Medium Pimpin' - 1995 E300 diesel build

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

That's a great video! That really showcases how much the strut-spring clearance changes over the suspension's cycle in the front, and why the bags have to be bent at such a goofy angle to clear everything up front.

Come on, guys, make us a skinny double-bellows bag!

[Dr.AK]

How did I miss this thread?

Great build, great attention to detail and there's even a cat picture in here somewhere, which is always a plus, heh.

Seriously, this has quickly grown to be one of my favourite threads on here. Carry on with the great work!

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

Thank you, sir!

Sadly, the kitty passed away over the summer at the age of 16

However, this little critter is coming home from the breeder in about a month, which is causing a lot of excitement at Casa de Sam


As for the car, it's still around. I've just been doing maintenance and a few little things here and there, and basically just enjoying the hell out of it. I've made a couple of minor modifications to the air ride plumbing to help it air up and down more smoothly, which are reflected in the diagram I posted earlier in the thread. Basically, it runs good, it drives good, it gets 30 miles to the gallon, and I love it to death.

Currently saving money and planning for the next phase of the build.



See you out on the highway...

[Azrial89]

Looks awesome man, I love this car

[lamsv]

I don't comment often in random threads, started by random people I don't know... but that last picture you posted is ridiculously amazing. Great car and shot.

Carry on!

[moist taco]

not sure why the title of this is medium pimpin because your benz is big pimpin..I love love love it. Keep up the great work

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

Looks awesome man, I love this car

Thank you! I love it too

not sure why the title of this is medium pimpin because your benz is big pimpin..I love love love it. Keep up the great work

Thanks so much! Lots more is in store - your patience will be rewarded.

I don't comment often in random threads, started by random people I don't know... but that last picture you posted is ridiculously amazing. Great car and shot.

Carry on!

Gracias! I have to admit, I was pretty happy with how that photo came out as well, especially considering it was taken by me (A.K.A. not a photographer) and with an iPhone.

I spammed these all over Instagram a while back, but I guess I never posted them in here, so here's some more from that shoot:

[P78]

i like how you didn't go overboard with camber and kept it classy

[speakerboy]

I'm a sucker for amp guts.

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

i like how you didn't go overboard with camber and kept it classy

Thanks! Yeah, I'm a big fan of natural camber, and beyond that, things start to get a little silly for my taste. One of the driving factors of this build is my belief that you can build a very low car with a lot of presence without sacrificing practicality. To put it another way, I firmly believe that form vs. function is a false dichotomy. Adding a load of camber solely for the sake of looks contradicts my fundamental approach to design.

I'm a sucker for amp guts.

Me too, especially when they're pretty amp guts, like Sundown does:



I do wish Sundown had brought the black circuitboard on the monoblock over to the 2-channel, but what can you do? It does look like the current upgrade from mine (the SAX-150.2) has the black board, which is nice.

[mikey G]

That is so cool. Do they come factory with plexi, to expose the circuitry? Or did you mod that?

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

No, there's no plexi from the factory. I just pulled the back cover off hoping to God it had a decent looking circuit board, and lo and behold it does! It's pretty clear from the design, though, that Sundown had display in mind when laying out the circuit board.

[Azrial89]

Also, thanks for all the info you put up on your air setup, I know for people (like me) it seems daunting getting started with making the decisions on the route to go. Im starting to look at setting up air in my S124 in the near future and some guys with air on the wagons are hesitant or non responsive to there setup, I know the sedans and wagons are different, but still I appreciate you sharing your struggles and triumphs Ha. Thanks man

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

My pleasure, and I'm glad it's useful info!

IIRC, your setup will be a little more complicated than mine, but not terribly so. You'll need sedan rear LCAs (sometimes called the spring arm), some sort of very short non-SLS shocks for the rear, and some way of blocking off the SLS system. For shocks, I believe M Kube runs Bilstein front shocks for a '95 Ranger on the back of his wagon, and they appear to be very short indeed. Then it's just a matter of deciding on bags, brackets, and management!

[Azrial89]

My pleasure, and I'm glad it's useful info!

IIRC, your setup will be a little more complicated than mine, but not terribly so. You'll need sedan rear control arms, some sort of very short non-SLS shocks for the rear, and some way of blocking off the SLS system. For shocks, I believe M Kube runs Bilstein front shocks for a '95 Ranger on the back of his wagon, and they appear to be very short indeed. Then it's just a matter of deciding on bags, brackets, and management!

Awesome! thanks for the info, its nice to have somebody who has been through all the trials and tribulations and is willing to share Once I get back to the mainland I need to get the transmission able to use reverse again then I can start to gather some stuff for the air setup, I believe I have already sourced the brackets, so I got that going for me!! My girlfriend and I are headed to Oregon next, so hopefully I can get the transmission fixed after the move up from Tucson.