Chase's 73' Merc w108 Build Thread

[Schmaudi]

OK.......I must admit to being *****#1 when I first saw what you were doing.....I'm glad I kept my opinion to myself. That's actually starting to look ok!!

I think the slim bumpers should be about 1.5 inches higher.
Also, you could try others, eg W116 rear uppers, that wrap around further down the sides of the car...

Maybe you could even cut 'pockets' into the sides of your addition to sink the chrome bumper tips into, so they blend back into the body line

Lol, thanks.

Yeah I'm going to play with the fitment a bunch before I make the brackets they will be mounted to, we will see where they end up.

I have thought about that but at this point I have to quit having "ideas" lol. But we will see, I do like that idea.

i will agree with V8 finny, i dont want to be that debbie downer or jerk off, I love your motivation and what your doing, im just not 100% sold on the front, but......its not done! So i think i should just keep quite. I would although look into closing the gaps in certain areas...although im sure you know that One small suggestion is, maybe the lower piece under the grille follows the line of the grill? Instead of it being flat like you have it, make it angle outward like the grill?

I guess my only biggest concern for me, being silly, is that both your fenders are now connected, and me being silly, is wondering how you would remove just one fender.

I love your dedication, keep it up man.

That's cool if you're not sold on it man. Correct it is far from done, I think once some primer gets laid down it will start to make more sense. Yes the gaps will most certainly be closed up. I like the idea of the piece under the following the point of the grill, I may have to play with that a bit, wouldn't be too tough.

Lol, yes I would consider that a big concern myself. I guess I failed to mention that there will be a seam right in the center of the lower piece where the grill comes to a point that will be attached together in some way and I will make a trim piece to go over it that will be finished to the same finish as the rest of the trim. That would be terrible to have to remove/install them if it was one piece, especially once the paint is laid down.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

[lewda]

i will agree with V8 finny, i dont want to be that debbie downer or jerk off, I love your motivation and what your doing, im just not 100% sold on the front, but......its not done! So i think i should just keep quite. I would although look into closing the gaps in certain areas...although im sure you know that One small suggestion is, maybe the lower piece under the grille follows the line of the grill? Instead of it being flat like you have it, make it angle outward like the grill?

I guess my only biggest concern for me, being silly, is that both your fenders are now connected, and me being silly, is wondering how you would remove just one fender.

I love your dedication, keep it up man.

[V8Finny]

OK.......I must admit to being *****#1 when I first saw what you were doing.....I'm glad I kept my opinion to myself. That's actually starting to look ok!!

I think the slim bumpers should be about 1.5 inches higher.
Also, you could try others, eg W116 rear uppers, that wrap around further down the sides of the car...

Maybe you could even cut 'pockets' into the sides of your addition to sink the chrome bumper tips into, so they blend back into the body line

[Schmaudi]

Here is a taste of what the front will look like, with the grill, headlights, and corner bumpers mocked up. As far for how satisfied I am with it, it is EXACTLY what I was looking to achieve when this idea popped into my head.









Tonight I am going to slim down the corner bumpers and make mounting points for them, as well as "try" to finish the front. That is unless I decide to add one more thing, you'll have to wait and see...

[Schmaudi]

What are your mig settings? I'm no pro, but it looks like you're using a lot of wire and applying a lot of heat.
May be easier to use a little bit less of both to have a smoother weld and then be able to grind it down and bondo it to shape it.
Good luck with the front-end though! #motivation to get it done!

To get the curves more curvish, I left some gaping between the pieces of metal and let the welding fill it in. Trust me I am no pro either, lol. I will give your suggestion a shot tonight. Thanks!

[Schmaudi]

like your build, but i can not admit that i like the front, so far..

I would have to agree with Ghettoblaster, I was in love with everything up until the front. Only one question is if you have to pull one fender off, I'm guessing you'll have to remove the entire front including both fenders?

Thanks guys! No worries, I'm not expecting everyone to like it. I like it so that's all that I'm concerned about. Once its all buttoned up and glassed though, I think you may have a different perspective. When it's aired out the front end will damn near be on the ground.

I'm also thinking I may add back on the upper bumpers to each of the corners, only modified to be much more slim and sleeker. We will see, I will probably make that decision once the car is primed so I can get a better idea of how it's going to flow.

[TeckniX]

What are your mig settings? I'm no pro, but it looks like you're using a lot of wire and applying a lot of heat.
May be easier to use a little bit less of both to have a smoother weld and then be able to grind it down and bondo it to shape it.
Good luck with the front-end though! #motivation to get it done!

[Schmaudi]

A couple days day I started working on the curved portions around the grill. It was a complete mind fuck tryin to figure out how to start it, due to it needing to be curved in three different spots. But thanks to a few ideas from some friends and diving in head first I was able to get a good start. Instill need to suck it up tighter to the vertical contour of the grill. But I have a good idea of how that will be done.

It's still needs a lot of love but you get the idea. Some pics.















Going to try to wrap the front end up over the next couple days. Wish me luck...

[lewda]

I would have to agree with Ghettoblaster, I was in love with everything up until the front. Only one question is if you have to pull one fender off, I'm guessing you'll have to remove the entire front including both fenders?

[Ghettoblaster]

like your build, but i can not admit that i like the front, so far..

[Schmaudi]

so happy with the updates. cant wait for more!!!!

Thanks man! Hopefully should have more tonight.

[8vdubmadness8]

so happy with the updates. cant wait for more!!!!

[Schmaudi]

It turned out that the flat piece I tacked in across the front where the grill sits was completely not needed. Lol

I ended up cutting that piece out and curving a second piece so run along the bottom of the grill. As I was tacking it i figured ehh what the fuck, let's see if i can still actually "weld".

This is the first time I laid down a bead with a MIG welder since high school welding class. Turned out pretty good! I did get an A in that class though so it damn well better be.



Pretty pleased with how it turned out, but that still was pretty easy. Now I need to slope the profile of the same curve from the top of the bottom piece up to the top of the panel. Should be interesting. I have some good ideas on how I'm going to tackle it.

















Hoping by the end of the week I will have the front pretty much done. Hoping.....

[Schmaudi]

I've been hard at it on the front end the last week.

Doing the mock up I decided to entirely change how I was going to do the front end. Previously I was going to butt the pieces up to the fenders. After some thought I determined that I could make the line at the fender where it meets the new panel would flow much better if it was placed underneath the fender instead of around it.

Mocking up.



Started tacking the pieces to the fender. I added a support to the passenger side so that the sides matched up.



Next I started tacking in the piece that separates the 2 halves of the bumper.







And finally I tacked on the bottom portion. In the center of the bumper it was sloped in to fit a euro plate from the factory. I curved this piece of metal by hand to the shape of the lower part of the bumper.



I tacked in a piece that extends in the front that I will shape to fit around the grill. I also have the curved piece mocked up in these pictures.

[Schmaudi]

Photo: Travis Alexander Photography