The Yellow Benz Restoration Project

Pictures of Ongoing Rehab

2008-03-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Some pics from the frontlines:

1. The car is undergoing the equivalent of open heart surgery now. The whole engine block and cylinder head assembly has been removed and we're looking at the tremendous wear and tear the car has endured over the years. The Germans really built their cars to last, but that can make owners very complacent:

2. Was able to buy a new original camshaft as said earlier. The particular camshaft for this model was one with a hydraulic pipe installed within, which came in later 190E engines:

3. Two views of the splendid new avante-garde grille which I can't wait to install on the car (but that will have to wait until much later:

Meanwhile a rundown of my expenses so far:
Avantegarde Grille: 6,500
Camshaft with Hydraulic Pipe: 8,500
Ceiling, Seats, Carpeting Upholstery: 18,500
Power Window Motors and Assembly: 8,000
Sunroof Motor, Assembly and Drain: 4,000
Door Handles: 600
Aircon Switch Knobs: 100
Engine Overhaul (Labor): 5,000
Total: 51,200

Repairs Begin

2008-03-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

I wrote earlier that the upholstery was being done. It hasn't been completed yet since the Holy Week and Easter holidays caught up but I was able to get all the 4 power window motors replaced.

In the interim I had intended to get the climate control done as well, and in the shop that was going to do it, I had the car's engine checked for possible overhaul.

Turns out the camshaft has nearly been worn down due to wear and tear brought by old age. The cylinder heads are intact, but needs some machine shop spotting, as does the idler gear and timing chains.

I canvassed at Delodur about camshafts, and the 1985, pre-hydraulic pipe version will cost about Php9,500 while the hydraulic pipe version is slightly cheaper at Php8,500.00

I'll be asking the mechanic for the exact chassis/engine number to verify with the supplier which type I need.

Meanwhile I was also able to canvass an avante-garde grille for the 190E costing about Php6,800.00. I'll take it asap.

Other 190e Mods

2008-03-17T05:18:00.000-07:00

I've been browsing the web and I found other benz owners who have restored and modified their cars:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/700780

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2620526?cmd=related&order=2

Note the use of the S600-style front grille in these cars. Compare with the original 190E grille found on my car in my previous post.

Here's a pink 190E, which I like for the mags, which I'd like to get for my car later on:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3027822?cmd=related&order=3

Anyway, hope to bring the yellow benz up to spec and comparable to the pretty cars you see here.

Upholstery Repairs

2008-03-17T03:24:00.000-07:00

First thing to be fixed is the the upholstery:

1. Door Sidings
2. Carpeting
3. Ceiling and Posts

For #1, since the original sidings aren't being used anymore, was forced to go to a junkshop in Banawe to search for surplus door handles. Found suitable replacement parts, which will also be wrapped in the same upholstery.

From the velvet red interior, we're switching to black and grey, which is easier to maintain.

Removal of the ceiling mat revealed rusted holes in the sunroof mechanism and structure, which will also be repaired. As it turns out, the same people who are doing the sunroof repair also do airconditioning, so additional items to be fixed:

4. Sunroof leaks
5. Climate Control

Will be posting pics soon.

Top Gear On The 190E

2008-03-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

Popular TV Show Top Gear featured the VW VR6 and the 190E as "Cars about to become classics":

Repair Checklist

2008-03-12T01:51:00.000-07:00

And now a rundown of the things I'd like to fix about the car:

1. Engine
The engine is european spec, 2.3-8V and max speed is supposed to be around 140kph. I have trouble even getting to 100 in its current condition. It has trouble warming up, and generally consumes too much gas per mileage.

The automatic transmission was overhauled two years ago as well as the computer box which controls the timing, but generally the engine has a tremendous loss of power.

2. Body
The car has already gone through 2 repaints, but lately we have decided that the "Yellow Benz" would no longer remain yellow but some other more classic color. Due to a head on collision a year ago, the grille and hood were mangled pretty bad, but this was repaired to almost no trace, save for a telling dent on the grille.

3. Electrical/Wiring
The fuse box and relays have been wired and rewired for various reasons, that there is already a loss of electricity due to mix ups. The aircon fuse for instance, is a rigged relay, that loses power if it heats up because the aircon is on for more than a few minutes.

4. Chassis
An earlier major accident involved the car hitting a sidewalk sideways, forcing the front and back left wheels to face downwards. The wheels were straigtened, but the camber on the back left wheel remains permanently offset inwards by a couple of degrees, causing undue wear on the tire.

5. Wheels
The tires are fairly new, but the 15' mags were carry over stock from our old W123, which makes the car appear old.

6. Seats/Carpeting/Upholstery
General wear and tear all around, and loss of lift support, particularly on the driver side. Also the seats, like the rest of the car interior, are colored velvet red, which I would like to change. The carpet is also a bit tattered especially on the back. General recarpeting and reupholstery is needed.

7. Windows
None of the power windows work at all. New motors and mechanisms are needed.

8. Doors
Door stoppers are missing, and the back right door is slightly misaligned.

9. Sunroof and Ceiling
The sunroof motor still works, but gets stuck occasionally. The sunroof drain pipe has either corroded or clogged up causing water to enter the cabin during heavy rain. The ceiling upholstery is also in poor shape.

10. Climate Control
As mentioned earlier, the aircon power fails after a few minutes, which is an electrical problem. The compressor seems to work, but has no refrigerant, and the system probably has multiple leaks. The heater doesn't work, and was never actually used. I'm considering replacing the heater switches with other gadgets (like a live digital compass or thermometer).

11. Stereo System
Due to leaks in the ceiling, the old radio gave up the dust during one heavy rainstorm.

12. Antenna
Power antenna does not work

13. Central Locking
The four motors work, but I'd like a keyless system and alarm installed to minimize wear on the keys.

German TV Show About The 190E

2008-03-11T05:05:00.000-07:00

Even if you don't understand Deutsche, I'm sure you'll enjoy the following clip about the 190E:

First Look At The Car

2008-03-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Here I'm finally posting pics of the car, along with a little history.

We acquired the car in Feb 2003. At the time we also had an even older white W123 200(E) Mercedes and were excited to look for our second benz. Now the story of that car warrants a different blog in itself.

We were debating what kind of benz we wanted--our original intention was getting another large car like a W124 or W126 but decided on a smaller 190E, largely because of the budget constraints: both the W124 and W126 were at least Php400k at the time, while the 190Es were trading at around the Php300k range. We also settled on the smaller car because of the sporty look and heritage (see previous post).

We scoured the classifieds and buy and sells for likely candidates and went through at many cars in varying conditions. Our search led us through the quiet streets and garages of exclusive subdivisions. Most of the 190Es we saw were in pretty sorry shape, neglected by their owners, as many of the houses we visited had garages full of several other european and import cars.

Our search ended in Quezon City at the house of a man named Dominic Allan, who tuned cars as a hobby. We were surprised to find a "Yellow" benz, which was an unorthodox color for any car, but was impressed that the yellow of Dominic's 190E was also the same yellow of the popular Mercedes R170 SLKs being sold at the time. Dominic was quite a collector since he also had a cherry red BMW E30 in his garage.

In the end, we were able to acquire the 190E for Php265k, which was quite a steal given the condition. Dominic seemed sorry to part with the car, but admitted that he simply needed the money, otherwise he would not have sold it.

Since acquiring it, the car has gone through a lot, 2 major accidents, 2 repaints, and an automatic transmission overhaul. After its last major accident just in 2006, involving a frontal collision which crumpled the front hood and grille, the car has been in garage, and has slowly deteriorated. We have attempted to sell the car repeatedly but buyers have not been eager, usually because of the "Yellow" paint, but also because of the sheer number of repairs that have to be undertaken.

I'll get into the current individual kinks of the car in a future update but meanwhile, here are more views of the car:

1. Side View. From this view, looks flawless.

2. Front View. Look closely and you'll spot the dent on the front grille (courtesy of its second major accident).

3. Rear View. Look closely and you'll spot the slight camber misalignment on the rear left wheel (courtesy of its first major accident).

4. Interior View. Some noticeable wear on the seats, and see the chipping on the finishing of the wood panelling on the transmission shift area.

Next I'll go into the 2 major accidents that happened to the car, as well as the checklist of things I'd like to fix.

Resurrect The Yellow Benz!

2008-03-09T05:20:00.001-07:00

This blog will about my 1985 190E 2.3-8V. It's an ancient car (23 years as of this writing), and it's seen better days, and we've been recently trying to sell it, but haven't been able to find a merciful buyer.

I've recently decided to keep it instead and slowly restore it to its former glory.

The above is not my car. I'll be posting pics of my car very soon. Meanwhile, for a little history on the 190E, check out the following links:

1. Wikipedia Entry on W201 (190E)

2. Top 10: greatest-ever Mercedes

The latter link classifies the 190E as one of the Top 10 Benz models ever. I guess I should be a proud owner of such a classic. Now the work to bring it up to its status begins.