What’s Up in the Forums: Restored 2002 G500 Looks ‘Better-than-New’
Undercarriage
The OP began his project by removing the stock front suspension and differential setup to make room for the similar parts from a 2016 AMG G63. He ended up adding the entire suspension system from the G63 with all new bushings, as well as the brakes from the newer model.
Before installing everything, the OP carefully removed any rust and painted all of the suspension components and the differential housings black. Once the components on the vehicle were prepped, he installed all of the front suspension bits before turning his attention to the rear, where he reused the stock differential of the 2002 G500, but he added the springs and dampers from the G63 – all painted black, of course.
In the process of adding the new suspension components, the OP also replaced the rear axles before adding the G63 brakes at all four corners – all of which were switched from silver to red.
The final step (so far) under the G500 was making the exhaust from the G63 fit. This required some modifications and some welding, but the AMG exhaust fits nicely under the 2002 Benz SUV.
The Interior
Next up, we have the interior restoration process and this is where the OP really took this project to the next level. As if adding G63 suspension components weren’t going to improve this G500 enough, the new owner took the interior down to nothing but bare metal and a few wiring harness. The seats, the interior panels, the dashboard, the factory speakers, the carpeting – pretty much everything that could come out, did come out.
He started the cleanup process by fixing some rust spots on the floor of the cargo area, followed by sanding and painting the entire floor. He then added sound insulation from floor to ceiling, including in and around the doors, and as he reinstalled wiring harnesses throughout the vehicle, the OP took the time to rewrap all of the wires. Even wires that people will never see, such as the harnesses for the power windows, were restored to a like-new condition before being installed.
A couple of the key upgrades to the interior of this G500 included front seats from a newer CLS63, the accelerator pedal from a 2007 Mercedes S600, a W140 sunroof, window/seat controls from a G63 that were re-wired by a shop in Russia to work with the G500 and an all-new leather and alcantara from floor to ceiling.
The OP walked us through the rigors of things like making the CLS seats fit and work in the G500, or how to wire up the S600 gas pedal, but the most unbelievable aspect of the interior restoration process is the new leather.
Most people taking the time to essentially perform a ground-up restoration of a Mercedes-Benz will turn to an upholstery shop to handle making new leather from scratch, but the OP did all of that himself. He ordered the raw materials (leather and Alcantara), he made patterns of every component to be wrapped throughout the cabin, he cut the materials from those patterns, he sewed everything together and he tightened all of that leather down. From the headliner to the seats to the dash to the door panels – every single piece of interior trim has been wrapped with leather or Alcantara made by the OP.
Frankly, this portion of the process sounds crazy, but it might just be the most impressive aspect of the job. While all of his efforts here are painstaking, the interior re-do is just plain breathtaking. Best of all, he shows us how he completed pretty much every interior piece, and how he removed and installed them.
