I learnt welding because I didn't want to pay someone else to it, its turning out good so far, the rear window is tricky to fabricate because of the many curves in the metal. Its been worth learning.
I first faced the heartbreak of rust early on in my Mercedes education with my second Benz, a W111 220 Convertible which had significant rust that had been covered with bondo and a slick paint job. I took it to a Mercedes specialist in Nyack, New York who disclosed the true damage which was extensive. At the time (1980) I had paid 10K for the car, and was willing to pay that again to fix it. He wanted close to 50K - i parted with the car. My last was a W116 (very clean car that cost 7k) had rust under the fuse box and lower firewall. I paid 7k for proper metal work and a complete respray - had that car for 10 more years. .
@@ItsTimePictures I sold the W111 to someone who wanted to take it on; he seemed to understand the situation. I lost 2500$ - cost of my education; but I never bought another car without a thorough professional inspection. Even with that W116 the rust was barely visible but small, and it was revealed before the sale closed. It was fixable for 1K, but the strip and respray brought a good otherwise straight car back to its former glory. And thank you, Pierre, you cannot inform enough on this issue.
Great topic thank you. Have a 1992 500 SL hundred thousand miles wanted to take your advice on a car club for Mercedes for future work to be done can you recommend a club I’m in the Michigan area.
im reviving a W115 300D i fell in love with this car because it has NO RUST that's my only stipulation everything else I can fix myself. blown engine and rat nests too but its well worth it.Check out my content on Diesel Mercedes reviving W115 W123 and Pinzgauers.
Am a body man and yes sir we don't like fixing rust mainly for financial reasons, in another word it pays like shit, insurance jobs pays $60k-$120k a year, and body technician not necessarily knows how to fabricate metal , long story short go to a specialized restoration shops
If you need rust repair my advice is don't put it off. The people who do that work all seem to be ready to retire in the not too distant future! I will not be surprised if 10 years from now Mercedes are shipped to Hungary or Romania for extensive rust repairs.
