TL Fastback - 1978 Passat GLS Variant - 1980 Audi 100 5E - 1981 VW aircooled panel van (sold) - 1983 VW Jetta Mk.I - 1984 VW Polo Coupé - 1984 VW Passat hatchback - 1987 VW Passat Variant - 1987 VW Passat hatchback - 1988 VW T25
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this is a great car and a great thread.... couple of years ago there were loads of them over here, since we have that high tax for non-catalytic cars, a lot of those Merc 123s have gone the usual way to Africa/Middle East ... everytime we got a new Merc model, the press were saying that the previous car was the last "proper" Merc, they said this about the /8, the 123, the 124 and so on.... I have fond memories of those cars, as most of the taxis back in the day were 123s; they had a market share of ca 90%. If you look today, the percentage of Mercs is much lower, and that has a reason for sure. Anyway, the 123 is one of those "last proper Mercs" and though I hated them when new because of the design, I really like to sit in one and feel the 80s.... look at the way the door card is fitted; I am sure you can take it off a couple of 100 times without destroying it. Try that with a brand new car today the only thing I hated about this car, was the gear change, so a Benz for me would definitely need an autobox, which was probably one of the best available back in the days... but it's not just the car, it's also the philosophy of Daimler this car shows today... Well, thanks! TBH, I dislike manual transmissions in general, I would rather have a 240D with an autobox, but hey, I didn't have the chance to choose. But I don't think that the MB manual transmissions are worser than any other brand... Well, that's probably exactly the same thing as I thought when dad dropped me off at school in his rusty red strich acht with a blue door... The steering wheel is installed and driving it feels much better now, better grip and size. The problem is that it is a bit too small so it's harder to see the fuel gauge now... I hope that it will pass MOT, but since it looks stock, they probably won't notice. Wired up the foglamps so now they are working... Changed the rotor (correct name?) and distributor cap too. I know, I know, if this car had the proper engine I wouldn't have to do things like that but... At least it runs a bit better now. The only thing left to change is the spark plug on cylinder #3... It's stuck after 1/4 turn... So I guess it is better to wait with that until the car is not needed, if I should damage the threads in the alloy head... Because I think that a swap is needed, the other cylinders had Eyquem plugs (and I only have bad experiences about them! Pure curse word IMO) and they weren't fresh. It really did a difference to swap to new NGK plugs on the three other cylinders... MOT the 22nd this month and I probably have to change the front brake pads before that. I don't know about the discs... They do look hideous, but yet, I THINK that they will run for another set of pads... On the other hand they can't be expensive for a W123... The question is if it is only a psychological effect to change the discs since the ones on the car aren't warped, and thick enough... At least every brake part in the rear were changed 2 years ago...
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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Feb 12, 2010 15:21:23 GMT
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New gearlever... When one has a stone-age transmission where shifting has to be done manually, it doesn't hurt to have something nicer to grab than old sweaty german plastic... ;D Besides, I like the looks. Let's just hope that it will fit. I am ill today and doesn't have the power to go out and try. (Unfortunately it smells old ladies perfume right now, but I guess that will fade away... ;D )
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194? Willys Jeep MB 1965 Volvo 544 Special 1968 Opel Rekord 1975 Opel Kadett Estate 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E 1985 Datsun 720 King Cab 4x4 diesel 1997 Volvo S70 2.5SE (ex. "Volvo544special65" - changed to more reader friendly username. )
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Feb 12, 2010 16:06:29 GMT
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Nice luxury touches!
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