Finally, we get the outside of this 2002 G500 restoration process. When the thread began, there was no front end, no rear bumper, no flares and no spare tire, but there were plenty of little dents around the body, some of which had led to rusty spots.
The OP began by repairing every dent and every rusty spot around the body. He removed (and eventually replaced) all of the window glass, he removed the original mirrors and replaced them with units from the 2016 model, he replaced the stock headlights with a set of high-tech units from a G63 and he added some G63 body bits – most notably the aggressive front fascia.
Since the G63 has big intercoolers behind the front fascia and the G500 does not, this created a very bare look behind the new front end, so the OP created faux intercoolers that fit perfectly behind the openings, giving the face of this G500 a much sportier, complete look.
Next, he removed and rebuilt the door handle assemblies of the G500, showing how to disassemble and repair the lock cylinders. Of course, once they were rebuilt, he painted them gloss black. He also removed the solid metal sunroof, replacing it with the glass roof from a W140.
With the doors off, interior stripped, glass removed and everything else taped off, the G500 was sent off to a body shop for a fresh coating of dark silver paint. Once that step was complete, it came back to the OP where he began putting everything back together, including the new front end, the fender flares, the new bumpers and all of the new lights from front to rear.
While this synopsis is lengthy, we barely scratched the surface of this incredible restoration process of the 2002 Mercedes-Benz G500 so to really appreciate the work done, you should grab a snack and a drink, set aside a couple hours and read through this entire 31-page thread.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
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