[DudeWithaFiat]

All the best for the restoration. Just like Kavesh55 said, a 'buyable' W123 is getting very very rare. Where I service my W124, I have seen W123s in very good, impeccable condition coming for maintenance, but as we can easily guess, owners of those well-maintained 123s would never part with it. Will be watching this thread closely

Your 'partly' restored version looks very elegant in its 1st, 2nd and 4th pics

P.S:- If funds can be gathered, I will be looking for a W123 in a couple of years or so.

[LOVE HER(ALD)!]

Thanks so much for your good wishes!

I only wish I had the time to dedicate exclusively to her restoration. As you rightly said, W123s are the most durable Mercs ever built. So a TLC-showered example will either not be available for sale, or will (and should) cost as much as a new entry-level sedan.

An Iranian taxi-driver's W123 holds the guiness record for the largest mileage ever clocked by an automobile. From what I have heard, the car has done over 20L kms and is still in use! Have not personally checked this information, so the figure might be incorrect.

The T-Bhpian whom I idolize for his W123 restorations is g1_gold. These are the links to his threads. As work progresses on my car, I will be looking up to him for their advice and suggestions:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super-...-restored.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...-restored.html

[DeepakMenon]

Best of luck, there is no pleasure better in this world than restoring a vehicle and specially a W123; I will be glued to this post

[LOVE HER(ALD)!]

A quick opinion poll:

What, according to ardent W123 enthusiasts, is the perfect color on the W123? The factory shade on my 300D was metallic Labrador Blue with blue interiors. The present shade is Midnight Blue.

I am definitely going to replace the entire blue interiors with a beige one. A new dash will have to be sourced in black.

For the exterior, my all time personal favorite is the Mustard-ish yellow (not sure of the shade code). But when I interacted with some enthusiasts in a dedicated MB W123 forum, most are of the opinion that the 123 looks best in this Orient Red, shade 501. What do we think about this?

Though this is a question much ahead of sequence, still I want to be on one fixed mind-set rather than wavering when I reach the bridge!

Please pour in your best pics you have from the internet... yes, the ones that you keep gazing and fantasizing about at office!

[laxmanrk]

Dear sir

Looking forward to your complete restoration of a lovely car!

Colours are always personal and the colour you have shown is one of my favourites for the W123.

But the best colour in my opinion is Anthracite Grey http://www.euroclassicmotors.com/gal...300sdsold.html


Here is a beautifully restored example with beige interiors similar to what you are planning to get.

[LOVE HER(ALD)!]

Thanks so much for your good wishes.

But as luck would have it, the work is on a stand-still because of a shift in my priorities. Besides, my mechanic is out of town for a week. Seems the project will be delayed well past my set deadline.

I love the Anthracite grey as seen in the fabulous example. However, I have realized what I seek out of my W123 now, by following this three-point elimination process:

1) No metallic shades, as most often the repaint does not turn out to be as good as the original. Besides, a retouch would be a pain to match.

2) No dark colors, regardless of how well they impart the oomph factor to most cars! I somehow feel the W123 is such a timeless classic, its lines and curves are best highlighted in certain solid colors. So out goes the 501 Orient Red that I was seriously considering. Though I admit I loved the current Midnight Blue that she was wearing, but maintenance was a mammoth task.

3) Lastly, no shades seen on modern cars! Now this last bit has brought about a radical twist in my decision making process! I am now looking at a color palette exclusive to the W123s. I absolutely love the gelb (yellow) shades on the 123s - maplegelb, sonnengelb and this shade 673 "saharagelb" (pics attached) that happens to be my favorite!

I know it is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of color, and not a "safe" one that would appeal to most of us! Still, I would appreciate some opinions on this one...

[Ray32825]

Hi Vikas, I had several model 123's. From a 240D to a 300TD. I have a bunch of parts and spares in my garage so if you need anything like the original Becker radio etc let me know. I also have access to a Mercedes wholesaler called German Parts World here in Longwood FL, where I have managed to get parts for this model cheaper than parts for a Ford Escort!

[avinashimpex]

Originally Posted by Ray32825

Hi Vikas, I had several model 123's. From a 240D to a 300TD. I have a bunch of parts and spares in my garage so if you need anything like the original Becker radio etc let me know. I also have access to a Mercedes wholesaler called German Parts World here in Longwood FL, where I have managed to get parts for this model cheaper than parts for a Ford Escort!

Hi, Is it possible to get a AC Compressor and Euro type Headlights for W123 300D, what would be cost?

[Ray32825]

Avinash, what type of AC compressor and for which year, cause the older cars came with York compressors and then newer ones with metric AC Delco R4 and finally the Nippondenso 10P15C. I think I may have some of each in my garage. I know the R4s cost around $200 brand new. Will check on the euro lights, its been a while.

[Ray32825]

I found it! Service manual for W123 model engines

[LOVE HER(ALD)!]

Any suggestions to overcome the mental trauma when plagued with bottlenecks in the middle of restoring your dream machine? My heart weeps to see my W123 all opened up and lying at the garage since 3 months now. The major reason is my mechanic's fading interest and passion towards anything time consuming and challenging, more so when there is no derth of simpler work with easy, handsome money.....

Could anyone please identify this particular shade of yellow seen on a W115 ? Just cannot find the Color code for this particular yellow anywhere on the net. I thought it to be 'Sahara yellow' but as you can see from my earlier pics, this one is quite different. Would love to have this Yellow on my W123. So any information about this would be immensely helpful.

Thanks,
Vikas

[LOVE HER(ALD)!]

Work finally begins on my lady! The entire paint is scrapped off and all the sheet metal is aligned accurately as per the bodyline. This should hopefully prove to be worth all the time and energy put in...