AMGDave

Thanks! The Hyper 85/80 setup with relays is pretty nice... the low beams are the best out of any combination I've tried. I had previously used a pair of Narva 130/100's, and also some Philips 100/90's... those were also excellent, but I think the 85/80's are better on low beam. The megawatt bulbs do produce a lot of heat, though. The plastic near the the bulb starts to turn color a bit, and get more brittle, from the heat. Ditto for 100w H3 bulbs. But so far I haven't had any failures, or anything even close to melting., even with the bulbs on for several hours on a long trip at night.

The only real drawback to any of these setups (besides the labor to add the extra wires & relays, which takes 6-8 hours to really do properly) is the fact that the high-output bulbs have a relatively short life span. Depending how often you use your headlights, you can expect to replace the bulbs somewhere between 6 months and 2 years. When I was still using my low beams as DRL's, I only got about 4 months from a set. I now use my fogs or city lights as DRL's to save the H4's, I think I'm getting more like 2 years per set now (would have to check my records though).

Saijin_Naib

Anyone have a good method to restore the transparency of the glass on our cars? My rear windshield is rather spotty looking under direct light (headlights of cars behind at night) and makes it incredibly difficult for me to see out. I've tried steel wool to get rid of hard dirt but to no avail. I would really like to restore it without having to replace it. Any thoughts?

Oh, same goes for my side mirror glass but those are cheap enough to replace, but again, rather fix than replace.

Thanks!

Saijin_Naib

Setup:
MTEC 60/55w 4,350k H4
MTEC 55w 3,300k H3
DEPO Euros

Low Beams:


Low Beams + Fogs:


High Beams:


High Beams + Fogs:



As I am sure you can see, I have them aimed all wrong. Le sigh.
Output appears to have improved over the DOT spec lights but I'm not convinced these MTECs throw more Lumens out than the Silverstars. The color temperature is certainly much higher, but Lumens I doubt. I may be selling these to get a set of the Philips Hyper bulbs AMGDave posted about.

Oh, how do I aim these?

AMGDave

The aiming procedure is in the FSM at this link. You need a level surface to park the car on, and a vertical wall to point the lights at, then you adjust them as described - basically so they point downward slightly from horizontal. If you have the internal level adjustment dial next to the headlight switch (like this), make sure it's at position "0" during the alignment procedure.

Saijin_Naib

You can also use the 6-speed from an M111 powered SLK or C230 Sport. You will have to fabricate a trans mount and drive shaft but the trans will bolt right up to an M103 or M104 engine. __________________
Glen Tokuhara
A few cars...

Saijin_Naib

WANT TO BUY:


Bosch 94-95 Turn Signals.

I did not get in on the group buy from SpeedAutoTeile and upon emailing them I was told they never stocked these lenses. If anyone has a set or knows where I can find a set for a reasonable price, I'd be very much obliged.

Saijin_Naib

WANT TO KNOW:

Do the 94-95 US Spec headlights have a rubber gasket on the bottom edge of the light that goes between the light housing and the filler panel where the wiper arm goes in through?

Saijin_Naib

NEWS:

Got my "AMG" style mudflaps in the mail today.


Question: Do I leave them black, paint the non-tire facing side body, or just have the mercedes emblem done in silver? A mix and match of the above options?

Please give me any opinions you guys may have, I'd be interested in some feedback.
Thanks!

( I have a small bit of secret work being done at the moment, hopefully pictures soon )

RHW

I'd say body color on the back side, I'd prefer them subtle...even as they do a great job of keeping car clean longer. Body color would look real natural imo. If you were trying to emphasize them a bit, trimming the star in silver could look good too.

ZorroAMG

Find me a pic of a W124 with those flaps and preferably in a color close to yours and I'll chop it so you can decide.

Saijin_Naib

This is all I can find right now. I used to have some better shots of the Demec Race w124 Coupe that had the mudflaps (why I want them still) but I don't have it on this computer. I have to find the dinosaur and get the pictures off that one.

Thanks Mark

Also, thanks Rich. I'll have to see. I may just mount them unpainted for now, take a few shots and post them here for you guys to work off of.

ZorroAMG

Here..

Saijin_Naib

Thanks Mark. I have to install them tomorrow when I have time.

Check my new toys...


Thanks to Rik for the idea and thanks to Dimitry for doing it for me so it didn't turn out like crap

Saijin_Naib

http://www.msrwheels.com/wheels_detail_specs.cfm?id=231

These remind me of the Evo II wheel. They are about 22lbs bare for 17x7 which is a little hefty. Anyone have weights for the Evo II wheel?

pifcat2

I'm all for venting but what benefit do these add? I realize the V8's have the dual intake ducts...

Saijin_Naib

Probably no benefit what-so-ever. I may be able to custom make some intake boots to fit behind these and then run it to the air box. At the least, I'm hoping they will get some more air under the hood. The temps in there have been a little too warm for my liking of late.

Saijin_Naib

Do the V8s have a different radiator to accommodate the second duct? There is no room on the right side of my radiator to slip in the intake boot.

AMGDave

A stock Evo-II wheel, 17x8.25, is approximately 25 pounds. I don't have the weight on the smaller Evo wheel (17x7.5).

AMGDave

The V8 engines do not pull air from ducts next to the radiator. They have an enclosure around the headlamps, and pull the air from under + behind the headlamp assembly.

Saijin_Naib

Do you know if there is anything stopping that boot from working in the I6? Could I potentially use that in conjunction with the one-sided duct?

I thought the Hammer had a dual-intake setup. Was that using the intake boots like the V8 or dual-ducts by the radiator?

Also, thanks for the weight info on the Evo wheel.

ZorroAMG

I dunno if I like those filler panels..especially on the I6's that really don't need them....

To each their own...

AMGDave

I think it would work, if you got all the parts from a 400E in the junkyard. Not sure if there's any advantage over the single inlet you already have though.



I have photos of two different Hammer engine compartments... one had dual inlets but no tubing (i.e., it was a hot-air intake, lol) while the other car had a single inlet with a tube routed to the passenger side of the car, towards the headlights (photo isn't good enough to tell where it goes).

Either way, I believe that MB made the stock intake tracts oversize for the displacement, so you will likely see little if any gain at legal speeds. Now if you built a system which could pressurize the intake with ram air, you might get a little gain at warp 9... but it probably wouldn't have much effect below about 100mph, and even then, were talking low single digits for any gain.

Saijin_Naib

I am met at every turn by obstacles Well, I may just do it anyway for the "make myself feel better" factor. Atleast these cars come with stock CAIs, right?

Would heat-wrapping the intake tubes do anything to isolate the engine bay heat from getting into the intake air? Presumably, the airbox would have to be similarly protected.

Saijin_Naib

Hard to diagnose, but some general direction type info would be appreciated:

Steering has a deadzone in the middle. Is this a bad alignment? Bad steering box?

AMGDave

It shouldn't be bad alignment. When you say "dead zone", do you mean there is noticeable play in the steering box, in the center position? I'd say either a bad steering link somewhere (tie rod, drag link, idler arm), or possibly a bad steering box. Bad steering boxes are super rare on a 124 (they leak, but almost never fail).

It's pretty easy to check the box from under the car, turn the input shaft by hand, and you should see the output shaft move directly in proportion. If you can move the input shaft back & forth without the output shaft moving, the steering box could be worn. At least they're cheap, probably <$50 used from any Pick & Pull... tons in salvage yards with little demand. The sedans have a quicker steering ratio than coupes, btw... the Sportline coupes just used the sedan box. So it would be a little upgrade if you installed a sedan steering box (has to be 1990-95, the 86-89 boxes had different Pitman arms).