My CL500 Project

[Haylands]

Hi

Bought the CL500 last week with a view to bringing it up to scratch, not a concourse job, just a smart useable car that we can use at weekends to tour in.

Found it locally and it's been cared for but not loved, mechanically it is very good with just a few small issues, everything works as it should apart from the CD player....

First job was to get the secondary cats removed, they were causing a resonance, so had them cut out and some stainless pipes made to fit...

Then an easy 5min job replacing this, the serpentine top idler wheel, you can see where the grease has come out and it was rather noisy...

Had the aircon refilled and thats nice and cold now... Also got two side trims for the seats from the dealer and a second hand rear vent from ebay as the original had a broken fin and was in a bit of a state.

Removed the rear cubby box and sent it to my bro for him to retrim, he loves playing with bits like that and it will come back better than new... This looks like dog claw damage, it's the only bit covered in vynal!!! the rest of the rear trim is fine...

Got a smart repair done on a couple of fag burns on the headlining and the seat bolster repaired.

Before

After

Then Sunday started on the stripdown for the respray, had to remove loads of trim to get that "factory" look as the trim is so tight to the bodywork...

Here are a few pics to show why the respray is necessary, a fair bit of corrosion... most has started at panel edges where there is a hard panel edge and it has crept up the doors, around the rear arches and front grille, other bits are stone chips that have been left... I don't think MB bothered with etch primer as it shouldn't have gone this bad... there is no corrosion inside the doors or behind the panels it's all just crept about on it's own having a field day... should be fine once it's ground out and etch primered properly. The front and rear bumpers are a bit scuffed as well so it's the whole car...

Started on the drivers side removed the top window rubber followed by the upper trim, then the A post cover, the door card followed to get the door mirror off and the outside handle out, then the door trims and cill covers, took a while to do this side as I had to work out how they put it all together... used a big hammer and a crow bar on most of it!!!??? well alright some plastic trim prybars and lots of torx bits.... Gutted the boot and removed the rear lights, then put them back in with one bolt as I'm going to drive it to the paintshop... then did the otherside which was much quicker, removed all the outer trims and the front and rear bumper trims, took them all apart, removed the chrome trims and parking sensors, dismantled the mirrors and then cleaned the whole lot up... stripped the bonnet.... and your left with a naked CL...

Quite a few trims, awaiting cleaning here

This is why I had to remove so much... there is no way you would paint to this trim without it showing

Dropped it off at the paintshop this afternoon for them to start work, they will have it for two weeks, it's a fill in job to save me a few pennies!!!

And got right pi55ed off with my neighbour, he came to see how I was getting on and walked passed the drivers door, casually slamming it shut... right onto the electric window switch panel that I had hanging from it's wire when the door panel was off... got trapped in the door and smashed to bits.... so I need a new one of them now.... luckily I didn't notice till he'd gone or he would have been an ex neighbour!!!! grrr

Updates to follow....

 

[television]

Thanks for all that, you are doing very well

 

[47p2]

Looks like you are doing a thorough job there

 

[_Taz_]

love posts like this, keep the updates coming

good to see someone tackling a job like this with a positive approach.

 

[Haylands]

Popped in this morning in my Honda(everyday car... boring but reliable...) to drop off the cill covers and the door handles that I managed to get to pieces to find they are very quiet, had a few jobs posponed or cancelled so they are cracking on with mine and recon it will be done by the end of the week

Gone up in the world!!

Took the exhaust tips to a local chromers as the chrome is flaking, only to find they are cromed stainless steel so they are going to strip them off and mirror polish the stainless... must be a bit of a job as the car will be ready before they are!!!!!

Eleven years have taken their toll on these....

 

[paul hayward]

following with interest....will look great

 

[television]

I love these thread were people go to town,,we did not have the web when I used to do it all

 

[Haylands]

Thanks chaps

Popped in this morning to see it sitting in primer, has been etch primed on all bare arears then 2pack primed where needed, 4 blokes working on it as I got there!!!

 

[Haylands]

Thanks

The rear window lower rubber sealing trim that wraps around the top front edge of the rear wing is a bit worn on both sides so I popped into MB this morning to see how much they are..... What a laugh.... you have to buy the outer trim as well and then because they can't guarantee the colour match you have to buy the front door trim as well.... Both sides £531 incl VAT... thats nearly 20% of the price I paid for the whole car..... I can repair them hopefully, just bought a 1mm thick rubber sheet from ebay 99p + £1.50 P+P.... should do the job....

 

[fast28]

Very interesting to read this! out of interest how easy was it to remove the rear side window chrome trims, do they just pull off? I've resprayed a few areas on the rear wings, mainly around the underside of the arches, they're still good after a year and after the winter snow and salted roads. Some clear '3M' protection film is also good on the sills for extra protection.

How does the exhaust sound without the secondary cats? any more V8?

 

[Haylands]

Very interesting to read this! out of interest how easy was it to remove the rear side window chrome trims, do they just pull off? I've resprayed a few areas on the rear wings, mainly around the underside of the arches, they're still good after a year and after the winter snow and salted roads. Some clear '3M' protection film is also good on the sills for extra protection.

How does the exhaust sound without the secondary cats? any more V8?

It was easy but you have to use a fair bit of force, I used a plastic pry bar, looks a bit like a wide screwdriver end, open the door and stick it under the trim at the front end and pry upwards, it will come off with a bit of force and go flying through the air if your not careful... maybe get a friend to stand by to catch it!!! If you need the rubber stip off underneath you will see some of those vicious self grabbing barbed clips that fit over the top of the upper return edge of the rear wing, you can just leaver them off but I prefer to open them up away from the panel with a screwdriver then with your other hand lever them upwards and off the bodywork... put loads of you favorite rust treatment on them when you put them back... I always use Dinitrol ML as it is nice and runny and gets everywhere then hardens into a very waxy film once dry, plus it comes off paintwork well....

The cills are plastic covered on this model so the film won't help much... was thinking of a bit on the front bottom of the rear wing as this was chipped on both sides...

Good Luck

 

[Haylands]

Sorry forgot to answer the other bit.... removing the cats has made a very small increase in the lovely V8 growl... you can only tell when booting it with the window down though...

 

[peterwhayward]

Sorry forgot to answer the other bit.... removing the cats has made a very small increase in the lovely V8 growl... you can only tell when booting it with the window down though...

Is there any other way?.

 

[paul hayward]

looking forward to the next update

 

[Haylands]

Well it's all back together and looking very nice indeed...

Popped in on Thursday to find they had been quiet so had cracked on with it...

They had done the roof already, he wanted to paint this separately as it has a hard line to mask to and he then didn't stand the chance of marking the sides when leaning over to do the center of the roof...

Got it back Friday and started putting it back together... squirted lots of anti corrosion stuff everywhere I could!!!

Did this for everything.....

Finished it off today and then gave it a good clean.... got the exhaust tips back as well, now polished stainless so should last well... I'll let the pictures do the talking....

Remember that scabby arch...

And the doors...

See the little rubber trim around the parking sensors... had to clean a few off them off where it had been lazily painted before...

The roof now looks gorgeous....

It was my birthday yesterday and I got these as a prezzie... very bling??!!

What it's cost so far...

Purchase price £2998 (I found £2 in it when I got home!!)
Respray, bearing in mind I did a lot of work £500
Trim bits to tidy interior £84
Polish exhaust tips £40
Replace cats with pipe £80
Idler pulley £18
Drivers window switch wood £40
Smart repair of interior trim £75
Air con recharge £45
Polish, antirust and sundries £80

So it comes in at £3960... not too bad for a nicely sorted CL....

There are a few little jobs left to do.... as always!!

 

[Ricey]

Not concourse ?? Are you mad......that like it just rolled off the production line!

Excellent job fella. Lovely to see the unloved bought back to glory

 

[discoking]

I think if any modern MB is destined for classic status then the CL is it and you have one very,very nice looking CL.

Congrats

 

[huey]

Very nice looking car you've done really well..

 

[_Taz_]

£500 for the painwork ??

****** good value for that ! I've paid tons more for my S211 when that had paintwork, which was nothing as much remedial work as yours...

you've done that CL a real credit


naturally, you've got to look after the paint, but hell, very nice

 

[paul hayward]

STUNNING JOB!!!....you got the bargain of the year on that respray!.... 4k for a car like that is PERFECT...enjoy all your hard work now

you should be well proud of what youve done !