taleb659

I have sourced all the parts for the front and rear strut assemblies except these two parts for the rear:

1. REAR SHIM: 2303250084 (QUANTITY: 2)
2. REAR BUMPER STOP: 2303260068 (QUANTITY: 2)

Once I have found the source for these parts i will be use my car as the test subject. My plan is to make this thread the most DIY informative thread for the R230 Chassis. That includes where to buy the parts, removal and installation, and real feedback with videos on how the car performs without sway bars at realistic speeds and turns. If the car is stable then good and if its not then sway bars will be put in. I have reasoning on why I want to install the kit without sway bars in the beginning.

The setup I will be making will have:
1. Bilstein Shock absorbers
2. H&R Lowering Springs (approximately 30 mm)
3. Bumper stop, shim, boot, dust cap, and top mount will be OEM

Current availability for conversion kits are:
1. Rebuild Master Tech on ebay: $2500 + $1500 Core Charge
NOTE: The RMT is really the best kit on the market for the price. One thing that made me shy away was their core charge. I don't like the idea of shipping all of those parts at once and let them determine whether my core fits their standards. This is what they say on their ad: (Core charges are refunded within 14 business days of receipt of core.)

2. StrutMasters conversion kit for the SL500: $2200 Shipped
I spoke with a man named Gary and he told me the kit consist of KYB shocks and Eibach Springs. This setup seems more appealing than the standard SL350 setup Rebuild Master Tech is offering. However this kit does not offer sway bars, and with this kit you essentially keep the rest of the ABC components. When you use this kit you cap off the lines and are still prone to ABC line failures. Unless you change the pump then you can get rid of the ABC system.

Arnott is offering to pay $300.00 for each strut for the R230 Chassis.
1. $300 X 4 = $1200 JUST FOR STRUTS. This does not include the ABC pump and two valve bodies which you can still sell. This is another reason why I don't want to give my core to Rebuild Master Tech.

Please chime in and maybe somebody can help source these two parts!

Thanks.

Geo3

Very pleased to see you are making up a coil-over conversion kit.

You mentioned information on the three suppliers currently providing kits and I concur.

I have tried to compile a list of Mercedes parts required, including sway bars (keeping to the SL350 parts). Here it is :

http://www3.sympatico.ca/gmacgruer/_CoilOverParts.pdf

Hope this list may help somewhat.

Kind regards,

George

Smalone01

I was able to find everything except for the sway bars in the US. I think those part numbers you are looking for are available at Mercedes. Where did you find the sway bars?

taleb659

Thanks for the kind words George! I have access to EPC and your list is spot on except for a few parts for the front and rear. Those being the boot cover, shim, rubber bumper stop, and front dust cap. Those are in the EPC catalog pic supplied in your list.

Front & Rear Boot Cover: 2303230092
Front Rubber Bumper: 2303230044
Front Shim:2303210184
Front Dust Cap: 2113230038

Rear Rubber Bumper Stop: 2303260068 (Part giving me a hard time)
Rear Shim: 2303250084 (Part giving me a hard time as well)

Also In your list you have the pump listed for $350 where did you source it from?

taleb659

I called the dealer and when I supplied them with those part numbers and they said they are not coming up, but all the other parts for the front came up. They also mentioned that they might not be able to order the parts since they were not originally sold in the united states. However I disagree with them because I retrofitted folding mirrors to an E55 I recently sold and those were never offered in the states.

Regarding the sway bars I have not sourced them in the United States. I am still searching for a supplier besides Mercedes. Makes you wonder how Rebuild Master Tech supplies all of these parts for that price. It truly is a good deal if it wasn't for the damn core charge

Another reason why I have not put much effort into the sway bars is because Arnott and StrutMasters sell their kits with no sway bars and they both state the car is safe and functional. So my car being the test car it will allow me to make an unbiased judgement whether sway bars are needed or not.

gwelliott

Great work Taleb, but I think others have posted what is needed to build your own Coilover Kit. Jadawda (sp?) published a good write-up on his conversion including part numbers.








I have an SL600 and found the kit from RMT would not work. Jerry, the owner of RMT agreed to work with me on developing an adjustable coilover for my 600. He is just about done and from the pictures he has sent , it looks like a tight install.


P.S. I am definitely putting sway bars on front and back. I think this was a bit of a challenge for RMT, but it looks like they figured it out. I'm anxious to see their solution.


So far I have nothing but praise for RMT. A little light on the communication at times, but when they call they are willing to spend a lot of time going over the progress and their approach.

taleb659

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Thanks Gwelliott but this thread is not just about building the kit but also step by step assembly and disassembly. Jadawada thread is great but still would make people shy away from changing to coil overs. My goal is to take step by step pictures and videos to ease the fear of going this route. Another note is Jadawada is in Lebanon it is much easier for him to source SL350 parts than it is for people here in the states.

Regarding part numbers I have all the part numbers, my problem is sourcing some of them. I also wish you the best of luck with your conversion and please keep us updated!

Geo3

Many thanks for updates.

I've been trying to find that pump source at $350 (it was somewhere on the internet when searching just for the part number). Unfortunately, I didn't save it at the time. I will have to adjust that number upwards somewhat as they all seem to be more expensive.

Here is a current ebay listing for similar pumps but I cannot see exact part number :

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/luk-power-steering-pump

BlownV8

Please keep us updated on the SL600 progress. I would love to rip this piece of sheet ABC out of my car.

kustom2k1

625 per wheel really isnt that bad. If I end up keeping my SL, going to bring it to Mercedes master tech. They are 20 min from me and awesome people. The owner and his son Patrick both own and Drive AMGs.

Going to see if I can test drive the SL55 they own, would like to experience the ride before hand.

BlownV8

That would be great. Please share when you do.

FreedP

Kit on ebay. Unable to find in USA.
Any suggestions? What do you all think?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COILOVER-CONVERSION-KIT-FOR-MERCEDES-BENZ-R230-SL55-SL500-SL350-WITH-ABC-/231526919224?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

BlownV8

These guys are located in Pompano Beach FL.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coil-Spring-Conversion-Kit-Mercedes-R230-SL55-AMG-2002-2008-OEM-/191278933160?hash=item2c891ce4a8&vxp=mtr

Hulk

Yup, master tech are great guys and Patrick and his father know AMG very well. Amazing shop as well! Buy with 110% confidence.
Tell Patrick hulk sent you

FreedP

Has anyone purchase and installed this kit?

Please share your thoughts and experience.

gwelliott

Freed,


Ditto on Jeff and Patrick at Mercedes Master Tech. Impressed so far with their conversion of my ABC to a coilover on my SL600. Jeff is a classic German craftsman who doesn't believe in doing a half-*** job. He has had my SL for almost two months working to get the kit just right. He had a break through last week and couldn't wait to call me and share that all the pieces are in place. Scheduled to pick up the car in Pompano beach Aug 7th. I will try to do a more complete photo-documentary once I pick it up and can shoot my own pictures with the car on a rack. Here are some in process photos.


https://picasaweb.google.com/1096627...51727849158994


Hope the link works.

BlownV8

That's going to be so nice. Can't wait to do mine.

FreedP

Elliott,
That looks fantastic. Can those struts be used with the SL55 kit?
Thanks for the help.
It will be great to read about your impressions after the long ride home.
Be safe.
Peter

FreedP

Talked with Jeff today.
I have added the coil-overs to my bucket list.

gwelliott

The SL55 is a much easier conversion per Jeff. The problem with the SL600 is the downpipes from the turbo manifold interfere with where the front sway bar needs to go. Jeff used the SL65 BS as the model for this kit, but did have a BS on site to check the dimensions as he went. Therefore he had a bit of rework to get a fitment that was acceptable to him.


What I like about Jeff is that I don't think it is in his DNA to let something go out that is not 100% right. I honestly believe he would have put my ABC back on before letting this car go out with a half-baked solution.

wlelandj

The timing on this is perfect. I'm having a 2005 SL65 transferred (currently in transit) to the local CarMax. If everything checks out, I hope to follow through with the purchase. In retrospect I should've done more extensive research into the ABC system and it's issues, as well as if CarMax will offer an extended warranty for this year model(fingers crossed). I called Fidelity due to positive posts on the board, but they only offer back 10 years and evidently are going by build date rather than model year, so no go on a 2005. Anyway this thread is about coil over conversions. To my credit, :p , I waited a whole day after you were scheduled to pick up your car to inquire about your conversion, gwelliot. Hopefully everything worked out as planned and you should now have that much anticipated system in your hands. Please, as soon as you get a chance, give us all an update. Thanks!
-Leland

BlownV8

Any updates.

F1BHP

Interested to know how this worked out.

mtymiguel

I have completed my coil convention with rear seat bar and new pump on my 2003 SL500. This kit was from Florida.

I have also done the facelift and wide-body.

They only down side it's maybe to low sometimes.

I would like to remove the ABC warning red light from the dashboard.




Thanks Gwelliott but this thread is not just about building the kit but also step by step assembly and disassembly. Jadawada thread is great but still would make people shy away from changing to coil overs. My goal is to take step by step pictures and videos to ease the fear of going this route. Another note is Jadawada is in Lebanon it is much easier for him to source SL350 parts than it is for people here in the states.

Regarding part numbers I have all the part numbers, my problem is sourcing some of them. I also wish you the best of luck with your conversion and please keep us updated![/QUOTE]

gwelliott

First of all apologies to the MB community for leaving manyof you high and dry who had an interest in the coilover conversion for theSL(and CL) 600. About the time theconversion was complete I entered into a marital crap-storm only looselyrelated to the work on my SL600. Theworst is over (I think) and now that I have some stability, I can sit down andwrite at least a short paragraph on the conversion. I meant to do an entire photo-expose’ on thisconversion, but you are going to have to live with just a few pics and someverbiage until the entire crap-storm subsides.
My first impression of the conversion is DO NOT DO IT!!!
There are several kinks that need to be ironed out and I amnot entirely sure if there are solutions to what we need for an SL600 which arenot custom made.
Let’s start with the Rebuild MasterTech (RMT) kit.
Jeff Limpert at RMT designed the kit. I delivered my car totheir shop in southern FL in May. Jeff felt he needed the car onsite for aprolonged period of time to get the fitment correct. The car was not a daily driver, so I obliged. I left the car there for about 3months. Jeff eventually worked out howhe was going to integrate the sway-bar into the design and connect it to thecontrol arms. This is the tricky part ofthe kit and requires a custom control arm link that right now only comes fromRMT.


He turned implementation of the design over to his son, whowas going through his own crap-storm, the long and short of which is when Iwanted to come and pick it up in late August, as I was in FL for businessanyway, there appeared to me a mad scramble to get the car done, even while Iwas waiting in the lobby. The upshot ofthis is they didn’t have time to really dial the suspension in or learn what Idid the hard way and gave me a car that probably wasn’t road worthy. On the 1000+ mile drive back I uncoveredseveral flaws in the set-up.


Basis for the kit.


RMT uses the Bilstien dampers (shocks) off a Euro-specSL350. This car was sold in Europewithout an ABC system and is a direct mount (more or less) with the ABCmounting points. The problem with theSL350 is that it is over 600 lbs. lighter than the SL600. To compensate for this, Jeff used the OEMsprings off an E500, however, this still isn’t enough to compensate for theweight.
The net result of this is that the car sits very low. The coilovers are adjustable, and I have hadthem in twice to increase the ride height, but have only increased the lift bya ½ inch or so. The springs are just tooweak to support the weight. The downsideof this is that the new sway-bar, which must pass under the Cats, scrapes onjust about everything. I can hardly goover a speed bump without bottoming out and hearing that God-awful sound ofsteel scraping against concrete. I havelow profile 20’s on the car now which gives me about 27 inches from the groundto the edge of the fender well. Icalculated that if I went back to the stock 18’s, I could pick up another ¾” to1” in additional clearance. I ordered aset of 18’s just to test, but unfortunately my significant other is holdingthem hostage in the garage. Below is picof the sway going under the Cats



It gets a little worse……. then a lot worse


I like the look of the 20’s but the worst part about them isthat I also have clearance issues between the inside tire and control arm linkI mentioned when making low speed tight turns (like when you are parking). Jeff thought if I just added 10-15 mmspacers, I could overcome the rubbing. Ihave the spacers, but they are also being held hostage, so I haven’t given thata go yet. Going to the 18’s which have adifferent offset, may also solve this problem. I don’t see this as an issue with the RMT kit per se, as this car wasnot intended to run such a large wheel. Once I get access to my stuff, I settle this one once and for all.
However, the most unacceptable thing about this kit is highspeed handling. The car cornersgreat……up to 60-70 mph, it feels like it is on rails. When I first got the car, my cousin, who is amuch better driver than me, wanted to know the quarter mile time. Out on the country road he lives on, he has a¼ mile marked off. Just for fun wedropped the top and he dropped the hammer. My 600 has a tune so I guess I am pushing 600-ish HP at the crank. We finished the ¼ mile probably just above100 mph and at the end of his “course” there is a slight rise in the road. So slight that at 50 or 60 mph you may justbarely feel it. At 100+ mph, we boththought the car was going airborne. His eyes got as big as saucers and hestated “that was scary, I don’t think I want to do that again”. The dampers, just don’t have enough strengthwith these soft springs to keep this car from lifting. I have done a few high speed passes myself whenegged on by an M-Series et al, and confirm that above 90 mph, the car gives mezero confidence as a driver.


Next Steps


A buddy of mine has a membership at the local road racingrack (MSR Houston). This guy is theconsummate gearhead. Engineer bytraining that spends every minute away from work, tinkering, thinking,practicing going faster. He got meconnected with the tracks' in-house suspension expert. We spent several hours going over theconversion and what can solve the problems. He thought the design of the kit was first rate, so kudos to Jeff on that one. His advice was to have a custom shock built around the Bilstiens Ialready have but with the correct valving to handle the SL 600 weight. He also thoughthe could find a spring fabricator that would create a spring to spec. I also reached out to KW (Germany) andbrought them up to speed on the project. They make a coilover for the Black Series, which I was hoping wouldwork, but the mounting points are completely different. They are willing to fabricate a racesuspension with the spring rates of the Black Series with adjustable dampingand height for $4-5K. I am leaning towardthis option primarily because I think it will advance the knowledge baseand provide off-the-self tech for those intrepid enough to follow in my footstepsand improve this design.
What I would have done differently
I retrospect I should have just repaired the ABCsystem. This coilover conversion seemedstraightforward initially but has been far from it. I also wander if I would have replaced thesteering knuckle with the Black Series could I have bolted the BS sway bar andcoilovers in more easily. When I look atthe EPC for the BS, it only appears that the knuckle and control arm links aredifferent Vs the SL600. Perhaps I amreading it wrong, but if this is the case, this would be the way to go. I’ve got about $6K all-in to this conversion. Roughly equivalent to a major ABCrepair. I’m probably another $6K, to getit fully functional, which makes this payout Vs ABC replacement dubious. My only redeeming hope is that handling tofar improved Vs stock when all is complete (assuming the KW solution works),otherwise this has been a bit of a fool’s errand.
My advice for those looking to do this on a 600 or 65 is to wait a couple more months until I finish the KW test. Otherwise I think you are better served sticking with the ABC.