Chappy,
I agree with you. I was fortunate enough to get to experience this car when it first came out. My father's friend switched from BMW's to Mercedes and this was his first one. I still remember how unassuming that car was. I had no idea what to expect and then bam! I still remember that empty parking lot like it was yesterday.

As for my "desirable" comment, that was aimed more so for what the market determines what they are worth. I'm shocked what you can pick some of these up for and I want to keep myself in check as I continue to bring it back up. Thank god Renntech and the likes don't really offer much for these anymore. It makes it easier to not spend that kind of money on it. After buying long tube headers for my M5 S62 engine, I would really like to hear this M113 some more but its ok. Keeping it more "stock" is much easier on the wallet.

Now, one of the last cosmetic changes or refreshing that needed to happen on the outside of the car were the wheels. I went back and forth with what approach to take. I'm not a huge fan of black wheels and was 80% sure I was just going to keep it stock. Well, I started looking at old Hammers again and just said screw it. My car is Blk/Blk and I opted for a matte black center with a machined lip. I can't tell how a truly feel. These are just some quick grabs after they came back and I tossed them on. I'll grab some proper photos later.

 

Man, looks so good. I normally don't like black wheels but these look fantastic! Seeing this makes me want to fix up my 2002 CLK55. Its mechanically solid but I am fighting a good deal of rust in all the typical spots on this car.

Enjoy!

 

j-mo, thanks for the compliments. I'm the same with black wheels. I always felt like they look too heavy. There are only certain cars that pull them off well and for me, that has been few and far between. This look has been in my mind for a few months now and I finally just said screw it. I think I'm liking them the more I just see them on the car. I have caught myself giving the car a side eye every now and then just to see how I feel about it. Ha!

I feel you on the rust! I lived in the Midwest, Cincy, for a bit. Being from the South originally, Bham, and back down here again, Dallas, I despised all the rust that ate up nice cars. I hated the fact that simple maintenance jobs, like brakes, could turn into a nightmare.

 

Let me know if you get over to Caffeine and Octane in ATL (first Sunday of every month).

FWIW, I like your black wheels 👍

 

What tire sizes do you run on those bbs two piece?

 

Chappy, why did you post those photos of your Monoblocks! Those are some of the best looking wheels and do they set this car off! If I could justify splurging on some wheels, those would be the choice. I need to focus elsewhere right now. Not to mention, I imagine finding a set is pretty tough.

What springs are you running on yours? My is looking more like a 4x4 the more I look at it. Ha!

 

Same wheels
https://www.autobidmaster.com/en/car...CQ_HAYWARD_CA/

 

Are you trying to tempt me? Have to buy the whole car to get the wheels...Ha! If it was closer to me, I would be tempted to buy it, refinish those wheels and keep on trucking. Those are some great looking wheels though.

 

Wonder if they will fit my w210....

 

I would imagine they would fit the W210 easier than the W208. I'm not an expert in this area but I was about to put a set of 18" monoblocks from a E55 on mine but the deal fell through and I got impatient. I'm still a little unsettled on the wheels. If the CLK55 came with 18" monoblocks from the factory, it would have been perfect. Yeah, those 2-piece wheels are great but it would have curbed the itch to change the wheels just that much more.

 

Ive seen them on:

SL600(original factory option)
SLK(first gen)
W202
W208
W210
W124(500E usually)

Will be throwing a set on my c43, curently restoring them

 

There is the info people need. Ha! Those look a bit tight on your C43/C55? Are you still working on the fitment? What all was involved in that swap? That was one of the first mercedes I almost bought. I always loved that body style. It blew my mind how expensive some of the bits and pieces on that car were!

 

Due to the low offsets +25 front and rear, I run 225/40-18 (f) and 255/40-18 (r). Previously, I ran 235/40-18 front and 265/35-18 rear, but the rears rubbed.

BTW, I also had the 18x8 and 18x9 Monoblock IIs and the wider tires did fit with no rubbing as they’re not as wide and have larger offsets.

 

The wheels is actually not on the car, its just placed next to it to see what it would look like

Wheels are still being restored but I wanna go low with the car so I want the right size tire.

 

Did 265s rub on the inner side of the wheel or the outer?

I run 265/35 on my other c43 using 18 monoblock 2s

 

Oh 5.4 swap was pretty straight forward, just had to swap lower oil pans but if I was to swap the motor from a w208 its the same oil pan(same suspension design). Mine came from a ml55

So depending where the motor comes from you might not need to do anything

 

Very cool! I like seeing this side of the Mercedes forums. Not sure if you saw the beginning of my thread or not but I currently have a E39 Touring getting an M5 drivetrain. Seeing things like this happen in the mercedes community and not just at a shop, make me smile.

As for the swap, did you have to do much coding to get things talking correctly? I would like to find an "aftermarket" Xentry/DAS or something equivalent. I don't need it at the moment but I really would like to turn off the TeleAid crap!. Anyone near Dallas that can help? Haha.

 

These are OE factory springs (euro-spec) I sourced from a dealership in Belgium at least 10 years ago. I think I had a pretty detailed thread at the time with part numbers, pics etc. and before/after comparisons.

The dampers are OE (same part number on both U.S. as well as on the euro cars. The spring pads are 1 bump rear, 2 bump front. 👍

 

I followed this thread from the start but might have missed that detail. Maybe coz I was distracted by pictures.

I love restoration progress pictures more than anything and I am going through that process right now with my red car.

As for the swap, my friend did it for me, hes a former MB tech.

He said it just needed the ECU flashed or something. Didn't sound like anything complicated. Its running off a stock c43 ecu and tune. Nothing was modified.

 

Rubbed on the outside on the Aero 1s 2-piece, only under moderate compression.

No rubbing on the Monoblock IIs at all with 265s.

 

Would LOVE to see some pics of the wagon. I like quick wagons too 😎👍

 

Here is the suspension thread if you’re interested:

https://mbworld.org/forums/clk55-amg...pressions.html

😎

 

Chappy, thanks for the suspension info. I'm actually on the phone with Mercedes right now trying to hunt down some parts for a customer's car. I may have to look into the springs and pads. I already know I will have to look at the color, stripes...haha.

As for that wagon, if that is yours, you have very good taste! I worked at a dealership in various roles for a bit and the E63 wagon was always one of my favorite vehicles. Honestly, that is probably the reason I have gone down this rabbit hole with the "M5 Touring" project of mine. It started of life as a 525i automatic. Well, I told myself I was going to stay "practical" and just put a third pedal in it and enjoy it. That lasted for a bit. I ended up buying some LS mounts from a forum member and thought about that direction for awhile. Even though I came from learning how to work on cars with a small block chevy, I could never pull the trigger on doing it. Fast forward a bit, I moved and talked to my cousin and he was wanting something to have fun in. Long story short, an M5 appeared for a nice price, looked at it, drove it and we split it. I bought it for the drivetrain and he bought it for the shell. Yeah, I'll catch some flack for that but at this point, the damage is done.

As it sits now, I'm trying to get to the rod bearings. I have WPC bearings sitting in a box next to the S62. I just need to get to it! I bought some Evolve headers for it as well and the thought of hearing that motor again is making me excited! The M5/LS has a built 6.2 iron block that will hold 30lbs of boost. Straight N/A, it should be putting out around 450 hp or so. It should be pretty rowdy. It will be cool seeing that one with all the "power" but I'm really looking forward to seeing the M5 Touring.

Again, that E63 wagon is sweet and basically caused me to go down this path. I got a chance to drive too many of them. Haha. I'll add some photos of my wagon a little later. I still need to make a build thread on it.

 

Looking forward to the pics! Yes, my S212 wagon is a 2014 and is my daily driver. My 2002 CLK55 has just 55k miles since I purchased it new in June 2002. 👍