Initial condition and work order

For the first time this Mercedes appeared in RMW several years ago. Closer inspection of the good-looking from certain distance car bought in USA revealed need for serious restoration.

Car was partly disassembled for detailed inspection and defects detection. As a result, works were stopped and all components were stored until further notice from the owner.

As decision on restoration was taken all components were delivered back to RMW. We started our works checking  all delivered components and parts. Content of the required parts lists was adjusted according to latest inspection results.

Passenger compartment was set free from remaining interior components.

Both levels of passenger compartment floor were rusted through and replacement was obvious.

Soft-top storage box was completely damaged by rust and required replacing.

Windshield frame was rusted through.

Already repaired front longitudinal members were again destroyed by rust. The only solution was replacing.

Reason for sloping down of the rear part of the car was destroyed by rust rear longitudinal members.

Reinforcement profiles of the front inner wings were rusted through.

Under thick layer of the filler over the rear wings we found several layers of the patches.

Front wings had corrosion defects around the headlamp housings.

Depending on front wings availability we would be forced to decide on reshaping of existing front wings.

As filler was removed from the doors it become obvious that given doors may be repaired just replacing whole outer shell – corrosion spots were along the whole perimeter of the door surface.

Even in the middle of the door panel was rusted through hole hidden by layer of filler.

Rear panel was seriously damaged in several traffic accidents, so it was necessary to replace it.

Luggage compartment floor was corrosion damaged along the whole area.

At the front, upper cross member bearing body number was in acceptable condition.

Outer panels, like engine hood, to ensure original shape is retained, were cleaned manually.

Luggage compartment lid was in acceptable condition; just rear bottom edge had corrosion damages along the whole width.

As outer surfaces were cleaned manually body was prepared for cleaning of the structural components in the sand blast camera.

Restoration and assembling process was split in several steps presented in the table below: