1983 Mercedes W123

[grahamk]

Hi everyone! 

New to the retrorides forum, thought I would sign up as I am picking up a Mercedes W123 230e Next tuesday. Very excited about it. It has a long journey back to Scotland. Are there any other w123 owners about? 

[penski]

Welcome aboard.

There are a few tasty mercs on here, make sure you start a thread in Reader's Rides and keep us updated.
What have you got planned for it?

Also, which corner of Scotland?

*n

[grahamk]

Hi Mate

When I pick it up I will definitely keep a thread going about progress. Not sure what I have planned for it at the moment. wan't to keep it looking as tidy as possible, Gonna hunt down a set of original steelies for it and the colour coded hub caps. Will see what the overall condition of it is like when I pick it up.

I am located just outside Glasgow!

[HoTWire]

That looks amazingly clean!

[fogey]

That's a looker W123 230TE (Estate version) was one of the best cars I've ever owned. If cared for they are pretty much bullet proof.

[grizz]

Welcome.

Lovely looking car.

I like the original look on steels

[thebaron]

Look great, welcome aboard.

[arsonist]

Damn that looks tidy. Very nice!

[grahamk]

Thanks chaps. Excited about getting it. I intend to get it on a set of the steels with hub caps. I think they look the business. Will post loads more pics when I pick her up.

[bluebirdpremium]

Lovely looking car, have always liked the W123 series.

Have driven a couple in my time and they feel indestructible, also something very nice about seeing that Merc bonnet emblem up front whilst driving along

[Mercdan68]

Hello and welcome,superb looking merc..more pics soon please!

[peter96]

Welcome. Lovely looking 230e especially with the Mexican hat alloys. Definitely need a Readers Rides thread. Good luck with it.

[grahamk]

Hi chaps

If this is in the wrong place, I apologize. I will copy the content and put it in readers rides.

Sorry I have not posted for a while. I have been super busy clearing my garage out and general family life to get on much.

SO! I picked up the car, what can I say, its a beautiful machine. Really love it. It drives absolutely amazingly, managed the 400 miles from Buckinghamshire to Outside Glasgow with no issues whatsoever. Got a nice thumbs up from a guy in a BMW i8 that slowed down from North of 100mph then shot off into the sunset.








Well I'll start with the good points, the car is tight as a nut to drive. no knocks clunks or bangs anywhere, there is enough supporting documentation to fill a library. A nice surprise was that it had a banging sound system with a 15 ins sub and amp in the boot! the car attracts comments everywhere it goes.


The bad

I wish I had not started Prodding, The pictures make it look immaculate, while the general paint work is incredible, there are some areas of concern. Under the rear chrome arch covers there was some corrosion, these were previously repaired badly. I have done a job of tarting them up for now but in due course I will weld in new ones.






There was an area at the rear of the offside rear arch where it meets the floorpan that was quite badly corroded. this has been cut out and a patched for now and well protected.

Before


After




The nearside front wing is toast, I have a new one sitting at home waiting for me.
(no pics)

while tending to the rear arches, I prodded about and ended up poking a hole above the sill in the inner arch. This "hole" ended up with me cutting an 8"x3" ins section of arch out and doing a terrible patch. (I ran out of gas for my mig and could not get the gassless welding right. It was terrible quite ashamed of it. I will of course be tending to these curse word repairs properly. The corrosion was hiding under an area of accumulated mud

[pedalcarjoe]

great work in keeping another classic looking good, even if it is your "temporary repairs" which I have to say are better than a lot of folk would have done.
keep the pics coming, especially when you start on it for real

[grahamk]

Cheers pedalcarjoe, I work 3 weeks on/off so won't be much progress but I intend having a good tinker with it when I get back home this time. The Mrs already said what the hell is this, when the new front wing arrived

[Ray Singh]

I had one of these a few years back.




It was a beautiful car. Had been standing for years. Fresh fuel, battery and it fired up.
I had to sell it for £150 just to get rid of it as i had no where to store. Similar cars ar £10k now. CRY!

Keep us posted with your 123.

[grahamk]

£150!!!! JEESO, looks a great example too.

The values of them have really gone up lately, especially the coupe. Will keep you posted.

[grahamk]

Well.. Life has been mental. Managed to get around to doing a couple of things on the old tank. Nothing major. Gave her a bit of tlc with some detailing products as there was a lot of iron contamination.

The front wing was absolutely rotten, so I managed to swap that for a new one. The inners are way more solid than I expected. They normally rust really badly in there. A but of surface rust with a tiny wee hole on the front of the sill but generally very good.

After clay and iron decontamination


Small local Company make these amazing detailing products.. I am converted


Shiny shiny (before new wing)


Off with the old


On with the new, I need some. New grommets to get the trim to sit properly.



Inner wing.. Way more solid than I expected given the state of the wing


Cup brushed, rust treated and primed before paint and cavity protection


Only one stinking chrome arch remaining.. Someone thought it would be a good idea to pop rivet it on 😠

[grahamk]

Arghhhhh more rust.. Saw some staining around the lip where the boot closes.. Ah well next job on the list

[easypeasy]

Nice car. I've had This one 18 months.
It came on the steel wheel trims, but I prefer the alloys. I'm in Glasgow as well.