AMGDave

A nice ceramic coat like Jet-Hot or Swaintech is great, but on a budget, it's pretty far down the priority list. And as RBYCC said, the power gain is roughly zero. I'd either do the brush-on stuff, or just get a rattle can of exhaust paint from the local McParts. Anything will look better than the existing rusted surface.



If there is cracking on the rubber mounts, they're probably due for replacement. I have Meyle HD mounts on my '87 with KONI yellows and OE Sportline springs. The RDM TEK mounts are really sweet but IMO they are way overkill for street use... they're more of a track/race item. Street cars usually don't need the additional camber adjustment.

FYI, the RDM TEK adjustable front strut mounts are almost sold out, and there may never be another production run. See post #2 at this thread:
http://500ecstasy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6713



Be careful with your choice of rear axle ratio. 3.69 is crazy low with no 5-speed overdrive tranny. Your car (1991 300CE, right?) should have 3.06 gears which is already pretty good... the 93-95 coupes/cabrios dropped to 2.65 gears. If you do any freeway cruising, or want any sort of top speed, I would prefer 2.82-3.06 or at most 3.27 gears. With 3.69 you'd probably be at 4krpm on the freeway!

I'd put the money into a limited-slip diff - this really makes a big difference. But you need to decide on a gear ratio first, then build the LSD. Personally, I'd keep the ratio stock at 3.06 and pop in a factory LSD carrier.

Saijin_Naib

Dave, would I need four of these stop buffers? Or are they only for the front two struts?

AMGDave

They are only for the front struts - one each, so you need two total.

For the rear shocks, the stop buffer is built-in to the shock and is not replaceable separately (or to be more specific, you cannot buy the rear shock stop buffer separately; and yes it's a totally different size than the fronts). New rear shocks come with new stop buffers pre-installed, so you don't need to worry about it as much in the rear.

Saijin_Naib

Excellent, thanks for the clarification. I feel stupid asking this stuff, but Gotta learn

Saijin_Naib

Thanks again a ton Ed.
I'm going to take a look in there today hopefully so long as I don't get sidetracked. That black plastic piece with Mercedes Benz on the top of the engine is called what? I've been looking in the EPC and have not found it yet. I assume it should be a cheap part, or at least I hope so.

I think it has been quite a while (3-5 years) since my plugs have been changed and they might be due by now. If I am not mistaken, my car is running and has been running on a very lean mix.

I was told by my dad that since I have a distributor I can easily advance the engine timing by turning something? Is this true? Should I even mess with this or not?

Saijin_Naib

I bought High Temp black paint (1200F) which I believe should be sufficient for the exhaust manifold, right? I'll try my hand at sanding today. Not sure if I should attempt to take them out but we shall see. The bolts seem to be completely rusted to the exhaust manifolds and I'm not sure they would survive being removed.

I asked the RDMtek guy and he said that their front mounts and the 5mm shortened rear LCAs would be needed to compensate for the negative camber from a 1.5" drop, but the H&R Springs set I want is only 1.3". I was hoping this would not be true because that is some extra cost I don't want but :\ I also asked if they were stopping production but he neatly ignored that part of the email.

I think I have the 3.27 (1990 300ce). The way I find it at present is that if I am going about 60 on a flat road cruising I am taching about 3k in 4th, maybe a bit more or less. This holds true at pretty much any speed.

If I were to swap to the 3.69 with the gears from the r129 300sl, wouldn't I still be okay? I am assuming they had the ratios matched to that rear diff to allow the proper acceleration and cruising.

If not, how hard is the 722.5 to swap in? Also, what car is that even from? What would I need to change to have that?

Saijin_Naib

Strut Mount:


Strut Mount:


Exhaust Manifold Before:


Exhaust Manifold After:


I don't think this sandpaper is going to cut it :\ That took about an hour and really did not get the surface prepped well at all.

zach1328

Just wondering. I saw your first post on this thread and you mentioned a website called Cksperformance.com i believe. I found a few products on there that i am kind of interested in. Can i trust that webiste?
For Example: I was interested in this.
http://www.cksperformance.com/merced...des.asp?SID=27

It is called the Sprint booster, and apparently there are 3 different modes.
Mode 1 is Sprint Booster off.
Mode 2 is Improved response and smooth driving.
Mode 3 is improved response and aggressive driving.
I am interested in this because my cars response time is very laggy and slow. Sometimes i feel it is dangerous because the only way to speed up fast is to floor it and make it down shift.
The website also states that there is a big difference in higher rev. range. Meaning fast acceleration i guess?

Can i trust this product? It is about $300 and figuring the shop is in the U.K it is probably a little bit extra to have it shipped. So assuming shipping is $25 then I'd be dropping $325 just for better response. Worth it or no? Are they trustworthy?

Saijin_Naib

Doubt it will work with the fuel management system we have.
CKS was one of the sites claiming huge gains on the w124 for stuff like chip/exhaust etc. I've been told that it was BS so I'd be wary.

RBYCC

Brett

You can't sand cast iron, you need to grind it...but it's not necessary.

Pick up a rust converter and paint it on.
The rust converter chemically neutralizes/changes the rusted surface to a black primer that can be painted.

Ed A.

RBYCC

CKS is an aftermarket supply house in the UK.
Everything they sell can be bought in the USA..
In fact they import the Sprint Booster from the USA.

Euro Tuner did an article on the Sprint Booster...really doesn't do much..

Doubtful they even have one for the 124 cars.

Your wanting a 722.5 trans..why?

The 722.3 is a much more durable.

AMGDave

I'd use a wire brush to remove any loose stuff, then just wipe it down with solvent to de-grease, and paint right over it.



You can't base any of this off a claimed "drop", becasue the "drop" will vary for each different car, and only you know what your current ride height is. I always get frustrated when people talk about inches of "drop" - it's a very approximate thing, not exact. This is why I'm always asking what the ride height is as measured from wheel center to fender lip, which is a valid reference point to compare different vehicles. Also, the front ride height will vary by up to about 1/2" with new struts compared to old (i.e., install new struts and your height may pop up 1/2"). Again, the aftermarket springs are a "one size fits all" and while they may lower one car 1.5" they may only lower another car 1.0", etc. What I do is determine the ride height I want, then get the springs & spring pads needed to achieve that height. For street use, I prefer approx 14.0" from wheel center to bottom of fender lip, front & rear, with a full tank of fuel, and new struts. Over time the front will gradually get lower so you may want to set it a bit high up front with new struts, so it will settle to the desired height. The rears don't seem to change at all over time - difference in design between struts & shocks.

Anyway, unless you're putting the car in the weeds, you don't need additional camber adjustment up front, but you will probably need it in the rear to keep tire wear in line. And yes, they are not planning to produce any more of the front strut mounts, unless perhaps there was a larger order / group buy submitted, pre-paid. I suspect there just wasn't enough demand for them to justify the cost of production. Your stock mounts are looking tired and should be replaced when you install new struts.



Ah, this thread title was 1991 300CE, which is why I was confused. Yes, the 1990 has a 3.27 diff. Again, I think this is already too high. I would absolutely not go any higher than 3.27... if it were my car, I'd want to drop it to 3.06 or 2.82 unless it was a weekend toy or track car.



Yes you can swap in the 3.69 diff, but you'd have to find a speedometer head to match, and there was never any 124 imported to the USA with 3.69 gears. It could be tough (or impossible) to locate one overseas that reads in MPH intead of KPH. One more reason to stick with 3.27 (or less!).



Nah, you don't want the 722.5, although the overdrive is nice it's not the strongest tranny. It was used in the 300SL/SL320 and also the S320, but just for a few years. It's a complicated swap and I wouldn't attempt it. The swap you really want is the 722.6 which is a very strong tranny, but it's an expensive and complicated swap (~$5k or so). WhippleM104 has done this conversion and although there are a few bugs, he's proved it's possible on a W124 with M104 - just not cheap. I would leave your existing 722.3 alone, it will deal with almost any power level you can throw at it.

ps2cho

Those strut mounts are toast, get them replaced ASAP.

I am using the Meyle HD mounts from autohaus as they are dirt cheap and are doing great so far.

Saijin_Naib

Hah, that would explain the difficulty I was met with when trying to sand the rust off of it.

Alrighty, I'll try to find some of that at WalMart and see what it will run me.

Saijin_Naib

Alright, I'll try that with what Ed suggested. See if I can't get these cleaned up a bit.

Hmm... I'll get a measure on the heights today and I guess see what they are at now. I'm fairly certain springs/struts/shocks/pads are all from the factory and have not been changed. I guess I'm already "dropped".

Alright, I'll see if they can cut me a deal or something. Ideally, I'd like to get all four points covered and be good to go so we'll see how receptive they are to that.

Yeah, at the time of the first post I thought this was a 1990 because one of the insurance cards for it was mis-printed. I learned the difference afterward but could not change the title still.
I do like the pull of the 3.27 especially in first, it really slams you back in your seat. But 3 and are very conservative, I guess to enable it to get any sort of fuel economy at all.

Crap. There goes that idea :C

Jesus, nix that idea too then.

Were there any higher ratio rear diffs that were used in the US that are a direct swap onto the m104/722.3?

190E 16V

For an instrument cluster in MPH, try England, the United Kingdom, for that. They have lots of MB's there, and crowded roads means they may have the mileage on the odometer that matches your car.
Magazines like, Classic Automobile, Mercedes Enthusiast, etc. Out of the UK, have lots of ads for parts sellers/fabricators.

190E 16V

Alternatively, you could get a KPH cluster with the right gearing for your new tranny, then put a MPH overlay over the existing guage.
Options to explore anyway. Maybe Dave or someone knows more about this.

Saijin_Naib

Did road feel and cornering improve any with those vs the stock ones?

Saijin_Naib

England uses MPH like we do stateside? Never knew that

Saijin_Naib

Found out what this Want A New One part is:

Part Number: A104-150-01-75
Designation: Screening Plate
Location: (15) Electrical Equipment -> (06) Ignition System
List Price: 150$ US (ZOMG)

Saijin_Naib

Anyone know if the 3.46 listed here for the m104 300te would be a direct swap over for my 300ce?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Differential-Mer...item19bb23ffc5

I think that would give me a noticeable boost right? And I am assuming this one is US market as well. I honestly never knew that the 3.69 was not US market

Is it Canadian market? I am close enough that I could drive out there if someone cut me a deal on one.

AMGDave

Assuming you could find one and create the proper overlay... the indicated "miles" would be waaaay off, as it would register in km's.

About the only easy way to do this would be to either have a custom speedometer cable converter box built, or attempt a conversion to electronic speedometer from the V8 models, which would also require taking apart the rear transmission tail housing and swapping all the pieces from the V8. NOT an easy swap.

AMGDave

What is your definition of "direct swap", lol! But yes, it should mostly bolt up. You'd still have the pesky speedometer issues to deal with though.



Boost in what? Boost in fuel consumption, yes. :p It would make the car feel snappier on takeoff but do you really want the engine spinning at 4000rpm on the freeway at 70mph? Then again, the redline-limited ~120mph top speed would help keep you out of jail...



Item Location: Mannheim, Germany. Very long (and wet) drive.



There was never anything lower than a 3.27 used in the USA on a 124 chassis. Your car already has the lowest ratio offered in North America for the 124. I'd leave the gear ratio alone and just make it limited-slip. I hate to even mention this but there is a 3.69 ratio in the early SL320 which should swap into your car with some minor tweaking. But again (beating a dead horse) you're gonna have the speedometer problem.

Saijin_Naib

Eeh, that would be not a direct swap for me then. I'd be thinking more along the lines of bolt up, drive away.


I've only ever visited 125mph once and I'm not certain I'm going to ever again. It was rather stupid in retrospect. I'm not about the max speed the car can go, but rather that it be quick to get going and handle well. Basically, an AutoX machine not a dragster.


Lol, indeed. So I take it the 3.46 is a European market only?


Hmmm, that is interesting. The tweaking I am assuming is non-trivial, correct?

AMGDave

Any gearing change will require a speedometer adjustment, so that's a bare minimum requirement. Most diff swaps will require *some* amount of hardware changes, but it varies depending on the donor.



OK - just remember that the lower gears will also cause more traction problems, which may not be an issue with a stock engine, but if you make more power it's not always fun to watch it go up in smoke when you're not trying to.



Well, non-North American anyway, in the 124, for 210mm diffs. There might be something from a US-spec W140/S320 but you'll have to do some homework.



Depends on the donor. Might be as easy as swapping rear covers, or it could get more complicated with swapping output flanges, or the input flange (which requires a special tool to do correctly).


Lemme put it this way - I'd rather spend the ~$1500 for limited-slip in your current diff, than $300 for lower gears. LSD will help put power to the ground, lower gears do not; they mostly just get the engine into the powerband a bit quicker from low speeds. If you had an E320 coupe with 2.65 gears I could understand wanting something a bit lower, but sheesh, you're already at 3.27...!