2.0l m102 engine, durable, and reliable. But you have to get a good one, still relatively thirsty though. this has mechanical fuel distributor/injection.

Final answer, sorry final photo. Giverny green. Front lights and indicators changed. Ride height lowered with a front end bias. Alloy wheels from the w210.
That's it, so few pictures, so much work init. She still purrs like a kitten though. Hope I have not taken too much of your time, gracias!!!

This right here is a job well done.

Hat's off to you.

I would be a terrible liar if I thought this wasn't an awesome job. Beautiful car with a knack for class.

Great job.

benzmatic:
all seats redone to fabric, no more notorious heat.

so neatly done.


who did this please?

@OP, how much did you buy the car and how did you spend to transform it to this great shape? I think I'm falling in love with this model again!

Total revamp

uboma:



so neatly done.


who did this please?

Was done in Ibadan, there's one aggressive upholstery man by the rail line on the way to U.I. He knows his work.

anukunle:
@OP, how much did you buy the car and how did you spend to transform it to this great shape? I think I'm falling in love with this model again!

Sorry I won't be able to reveal that on a public forum. On the average however, it took me about 2 years. There are a couple of other stuff I didn't mention too.

benzmatic:


Was done in Ibadan, there's one aggressive upholstery man by the rail line on the way to U.I. He knows his work.

oh dear.


Ibadan is too far for me at the moment.


he did a good job changing the leather seats to fabric.


I will love to do same but the distance.....


by the way, I love the way you maintained your Benz 190 so far.


keep up the good work, Sir

benzmatic:


Sorry I won't be able to reveal that on a public forum. On the average however, it took me about 2 years. There are a couple of other stuff I didn't mention too.

How did you lower your ride height?

2 ways I know of actually. You can replace the springs with shorter ones, or you can reduce the thickness of the absorber pads. I did the latter. There was no appreciable increase in ride bumpiness.

benzmatic:
2 ways I know of actually. You can replace the springs with shorter ones, or you can reduce the thickness of the absorber pads. I did the latter. There was no appreciable increase in ride bumpiness.

I thought it was some coilovers, because using springs from a smaller lighter vehicle would ruin the ride & springs, and cutting them short is a bad idea.

uboma:



oh dear.


Ibadan is too far for me at the moment.


he did a good job changing the leather seats to fabric.


I will love to do same but the distance.....


by the way, I love the way you maintained your Benz 190 so far.


keep up the good work, Sir

Tnx. It's not so technical really, once you look around well for a guy that knows the work where you are, you will be fine.

Wow

great works & creative mind..

Benzmatic my hat is off to you for embarking on this restoration project. Restoring this car to factory spec or better, will be very worthwhile endeavor, and the result of that project will be a solid running car that will convey you with confidence and panache, for mile upon mile of pleasurable driving. Also, if this car is to be used in Nigeria, you will be MUCH safer from highway predators, than you would be driving a newer Japanese car, or worse still, an SUV, all of which would be attractive targets for car-thieves and kidnap gangs, unlike this low-key 190 "Baby Benz" that will ALWAYS fly under the radar.

Mercedes cars from the 1980s and 1990s include some of the most innovative automotive designs ever crafted by Stuttgard's renowned engineers, whose research and development budgets were at the time comparatively unrestrained by the aggressive cost-cutting imperatives that would in later years become detriments to the Mercedes brand name.

Your 190 is a good example of German engineering at its finest, from that golden era when both aesthetic form and mechanical function were blended to create masterworks of sublime automotive beauty, made possible largely because production frugality constraints at the time were wisely relegated to a close second place on the priority list, in the corporate philosophy at Mercedes during its pre-Chrysler decades.

Personally, I have always had a preference for the brutal power of a Mercedes V8 engine, specifically the M117, M119, and M273 five-liter displacement variants, but all the same, I do find myself turning to admire ALL restored Mercedes cars from the Golden Era, whenever one goes driving by.

I will be tagging along for the ride with this project, and taking notes fer sure.

benzmatic:


Tnx. It's not so technical really, once you look around well for a guy that knows the work where you are, you will be fine.

Since you've gone this far, why not go all the way? A high-output M104 or M112 perhaps?

Nice fancy idea. But I have overshot my budget in time, and money. So no more mods here. Many of these mods people see online can only be achieved by highly skilled technicians like few of the ones on nairaland here. The regular Nigerian mechanic is likely to botch your job you will regret ever starting at all. Some jobs even require you to cut and weld chasis, or enter ECU swap territory, you don't even want to go there at all.

benzmatic:
Nice fancy idea. But I have overshot my budget in time, and money. So no more mods here. Many of these mods people see online can only be achieved by highly skilled technicians like few of the ones on nairaland here. The regular Nigerian mechanic is likely to botch your job you will regret ever starting at all. Some jobs even require you to cut and weld chasis, or enter ECU swap territory, you don't even want to go there at all.

Benzmatic, don't underestimate the abilities of Nigeria's shade-tree mechanics, popularly known as Kazeems. Some time back I was looking for a 1985 W126 Mercedes 500SE (The very rare short chassis version of the car), as opposed to the readily available 500SEL version of that car that came with the long chassis.

I found my dream car clinically dead in a village mechanics' yard, where it had been set up on blocks for use as a break room and weed smoking venue for the apprentice mechanics. I bought the car right away for the princely sum of 30K naira total, despite noting that it originally was powered by a puny six-cylinder 300 engine, that had to go, since my religion forbids using any engine besides a powerful V8.

That engine swap turned out to be quite complex, and it eventually entailed replacing not just the transmission, but also the rear differential, in order to arrive at the correct back-axle gear-ratio to match the V8 engine's specifications. Finally, due to the age of the car, it was impossible to find a stock drive shaft (propeller shaft) for the modified drive train, so, the Kazeems swooped to the rescue again, and managed to fabricate a shortened propeller shaft that would fit the car, starting with the shaft taken from an SEL ( long chassis) version of the vehicle.

Today, that 500SE still looks like a crappy old Babalawo's car, but looks can be very deceiving, and one of my great pleasures when behind the wheel of the car, is stomping on the gas pedal for blast-off along the open highway, like a guided missile on a mission, whose smooth yet brutal acceleration and top speed can only be matched by a tiny minority of brand new vehicles currently plying Nigerian roads.

I could tell you some amazing stories about how heavy equipment Kazeem mechanics were able to completely re-assemble a highly complex D7G Caterpillar bulldozer, which I bought in total scrap condition from a dredging company in Lekki Lagos, with the transmission completely disassembled and packed into sacks on the ground at the time of purchase, but that topic is not relevant to cars, outside of its value in illustrating the considerable skill set of Nigeria's shade-tree Kazeem mechanics.

benzmatic:
At the bakery

Please, share the address

Nice job man. Really love the W201.

How's the air conditioner, did you work on it too?

benzmatic:
Nice fancy idea. But I have overshot my budget in time, and money. So no more mods here. Many of these mods people see online can only be achieved by highly skilled technicians like few of the ones on nairaland here. The regular Nigerian mechanic is likely to botch your job you will regret ever starting at all. Some jobs even require you to cut and weld chasis, or enter ECU swap territory, you don't even want to go there at all.

Cc: Denn

Where in IB was the body job and the seats done pls. It's a perfect job and I would want the same for mine. Not a 190 though.

Lol, Jakumo. Nice that you got guys that knew their work. Personally I would prefer a car as stock as possible to work on. I would also avoid any form of electrical intervention.

princemedico:
Nice job man. Really love the W201.

How's the air conditioner, did you work on it too?

Yes, at some point I put in a sanden compressor from the Peugeot cars after the stock used ones(denso) failed. It was worked into place with a fabricated brace. I also got a condenser, hoses, and expansion valve. The system didn't work for long though, it must have had a slight leak somewhere that lessened the cooling effect. I remember the technician I used said I shouldn't worry about the evaporator, that they never fail. In hindsight I guess he was just too lazy to remove the dash to get to the evaporator. He used to drink a lot too. If I knew what I know now, I would have ensured he replaced that too. I had the whole system dismantled eventually. Some games you win, some you lose.

For those requesting, I would have to look for the numbers of the guys that worked for me. If I find, I will paste here.

benzmatic:


In hindsight I guess he was just too lazy to remove the dash to get to the evaporator. He used to drink a lot too.

Ha ha ha yes na so. Work is the curse of the drinking man.

Man I am obsess with that car, planing to get 1 soon, I don't care how old (I mean model year)

But pls can you help me? I am turn between buying injector or caburator, pls share your knowledge with me,

Thanks

I got two offers

One caburator without AC
And one injector with AC

Pls I am turn between the two choices

benzmatic:
At the bakery

Please where did you oven bake your car?