Mercedes sl 300 r129 restoration advice
Discussion
Hi, I have recently purchased my first sl 300 after wanting a project for some time. It is a sl 300 1990 which has covered 115k with a lovely bit of service history. It starts up and drives the breaks are not the best but I assume that is the calliper. Apart from that I am hoping to get it ready for it’s not next week
What I really need help with is the body. As you can see by the pictures both the wings and bonnet have big scabs and the boot lid is dented with another scab, most of the paint looks tired. I have been searching on line and all the parts arnt original. I didn’t no whether to use them as I’m not sure exactly how they’ll fit. Any help and advise will be hugely appreciated.
What I really need help with is the body. As you can see by the pictures both the wings and bonnet have big scabs and the boot lid is dented with another scab, most of the paint looks tired. I have been searching on line and all the parts arnt original. I didn’t no whether to use them as I’m not sure exactly how they’ll fit. Any help and advise will be hugely appreciated.
No photos here but was this the navy blue car that was for sale near Manchester on eBay last week?
I have some experience here having last year bought a project 500SL from 1992. Wings are approximately £325 each new from Mercedes. Used wings on eBay are 100-200 each depending on how rusty they are. A full decent quality respray is going to be 3-4k, so why would you risk the used wings blistering and needing replacement again?
My advice would be to fit a new battery, replace all the fuses, examine the drivetrain and suspension and make sure the roof is in fine working order before you worry about bodywork. It would surprise me if a rusty R129 that has been stood for a while didn't want a quite a bit doing in those areas.
Are you looking to work on this project as a keeper or turn it round and sell it? I have to say that if it is the latter then you will find it very hard to make anything other than a loss. So I turned mine into a keeper...
I have some experience here having last year bought a project 500SL from 1992. Wings are approximately £325 each new from Mercedes. Used wings on eBay are 100-200 each depending on how rusty they are. A full decent quality respray is going to be 3-4k, so why would you risk the used wings blistering and needing replacement again?
My advice would be to fit a new battery, replace all the fuses, examine the drivetrain and suspension and make sure the roof is in fine working order before you worry about bodywork. It would surprise me if a rusty R129 that has been stood for a while didn't want a quite a bit doing in those areas.
Are you looking to work on this project as a keeper or turn it round and sell it? I have to say that if it is the latter then you will find it very hard to make anything other than a loss. So I turned mine into a keeper...
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