I bought a Mercedes while I was living in a Mercedes

[LaneRaymond]

This is full of win, so much of it. I cannot wait to see more.

Thanks! Believe me, I can't wait to finally be able to drive this thing with some confidence. When it was running (relatively) well, it was an absolute joy to drive, but I never brought it past 5,000rpm in fear of something going wrong.

I need to bring this thing closer to the ground though, this monster truck ride height is killing me. The car still rides nicer than my Civic, but I need to minimize the body roll and get some real tires on all four corners ASAP.


You know, once it runs or something.

[marv111]

I love this thread bro, because its something different, and its very "catchy"!
I definitely want to see what you're doing next to your Benz!

[LaneRaymond]

In my typical fashion, I got frustrated and had it towed to a shop. $100 lighter for the tow (4 miles lol), it made it to DTM Autowerks in Milford, NH. I told them what I'd done to get the car to where it is now, and asked them to diagnose the issue that I couldn't track down.

Got a call two days later from the shop, saying that they believe the issue to be my fuel distributor. You know, that spider-looking fuckery that Helen "Daimler" Keller engineered. Anyway, the damn thing is $450 for a remanufactured unit, because of course you can't buy a new one. (Hint: I see why people switch to EFI now.)

Thankfully, if you've been reading since the beginning, you'll remember the car came with damn near two of everything. Well, I had an extra distributor in storage back in MA, so I called my old man (who happened to be coming up this way the next day) to grab it and drop it by the shop.

He did, and it worked.

I'll be picking up the car as soon as I can find the time. Can't put a price on the smile I'll be wearing.

[ztfoss]

hey lane!
still cant wait to see how this build progresses, i remember you rolling up to help wrap the miata and i saw it for the first time in person haha. good luck dude

[LaneRaymond]

hey lane!
still cant wait to see how this build progresses, i remember you rolling up to help wrap the miata and i saw it for the first time in person haha. good luck dude

What up man! That was an interesting drive to say the least, having to pop the clutch back off the floor with every shift haha. Miata is looking great, by the way. I'll be back in MA over the weekend if you're around.

[LaneRaymond]

Still haven't picked up the car. I made a very adult decision and decided to pay rent before I shell out the dough to pick up the Benz. As much as I'd love to be enjoying it, I've got priorities.

That being said, I've still been hoarding parts per usual.

I also took a trip back to my hometown and got to see some homies:


Here's an update on that Cressida from the top of Page 2:





I'm hoping that I'll have the Benz back in my possession and driving by the end of the week.

Damn, I **** bi-weekly pay schedules.

[driftsucky]

As an grown-ass man dawg, I've definitely questioned some of your decisions. As a car dude, I've agreed with EVERY SINGLE EFFIN ONE!!!!!!! I love this man. This is awesome. Subscribed dinna mugg.

[LaneRaymond]

As an grown-ass man dawg, I've definitely questioned some of your decisions. As a car dude, I've agreed with EVERY SINGLE EFFIN ONE!!!!!!! I love this man. This is awesome. Subscribed dinna mugg.

Much appreciated! Life always seems to get in the way of fun, but oh well.

That having been said, it's almost pay day. With any reasonable stroke of luck, I'll be cruising the Benz to work on Saturday morning!

Once I can confirm that it's running nicely (again) and that my WOT issue has been solved, tires and suspension are to be addressed. I actually found a set of 195/55/15s somewhat local to me for short money, so I'll likely snatch those. That'll be a nice upgrade to my current (dry-rotted) 185/65/15s, especially once I can find some w124 springs to chop to subdue my ride-height woes.

I've also been trying to figure out how I want to make that wing work.
Just the center piece?
Or cut the middle to fit and work with the side pieces as well?

Maybe I'll just have to dust off my Photoshop skills when I can find some free time.

I can't stand posting picture-less updates so uh... here's my cat. A professional portrait, because quality matters.

[Chuckdee]

I like your cat.
I also like this thread, keep up the good work, sir.

Are you planning on getting coilovers for the car or just going with cut springs?

[Azrial89]

I like the progress on this. I was so close to getting a 190e before I got my E320 Estate. The one I was looking at had frothy oil, so I was not about to deal with that. Nice to see you got one with a bunch of "extra bits" and that they have paid off, usually that is never the case, usually you end up with a bunch of useless shit ha. Im looking forward to how this ends up.

[LaneRaymond]

I like your cat.
I also like this thread, keep up the good work, sir.

Are you planning on getting coilovers for the car or just going with cut springs?

A coilover setup is certainly in the plans for down the road, but I'm not about to drop the money on the YSR kit or any others. I'd much rather go the route of sourcing e36 coils/springs and Saab 900/Ford Ranger struts, with the addition of the strut tower brace.

As far as the extra parts go, I have SERIOUSLY lucked out. Everything I've needed thus far to repair any issues came with the car. The previous owner did his research and was a parts hoarder much like myself, it seems.

[LaneRaymond]

So I picked up the car last Friday evening. Started right up, so I took the long(er) way back to my apartment. Didn't romp on it, but it definitely felt much more lively after the shop visit.

Then Saturday, I decide to take it to work. All is going well until I get off the highway. The bucking/fuel cut issue has returned. I limp it to work, and start tinkering with it, to no avail. The car BARELY made it home that day, stalling out in no less than 3 major intersections.

On my horrifying drive home, I was able to come to the conclusion that the problem is certainly electrical. I'm leaning towards OVP relay or FP relay, as it seems like it's dumping fuel for 2 seconds, then cutting fuel for 2 seconds. Spark is fine.

I'm getting pretty sick of blindly tossing money at this thing. I was also presented with an opportunity to get into something newer/nicer for no money at all, so I may end up getting rid of it.

Any input is greatly appreciated, but I may have a big ol' wagon by the end of the day.

[P78]

the cat saved the thread

[driftsucky]

While I love your Xhibit-ish thread title, maybe you take the newer/nicer option up. A restomod is fun, but when it isn't reliable, it can be life sucking. On the other side, you got a bout a billion free parts. I still think I'd go newer though.

[LaneRaymond]

While I love your Xhibit-ish thread title, maybe you take the newer/nicer option up. A restomod is fun, but when it isn't reliable, it can be life sucking. On the other side, you got a bout a billion free parts. I still think I'd go newer though.

I totally agree with you there. By my estimation, my total investment into this car is around $600-700, not taking into the account the amount of time I've put in personally. If the car was running reliably, I wouldn't think twice about keeping it. However, now that it's proving to be a bit more trouble than I was expecting, comfort and reliability outweigh the overall worth.

A fun car will come down the road, and it will without a doubt be more "performance oriented" than the 190E's little four banger.

And, yes, my cat fucking rules. Thanks everyone for the kind words.