[aruncheloor]

Hi all,

Here im presenting you my favourite car. My 1983 Mercedes Benz W123 240D. This is a gradual DIY restoration/ finishing story. The car was in good nick when i picked it up last year except a few small niggles and lacking a few details which im sorting out these days. This car was used by the great actor Mohanlal in the super hit malayalam movie "Aaram Thampuran"[1997]. So, obviously, she is a film star. It was a Delhi registered car then. Later re-registered with Ottappalam RTO, Kerala. Here is a screen shot from the movie.



The car at previous owner's residence.

[aruncheloor]

I started using the car. Did a complete service including oil & oil filter change, both engine & gear box. Installed a new battery, adjusted the ignition timing etc. The car was fine except still lacking that punch. Had to change the primary fuel filter once it showed fuel starvation stalling problems.

Off late, the gears became hard to engage. Went to my mechanic. The problem was with the clutch assembly. Clutch was not engaging properly due to wear and tear of clutch springs & bearing. Decided to change the entire clutch assembly. Had to wait for a week to get the parts. Installed it, car was running like a dream.


I ordered some literature from Ebay & Amazon. They were really helpful while restoring. Bought the original owner's manual, technical data hand book & the Haynes Manual.

Also changed the engine mount rubbers & air filter as they were in bad condition. The vibrations just vanished & the engine started breathing much better resulting in better pick-up & fuel economy.

[Twinn]

Originally Posted by aruncheloor

Off late, the gears became hard to engage. Went to my mechanic. The problem was with the clutch assembly. Clutch was not engaging properly due to wear and tear of clutch springs & bearing. Decided to change the entire clutch assembly. Had to wait for a week to get the parts. Installed it, car was running like a dream.

Firstly congrats on owning a Merc!! its a costly affair to maintain

If you need any help let me know, there is a knowledgeable guy in Mysore. I have seen him work around few Mercs and there is always one in his Garage. he sources parts also.

[aruncheloor]

Yes its a very costly affair to own a Merc especially when its a 30 year old model. The clutch assembly itself costed me 18500rs + labour charges. So, you can just imagine the final bill. The important items like interior dome lights, licence plate lights, rear door ash trays, OE first aid box on the rear hat shelf etc were totally missing on the car. i had to purchase everything through Ebay USA. Ended up paying huge amounts + USPS courier charges + customs duty. You need deep pockets to own a vintage Benz. As W123 had different versions in different years, things were complicated. My car's interior light slots were not matching with the ones i bought. i had to order post 1983 model lights again from US which made a dent in my pocket. Even the literature costed me a lot. Being bought from different sellers, i had to incur a lot of shipping charges. For regular service parts , i got necessary help from my local parts' suppliers. They were able to provide me with good quality spares [brands like Febi, Lemforder, Meyle etc]. I have stocked up quite a few spare parts for my future need as i want to keep my car forever. Parts like ball joints, tie-rod ends, wheel bearings, suspension bushes, filters, power steering repair kit, brake pads, some critical rubber parts etc

[aruncheloor]

Some more pics of the spares collection & my beloved W123 .. Need to install minor interior accessories like the rear door ash trays & first aid box. Im keeping myself busy in the weekends working on the car rather than going out for movies and it seems wifey is gonna throw me out of the house very soon

[condor]

Congrats, Arun. These classic Merc's are a class apart.

Originally Posted by aruncheloor

Im keeping myself busy in the weekends working on the car rather than going out for movies and it seems wifey is gonna throw me out of the house very soon

As long as this lovely car is still with you even after that !

Btw, pls get a nice leather steering cover instead of the one you have. Should cost max 1500/-.

[majumon]

Wow Arun, what a prized possession, congratulations. Are you putting a Team bhp sticker on her. Even a family friend of mine has a similar car lying in Thrissur yet to get her up and ready, would like to know where you had done her up. Also please post some more pictures.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Car looks to be in a good condition, its quite difficult to get hold of good W123's these days.

I just restored one, but a 300D a few weeks ago.

[Jeroen]

Very nice, lovely car. I own a very similar one, 1982 W123 200.
I recognize all the literature you bought. I have them all too, please some more.

Enjoy this beauty!

Jeroen

[aruncheloor]

Originally Posted by majumon

Wow Arun, what a prized possession, congratulations. Are you putting a Team bhp sticker on her. Even a family friend of mine has a similar car lying in Thrissur yet to get her up and ready, would like to know where you had done her up. Also please post some more pictures.

90% credit of the restoration goes to the previous owner Mr.Anoop Vellalam who is a friend of mine. I just had to finish her up to the present condition. Both mechanically & aesthetically. I usually works my car car at Tunex Motors, Nadathara, Thrissur. Mr.Vijayan, the mechanic has vast contacts to get the necessary spare parts. The place is a haven of Imported cars.

Will post more pics soon.. Parts are still coming in from USA.



@ PAVAN KADAM Thats a uber cool restoration job. No wonder as it was done by you Sir. Hats Off. P.S I believe those chrome trims over the tyre fenders were not a standard fitment on W123s. Never seen one before. Looks good though. please enlighten me.

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Car looks to be in a good condition, its quite difficult to get hold of good W123's these days.

There are still very original low mileage W123s mostly direct import cars maintained by their first owners in Kerala. Among them at least 5 cars are in their original paint and could be considered under the ''time warp'' category.

[sankar009]

Originally Posted by ajay99

There are still very original low mileage W123s mostly direct import cars maintained by their first owners in Kerala. Among them at least 5 cars are in their original paint and could be considered under the ''time warp'' category.

Ajay Sir, I agree with you. There are 2 such cars in Nagercoil. One belongs to a hospital owner, they have a vintage ford car also.

[ajay99]

W123 from Kottayam.having customised suspension

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by aruncheloor

Hi all,

Here im presenting you my favourite car. My 1983 Mercedes Benz W123 240D. This is a gradual DIY restoration/ finishing story. The car was in good nick when i picked it up last year except a few small niggles and lacking a few details which im sorting out these days. This car was used by the great actor Mohanlal in the super hit malayalam movie "Aaram Thampuran"[1997]. So, obviously, she is a film star. It was a Delhi registered car then. Later re-registered with Ottappalam RTO, Kerala. Here is a screen shot from the movie.

Wow wow. Congratulations. W123 is my second favourite car and I hope to acquire one in a couple of years. Incidentally, I give this movie as reference when any of my friends ask me which Benz is the W123 .

Where exactly are you in Thrissur. I visit Thrissur once a month or two. Would love to see the car in flesh. Do you mind sharing pics of the interiors? Did the short turning-radius surprise you?

P.S:- Impressive signature by the way

[aruncheloor]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Wow wow. Congratulations. W123 is my second favourite car and I hope to acquire one in a couple of years. Incidentally, I give this movie as reference when any of my friends ask me which Benz is the W123 .

Where exactly are you in Thrissur. I visit Thrissur once a month or two. Would love to see the car in flesh. Do you mind sharing pics of the interiors? Did the short turning-radius surprise you?

P.S:- Impressive signature by the way

Im staying at Kottappuram Road, Trichur [in between systems duty paid shop & vyduthi bhavan]. You can visit me anytime [except mornings]

I'll share more pics soon. Im in the process of finishing up the small items inside. [Like window crank trims , chrome strips etc. They were missing on my car.]