Long intro, 560SEL project thread
11-13-2016, 12:17 AM
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Long intro, 560SEL project thread
Hey all,
So about 2 years ago I was ready to change up a lot of things in life. Part of that happened to be my garage and its occupants. I'd purchased a '77 911 when I turned 21 and held on to it a few years during the air-cooled craze. Just shy of two years ago I sold it, along with my 1995 SC400 that I'd gotten as a first car at 15. Both of these were a big deal for me to sell, so I wanted to replace them with something special. I decided I wanted to find the nicest W210 E55 AMG in the country, so I set out shopping. In the interim, I purchased a really nice little 1985 300D from a buddy to putt around in. Cue the sickness.
I kept the AMG and W123 alone for about a year, when I had an itch for a big body W126, specifically a 560SEL (I love the back seat functions). Growing up working in a dealership that specialized in all kinds of exotics and collectables, all of the company owners drove the W126 cars and raved. I called my same buddy that I bought my diesel from, and within a few weeks I'd picked up a gorgeous 1990 350SDL. Some light fading on the clear coat and dull brightwork, but otherwise aesthetically and mechanically flawless. I was totally content.
Then a month later... My same buddy calls, obviously he's got an idea of what I like by now. I have the opportunity to buy a 1991 560SEL with 121k on it. Flawless interior and a few small items to correct on the exterior. Within a few minutes I'd wired the cash to his account and had him bring the car and title to my parents' home (I live out of state). I drove my AMG up to to VA from ATL to drop off for a service and pick up the SEL.
The car was in overall great shape, save for those few items. The passenger front fender had been pinched on a garage wall or something at some point, creating a small crease behind the turn signal. There were a number of door dings all around the car which were able to be removed pretty easily by a mobile PDR guy. The paint on the wheels was faded and patchy, so I just removed, sanded, and used a rattle can wheel system on them. They're great for winter wheels, their replacements' details in a bit. The bumpers have loved some others in their day so they'll need to be repainted along with the new fender. The SLS accumulators were shot, so my 9 hour drive home was nice and bouncy. Those were the very first thing I replaced!
I wasn't as concerned with the exterior condition as I was the interior. I can easily have a panel painted, but to find a mint interior panel for cars this old can be tough. Luckily, everything in the car is top notch. I have just one very faint crack on the driver's door wood trim but otherwise everything else is perfect. Everything works including the seat heaters and parade horn (what a cool little feature). The cruise control does work, but surges up and down around the selected speed. I suspect the amp is going bad.
My intent with this car is to keep it for night when I go out to events, a night on the town with a date, or the occasional show. The plans I have are pretty simple and I think will make the car stand out without being loud. I purchased a set of 18x8.5 AMG Aero II wheels. I think they're the perfect wheel for this car and I wouldn't have been happy with anything else. Unfortunately the friend that I bought them from (my MB enabler) decided it'd be funny to have them powder coated hot pink, so for now they'll remain "in-progress". I'd like a nice set of tints on the car, but have been told by 3 shops now that they can't do the car without removing tons of the interior. Has this been a problem for anyone else?I'll doa simple new sound system taking advantage of the factory locations just like I did in my 350. I'll put a small sub and a great vintage amp in the trunk. Nothing crazy, just enough to be competitive with modern systems. I'd really love to find a set of rear window curtains for the car, but I've realized they're incredibly pricey. I've mulled over some plans to make my own. I'd like a subtle exhaust system to give her some kind of presence when accelerating while maintaining a quiet burble at idle. Lastly, I'm a huge stickler for ride quality and I imagine I'm going to end up replacing all of the rubber bits under the car. I'll likely do this myself, any input as to which items to complete in what order would be helpful. (Love to keep from having to pull one part more than one time)
As of now, I've owned the car for just shy of a year and besides the drive from VA to ATL, have maybe put 200 miles on it. I spent about 2 weeks going over the original single stage paint with the rotary, getting as much of the 25 years of wear off that I could. It's not perfect yet, but good enough that I don't mind taking it in the sunlight. This is something I'm taking on as an outlet from the stress of beginning a new business, so it will be pretty slow going. I want to go through the whole thing as efficiently as possible, not touching anything more than I have to.
Anyway, on to the pictures:
At my parents' place when I arrived to pick the car up. I left my AMG behind to have my tech in Virginia replace the engine and trans mounts.
Some of the progress during the detail. I hated to use a rotary on this old single stage paint, but it was not in great shape. I ended up cutting with Menzerna, then following up with softer pads using some of the Meg's pro line. I finished it off with a coat of Meg's #7 glaze and topped that with Griott's show car wax. It still has some imperfections, but for thin original paint, it'll pass just fine for now.
Before
After:
Trunk done, swirls on the quarter still:
Quarter done, compare to the door:
Here's that same door:
Trunk before and after. There's still some very faint marring on the trunk, but the paint is so thin I'm reluctant to do much more polishing.
Finally, the only time this car was really driven around Atlanta. I helped a friend drop off his 911 at the paint shop for some touch up. I managed to snap a few pics of the fully buffed out tank while we were there.
See how nasty the wheels look in the pictures? I did something about it. Again, not perfect, but more than sufficient to hold me over until I throw the AMG Aero II set on.
So about 2 years ago I was ready to change up a lot of things in life. Part of that happened to be my garage and its occupants. I'd purchased a '77 911 when I turned 21 and held on to it a few years during the air-cooled craze. Just shy of two years ago I sold it, along with my 1995 SC400 that I'd gotten as a first car at 15. Both of these were a big deal for me to sell, so I wanted to replace them with something special. I decided I wanted to find the nicest W210 E55 AMG in the country, so I set out shopping. In the interim, I purchased a really nice little 1985 300D from a buddy to putt around in. Cue the sickness.
I kept the AMG and W123 alone for about a year, when I had an itch for a big body W126, specifically a 560SEL (I love the back seat functions). Growing up working in a dealership that specialized in all kinds of exotics and collectables, all of the company owners drove the W126 cars and raved. I called my same buddy that I bought my diesel from, and within a few weeks I'd picked up a gorgeous 1990 350SDL. Some light fading on the clear coat and dull brightwork, but otherwise aesthetically and mechanically flawless. I was totally content.
Then a month later... My same buddy calls, obviously he's got an idea of what I like by now. I have the opportunity to buy a 1991 560SEL with 121k on it. Flawless interior and a few small items to correct on the exterior. Within a few minutes I'd wired the cash to his account and had him bring the car and title to my parents' home (I live out of state). I drove my AMG up to to VA from ATL to drop off for a service and pick up the SEL.
The car was in overall great shape, save for those few items. The passenger front fender had been pinched on a garage wall or something at some point, creating a small crease behind the turn signal. There were a number of door dings all around the car which were able to be removed pretty easily by a mobile PDR guy. The paint on the wheels was faded and patchy, so I just removed, sanded, and used a rattle can wheel system on them. They're great for winter wheels, their replacements' details in a bit. The bumpers have loved some others in their day so they'll need to be repainted along with the new fender. The SLS accumulators were shot, so my 9 hour drive home was nice and bouncy. Those were the very first thing I replaced!
I wasn't as concerned with the exterior condition as I was the interior. I can easily have a panel painted, but to find a mint interior panel for cars this old can be tough. Luckily, everything in the car is top notch. I have just one very faint crack on the driver's door wood trim but otherwise everything else is perfect. Everything works including the seat heaters and parade horn (what a cool little feature). The cruise control does work, but surges up and down around the selected speed. I suspect the amp is going bad.
My intent with this car is to keep it for night when I go out to events, a night on the town with a date, or the occasional show. The plans I have are pretty simple and I think will make the car stand out without being loud. I purchased a set of 18x8.5 AMG Aero II wheels. I think they're the perfect wheel for this car and I wouldn't have been happy with anything else. Unfortunately the friend that I bought them from (my MB enabler) decided it'd be funny to have them powder coated hot pink, so for now they'll remain "in-progress". I'd like a nice set of tints on the car, but have been told by 3 shops now that they can't do the car without removing tons of the interior. Has this been a problem for anyone else?I'll doa simple new sound system taking advantage of the factory locations just like I did in my 350. I'll put a small sub and a great vintage amp in the trunk. Nothing crazy, just enough to be competitive with modern systems. I'd really love to find a set of rear window curtains for the car, but I've realized they're incredibly pricey. I've mulled over some plans to make my own. I'd like a subtle exhaust system to give her some kind of presence when accelerating while maintaining a quiet burble at idle. Lastly, I'm a huge stickler for ride quality and I imagine I'm going to end up replacing all of the rubber bits under the car. I'll likely do this myself, any input as to which items to complete in what order would be helpful. (Love to keep from having to pull one part more than one time)
As of now, I've owned the car for just shy of a year and besides the drive from VA to ATL, have maybe put 200 miles on it. I spent about 2 weeks going over the original single stage paint with the rotary, getting as much of the 25 years of wear off that I could. It's not perfect yet, but good enough that I don't mind taking it in the sunlight. This is something I'm taking on as an outlet from the stress of beginning a new business, so it will be pretty slow going. I want to go through the whole thing as efficiently as possible, not touching anything more than I have to.
Anyway, on to the pictures:
At my parents' place when I arrived to pick the car up. I left my AMG behind to have my tech in Virginia replace the engine and trans mounts.
Some of the progress during the detail. I hated to use a rotary on this old single stage paint, but it was not in great shape. I ended up cutting with Menzerna, then following up with softer pads using some of the Meg's pro line. I finished it off with a coat of Meg's #7 glaze and topped that with Griott's show car wax. It still has some imperfections, but for thin original paint, it'll pass just fine for now.
Before
After:
Trunk done, swirls on the quarter still:
Quarter done, compare to the door:
Here's that same door:
Trunk before and after. There's still some very faint marring on the trunk, but the paint is so thin I'm reluctant to do much more polishing.
Finally, the only time this car was really driven around Atlanta. I helped a friend drop off his 911 at the paint shop for some touch up. I managed to snap a few pics of the fully buffed out tank while we were there.
See how nasty the wheels look in the pictures? I did something about it. Again, not perfect, but more than sufficient to hold me over until I throw the AMG Aero II set on.
