m00nsh0t

So before I could finish my 5.4 swap, I had to go back to school 600 miles away from my baby (Curse you, longer than expected parts ship times!!!)
The car was taken to a shop to finish the swap, replace/rebuild the transmission, and correct the oodles of deferred maintenance the previous owners neglected.
This car had a seriously sketchy history, including being used by the mob to run guns at one point. Apparently the mob doesn't subscribe to regular oil changes.
The shop that did the work called me the other day to say shes done, and I am going home to pick her up. no real purpose to this post, just really excited and wanted to share it with my fellow w202 nerds.

hookah

Very nice! that first drive will be very rewarding.

KJI3jflarryfe93

that's an exciting history your car have.

please tell me more about the mobster history if you know more?
how did you find out your car was a getaway MOB cruiser?
did your pink slip have names of previous owners like Tony Montana?

m00nsh0t

It was quite unexpected to find out haha

I googled the name on the title, and the first link was to a news article from 2001 about a gunrunning ring being broken up by the police. One of the pictures was the guy in handcuffs with the car in the background. The service history even lists maintenance in Florida and NY repeatedly.
unfortunately I dont have too much more info about it

eFifty5AMG

Very neat history 😈 You should share that photo with us.

mickey13

hey buddy that's great! Enjoy the ride home, don't forget to bring your radar detector if you've got one!

m00nsh0t

My friends always joked that 90s MBs were gangster cars! If I find that pic again I will definitely share it.

Thanks, Ive been meaning to pick up a detector for a while, and I guess an 800 mile trip with the C43 is as good a reason as any.

unobtanium-inc

I bought mine in GA and drove it back to NY, I was pumping gas in SC and noticed the temporary tag had blown off, so I did the whole trip, no tags, no inspection, nothing, it was fun.

---Adam

99CEEFOURTHREE

Gun runner...that's awesome...sure there were many ''high speed'' runs.......

mickey13

update?

m00nsh0t

So I got home, drove my C43/55/Whatever for 10 minutes, and then the coolant light came on.

I have a new coolant leak.

I speak two languages and there still aren't enough swear words.

mickey13

probably a loose clamp, easy fix if it werent so damn cold out LOL

m00nsh0t

Thankfully this time the car is broken inside my garage instead of outside. I've narrowed it down to either the water pump gasket or one of the water pump hoses. Gonna pull off the fan and stuff today to take a look. Wish me luck!

DRBC43AMG

I hope you have the right tools to remove the fan because it's a pita without

m00nsh0t

Good News: Found my fan tools, found the unclamped hose easily. My car stopped leaking.
Entertaining news: I thought I needed a window regulator. Turns out I just needed to set the Auto-Up position. Lets Hope FCP Euro allows returns due to end-user brainfarts.

I floored it for the first time with the new engine today. First turned into second, second into third, and then it lost traction and spun the tires halfway through third. I love this thing.

mickey13

Hey buddy! Sounds awesome, just a loose clamp. Had the same issue with mine right by the water pump. Thought same thing it was the gasket but only a clamp.

Fcp Euro does lifetime warranty. 90 days credit back to your card, more than 90 days is store credit. Don't mean to sound like a cheerleader but those guys rock lol

503C43 ////AMG

m00nsh0t

So I wasn't able to drive it back because it had an issue with the power steering and a coolant leak that I only discovered at the last minute. Having those dealt with.

Also, I have some Vogtland springs going on soon so it looks a lot less like a jeep haha

m00nsh0t

Update: All the issues have been identified and are being solved. The powersteering issue was a misplaced hose clamp, the transmission shifting issue is being caused by the cooler lines leaking under load, and the water leak was from the little fitting on the back of the passenger side head that our cars have that isnt documented anywhere.

AMG really does stand for All Money Gone.

DRBC43AMG

Well guess those are some problems most owners are faced with 20 year old vehicles.

brad_c43

super cool the car was a mob car! any luck with those pics???

m00nsh0t

I've been trying, but ive been a bit busy. I can't believe I didn't save a link to the page or something.