Part 2 Mercedes W123 Coupe....

Well the seller`s location was quite close to ours and we managed to set-up an appointment within half an hour from the discovery of the Gem. I have personally seen a so many Mercedes Benz W123 on sale in the past but a 2 Door Coupe was something I really wanted to get my hands on. We met at A&W Petaling Jaya and the first sight of her was simply breathtaking. Who would have thought frame-less doors on such a sedan like body could look so good ,Every time I pulled opened the doors it was like seeing Julia Roberts transformation from slutty street girl to elegant sophisticated lady in Pretty Woman. The interior was not in top notch condition but her sexy black leather looked so typical classic Mercedes. Below the interior,

     

Now it was time for the first test drive, Being a Mercedes made her easy to operate unlike some other classics made before 1985, She had power assisted steering, automatic transmission and no nonsense 2.8cc in-line 6 cylinder engine. The test drive went well as expected from such a bullet proof model, This car was so well built that you could not break anything even if you wanted too.There were no loose panels and all the electronic worked  including the sunroof. The price was discussed and we came to a settlement. We were so keen on the car that we took her back on the same day.

Restoration step 1 was changing the sad undernourished metallic silver paintwork to a more bold metallic Mocha Brown seen it the first batch of the Proton Waja CPS. Rust was not an issue with the car but we did find a very bad repair job on the rear quarter panel which needed a whole panel replacement.Stripping her down for her new coat,

Putting on the Anti-rust coating gave us another idea of how we could still retain a two tone exterior, so now the lower body will be metallic Mocha and the roof will be painted Sapphire Black.

Now was time to paint,

The first view on the paint on the car,

And the completed Baby,

I lost most of the pictures on work done to the interior and engine when my computer decided to clash. The work done on the engine was a full engine service , New plugs , ATF oil replacement and of course a new Air-cond compressor which cost a bomb. The front signals were changed from the standard amber type to a more modern white type. Interior was cleaned up and the door panel leather was replaced.Once all were done the car was put up on the market to find a new home.The new owner is a  Mercedes benz collector and I believe she is now parked at his garage with other classics like the ever famous Mercedes Benz SL. She is now only driven once a month to golf course.What a way to retire from being a daily driven workhorse.

Before

After

The End. Next week will be the BMW E36 328i Cabriolet restoration.Till next week, Take care and god bless.