New Member, 1983 300GD, Silver, LWB Project (Purchased Yesterday
Hi Guys,
I have just gotten myself a project G Wagon, it's been stood in a friends workshop for a good few years and needs a bit of tlc to put back on the road but there is hope.
I had it to refresh and sell but after driving it around my land for a while and over some obstacles I think I might struggle to let this one go!!!! :D
Anyhow the main things I could do with some pointers on are where to source a repair panel for rear door and if possible rear lower quarters (although quarters are repairable If I have to).
The condition is pretty good, almost everything works but there are a few things I've noticed such as fuel tank leaks at seam (I will fix this either weld repair or brazing), brake disks and pads at front are poor and need replacing, headlining sagging a little and it needs a paint after the body bits have been sorted.
I paid 2k for it which I think is not a bad price judginbg by what they fetch on ebay :O I'm an engineer by trade and can turn my hand to anything so looking to keep costs down and hopefully have this badboy on the road soon!!!
Just found this place, Will post some pictures up asap of the G.
I put a battery on it and she stared instantly to my suprise....very impressed with the build quality of these wagons.....Feeling the itch to do a full body off chassis restoration to this one....It's screaming out to be loved!!!!
Any info on sourcing a repair panel or replacement rear door would be amazing :D
Peace, BN
Hello Bn,
Welcome to the fold of G-Wagen owners.
I was a little disturbed when I read above, that you are prepared to do a bit of welding to your fuel tank, so I wanted to warn you on health and safety. That sort of thing is NOT ordinarily done! IF you have to, this must be done with the tank removed, fuel emptied out, thoroughly washed, dried and dried more for any fuel vapors to escape, filled with water and then, only the brave, do welding. I personally DO NOT advice or condon, you doing this. There have been cases where even washed and filled fuel tanks have blown up somehow. There is the additional danger of water and electricity; they are not good mates, together and for you.
Should you want to repair, pass it on to the professionals, there are specialists out there who can do repairs.
Other than that, I will compile you a list of sources for you to get in touch with. Talk about being Badnews, your are a Bad boy :-)
Cheers,
Although you can get repair panels from Germany there’re more trouble than they’re worth.
You can get genuine MB quarter panels from main dealers. From memory around £70ea.
Disks from any motor factor or ebay.
Fuel tanks are a known problem on early G’s you may find there’s not much left when you’ve finished steam cleaning it! 463 plastic tanks can be retro fitted but mega money.
Russ
Reply to thread number 2,
Hello Badnews,
Glad to hear this. Be safe. By the way, I have come across on the EPC, the fuel tanks can be bought in bottom and top as seperate parts, noy compared to a full tank, but I will include these also on my listings to you.
Cheers,
Russ, thanks for the tips on the quarters, I'll probably just get them from MB when the time is right and I've asessed the extent of the corrosion.
Rakesh, That sounds promising on the tank in two halves, does it work out cheaper??
I had a quick look under today and its pretty bad, I'll probably end up fabricating a stainless steel one as it'll probably work out similar price overall. I begrudge paying over the odds for components so expect to see a lot of home made components hitting my G in this project!
Sorry it got dark before I finished work, will take a few pics of her tomorrow and maybe start a restoration thread to chart my progress.
Cheers Guys
Peace, BN
http://www.topmodz.co.uk/g/pic1.jpg
http://www.topmodz.co.uk/g/pic2.jpg
http://www.topmodz.co.uk/g/pic3.jpg
http://www.topmodz.co.uk/g/pic4.jpg
http://www.topmodz.co.uk/g/pic5.jpg
http://www.topmodz.co.uk/g/pic6.jpg
As you can see she's a little rough around the edges, but with a bit of time spent on her and some fresh paint she'll be right as rain :D Probably going to split the body and do a proper resto over the summer months.........I might even go to town on it and have the shell acid dipped and e-coated if I intend to keep it......such a good vehicle for the money!!!
Peace, BN
P.S. Where's the best place to start a restoration thread on this forum? I cant see a sub-section for it and there normally is one on most car forums....someone please shout up or I'll just keep posting here ;)
Looks mint! Nothing wrong that a bit of a clean wouldn't fix. I am sure there are some bits under that need more serious work, but the body looks pretty good for an '83. That rear panel looks like it can be repaired, not replaced for now too.
What is on the passenger dash above the grab rail? Anti-slip mat?
Good luck with the work.
Above the grab rail is a 3 section vented part of the dash, not sure what's behind it?? Maybe a speaker or maybe part of the air blowing setup I'm not sure. It's got a factory look to it though.......is this abnormal?
Also I've noticed it has a towing pin on the front bumper...none of the pictures I've seen show this....A build option I guess.
It also has a LOT of speakers dotted around the wagon, dont know if they're standard or not, they look to be fitted nice so probably came from the factory.
The rear seat also folds twice to sit up near the back of the front seats, giving a substantial amount of room in the back :D Liking this the more I look around it!!!!
Going to be my summer project I think.
Peace, BN
I get it - looks like there is a piece of vinyl/foam trim missing across the top of the dash there, which would cover up the 'vent' you mention.
You also have the rear seat option - in a LWB that qualifies for 7-Seater dispensation for the London Congestion Charge if you need it.
Personally, I like my side mirrors vertical, not horizontal. And the front tow pin seems to be more common in earlier Gs like this. A good clean inside will make a lot of difference and a cosmetic front/top respray would be easy - but may as well do the whole body.
Looks like a good buy. Seller should be happy too though, so about right.
Hmmm I dont know, will have to see another dash to make a comparison....doesnt look like anything is missing though :S
I had a butchers underneath just now.....super clean underneath...only one tiny patch to fix up but 99% as it left the factory!!! Some rusty bolt ends and a bit of flakey metal here and there on the machanicals but nothing a quick wire brush and paint wouldnt fix......I'll be changing all thr old bolts out for new ones too as a precaution, better do deal with snapped and rusty old bolts/nuts at project phase rather than in the field or when she's my daily driver ;)
Thinking of a Mercedes-Benz E Class E300 DT engine swap.....this would give me some reasonable power....
Hi BN,
Just saw your posted photos, not a bad buy, yes, it needs work but I am sure you going to do a good job on it.
I think it was jdring who mentioned the door mirrors, I found them to be very practical, on road, I had them set horizontally (maximized rear view vision) and whilst green laneing, it was set to vertical for a narrower setting with the hedges either side of the narrowed lanes.
I am not sure if you have central locking on yours, if you have a green pilot light at the bottom right of the instrument console, then you have central locking - very useful and needed on the G-Wagen, particularly in a Long Wheel Base. If you don't have them, consider an after market fitment, Spal do them. These can come with remote operations; I suggest you go for that. If you do not have electric window, install them too, Spal have kits for these also.
Mercedes did not do factory fitting as standard, everything you see in it is an optional extra, when these were brought in to the UK in them early days, Mercedes UK had brought them and fitted the extras like radios here before delivery. They usually went for four speakers in the vehicle. Should you ever want dealer parts always have your chassis number at hand, without this the dealer can not help you.
For your records, I suggest, next time you visit the dealer ask the parts department to do you a copy of data card for your vehicle, this is like the DNA of your vehicle and lists all the equipment; factory fitted to your model.
On your dash you will find a black wing nut type knob or it might even be round. Usually not labeled, this is for the injector pump's fast idle for use in Winter, to be used whilst cold only for stable idling whist cold only.
It is up to you to remember to turn the fast idle down when the engine has warmed up otherwise, the engine can run on when switched off which can contribute to engine damage in prolonged use.
Do you know the use of the transfer box selector? If not let me know and I can instruct you in its use and meanings. Never use your vehicle in four wheel mode on hard surface for very long, it can cause transmission windup which can lead to damage and be hazardous whilst changing the wheel in that state.
The same applies to your front and rear lock differentials, if you do not know how or where to use these let me know on the PM, I can instruct you there too. Remember, these are to be used as and when required and switched off after passing the conditions of where you needed to use them.
Enjoy,
Hey BN, you stole my G. Only joking, it looks almost exactly as mine did when I lifted it last year. Like your self I work at cars a bit but never paid much attention to the G Wagens. The more I find out about mine the more I'm looking forward to getting it on the road. In fact I bought another one last weekend for parts and its in nearly better condition than mine.
Good luck with the resto, I look forward to folowing it as it will help me with doing mine
Here's the link to mine in case its of any help to you.
http://www.maranellohouse.com/gwagon.html
HI and welcome all.
Loving that green colour on your G, maranellohouse, any greener and it could be a sprinter Van
Spider1V
Stuart,
I am envious of your passion for cars, obvious ability to fix them, and the gusto with taking on the G. Bit of a clean made it look a lot better but you have a bit to do yet. Engine looks great.
It occured to me that you will not need 2 MB Stars, and mine has been 'nicked' for over 5 years! Would you be interested to sell me yours and post it?
Also - I am am a CL fan too, but didn't risk the insurance or petrol costs. However ping me if you want to sell the one you have, just in case.
Good luck to BN too, if not blown yourself up yet (hehe).
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Hi Pistonhead,
Thanks for your concern, maybe I should have highlighted that I intended to remove the tank, steam clean it out before welding/brazing the seam if possible. I am a thoroughly competent engineer & have my wits about me....I'm not going to go sparking near a tank thats full of flamable liquid ;) but thanks for the headsup!
I'm also the Health and Safety guy at work, you know the one who everyone hates because you have to keep reminding your mates to wear their goggles etc... well thats me so safety is on the brain ;)
Also it's a diesel, so its not like a petrol...although any oil can ignite during welding....I dont think the welds would be very good if there's diesel oil everyehere :D
Thanks in advance for the resources :D
Peace, BN