RBYCC

Many hours to get the inverted louvers installed in the hood of my C124TT WB..
Underside had to be reinforced and metal worked to minimize the use of filler...
Block sanded and ready to be fitted !!

Saijin_Naib

Looks amazing Ed. Really slick. Your shop guy does impeccable work!

RBYCC

Brett..

It's only been two years since he started...

He is extremely talented and what's interesting is that he works as a painter at a Chevy dealership !!!
Sheetmetal is actually a side line for him...

Ed A.

Saijin_Naib

Has it been that long already? Wow... Time goes by quite fast. Have you finished the fender work? Is this one of the final details, or about how far are you?

RBYCC

Time goes by even faster at my age !!!!
Bodywork is complete, in primer and hood is all that needs to be installed.
Hope to get it on the road this month, renew state inspection, do some performance mods, disassemble and on to paint











Sparco W124 strut tower brace in the front and a modified Camry brace in the rear.

Shoomakan

Why a Camry brace, Ed? Isn't there an OEM Mercedes one that would work? Or did you want a specific thickness?

Chappy

Awesome project! Can't wait until that beast is on the highway.

RBYCC

There are no commercially made rear strut tower braces made for the 124.
Only two manufacturers still make the front brace for the 124.

The Camry was the proper dimension to fit the rear of the 124.
Manufacturer is "Freedom Design", aluminum bar billet type with powder coated steel end adjustments...very cheap on EBay !!!!

RBYCC

Two years and counting...
I still need to make the mounts for the Recaro's and install the Atiwe steering wheel...

Just bought all new body, window, etc seals and gaskets from the MB Classic Center...nice discount for MBCA members !!!

ptoro01

On the second pic in your first post...Ed, are there multiple longer welds as well into the hood surface? Towards the washer sprinklers.... or is that an optical illusion? Was the curvature of the center bulge adjusted? Are you going to use the hood insulation?

The aesthetics and precision at each work stage are just impressive!

What's the eta for final coat? By the time Santa comes around?

RBYCC

Not an illusion...the welds are the result of stiffeners that had to be installed on the underside of the hood.
Hood doesn't take well to welding and tends to distort.
The stiffeners got the hood "bulge" back to the stock curvature.
A stock hood insulator pad will be used with cutouts for the louvers..

I would hope paint before the leaves fall, but if not..."Ho-Ho-Ho" and I'll add a "Happy New Year" and even may have to wait for the "Easter Bunny"....

Ortolan

Ed, did you do a write up of your Camry rear bar installation? I must've missed this thread. What was the part number and what modifications were needed?

lillnaisarn

I wounder the same thing, and i also wounder where its available to buy ?

RBYCC

B.J.

You can use any strut bar based on the dimensions needed for the 124.
If I recall it's about 42.5" center to center on the rear shocks.
Double check the dimensions as it's been some time.
I used a Freedom Design because I found one on EBAy for $19.95 !!!!

http://www.freedomdes********/Merchan...e=strutbraces4

I really bought it for the adjustable ends, but the billet bar was more then adequate so installed the complete unit.
The pix below show the new bolts to the tower sheetmetal.
The Camry unit was not an enclosed mounting bracket so the shock remained untouched.
All it does is keep the sheetmetal tower square side to side and prevents any flexing of the shock mount.
The bracket was modified to fit the 124 sheetmetal.
The trunk liner will be slotted to clear the installed brace.

ptoro01

Could normal heat cycles affect the metal or is that a significant factor only when its not metal to metal? As in is this the only way to guarantee against paint issues? I understand welding warp as its physical deformation, I guess the question is more about how paint ages.

Hey! As long as its before the tooth fairy comes around, seeing as he's related to the dentist and all

RBYCC

Welding similar metals with the proper rods will achieve a result that is as strong or stronger then what you started with.
There will be no issues with the paint as the substrate is all the same material.

Dissimilar metals or metal to non metallic joining cause the most problems to paint due to the differences in expansion/contraction of dissimilar materials.

High heat from he engine bay could affect the paint over time, more the reason to use a hood insulator pad.
UV from the sun is probably the most destructive force, especially on a red car...!

Just hoping that my body guy lives to finish it and get it into paint...
Was concerned about my demise, but guess I wouldn't care

ptoro01

I really enjoy bodywork and everytime it's a thorough learning experience, seeing how the primer was run to crisp edges on your project I can appreciate from my last mistep. The level of detail shows your guy has well seasoned experience!

When you say dissimilar metals, if composition was the same would thickness to considered as well? I know it has a bit different heat transfer but what's the threshold where it still makes a difference.

I've had experience with the signal red as a detailer, the single stage and how thick they laid it on allowed for quite a deep cleanse. I was impressed how much oxidation it can handle without any visible long term damage. The single layer is quite maliable so scratches could be taken care of too. I just wonder how thick of a layer I removed, the pads were color loaded.

RBYCC

Dissimilar metals would mean different such as welding steel to aluminum..
Thickness not that important if the metals are the same composition.
Thinner gauge will warp or distort easier under heat then a thicker gauge..
It's trial and error, but important to make a series of spot welds and connect weld to weld instead of running a complete weld from end to end which would generate a great deal of heat.

A few more pix as it's now roadworthy !!!

Shoomakan

Ed, that looks spectacular!

Now paint it and go smoke some rubber!

Sher Judge

RBYCC, you are very gifted in the motor car world, your 300CE, looks amazing. You could without a doubt start a legendary business.

Those lower door moulds on your W124 300CE LOOK BETTER than any I've ever seen, ever.

RHW

I am no longer even remotely satisfied with any car I own.
<kudos, she is really comin together!>

ksing44

Of course it isn't a VW diesel Golf, but it looks pretty darn good just the same. Seriously, it looks awesome!!! You really did it!!! And you did it very well!!!

One thing, I'm more of an *** man. Do you have any pictures of the big back end with fat tires bulging? No need for smoke pouring out of the wheel wells or anything, just a nice rear end shot of some kind would be wonderful to behold.

Shoomakan

I agree. Although by the looks of things each car would take a LOOOOOOOOOONG time.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that whatever you do, Ed, it'll be better than factory. Far better. I can not wait to see fully completed pictures (and perhaps you'll enthrall us with some awesome videos, too!)

RBYCC

The only rear shot is an old one before the panel adjustment and alignment was completed.
The latest shot doesn't give the true wheel arch contour:

Sher Judge

Salute