2004 Mercedes S-Class LWB, thoughts and opinions wanted.

PeterPan

Torque Junkie
Points
172
Location
Northwich Uk
Car
SECMA QT-R1000
Hello Peeps,

Will my little project car will be back on the roads spring time of next year and already I'm contemplating my next project.

Basis for the project is leaning towards a 2004 Mercedes Benz S-Class LWB, probably the S500L.
Just wanted to get some owner/ex-owner opinions on the car, any specific problems to look for etc?

Just starting at the planning stage for now, but ideally I'll like to purchase the car by Dec/Jan and when I pick my QT up from Zcars in the spring I can leave the Mercedes with them and drive home in my QT, leaving Zcars to weave their magic on the mercedes.

Enough of my logistics, what are your thoughts on the big ol' Merc???
 
Blimey that's a big jump, from bambino to behemoth ;)
What are your plans for the Merc with Zcars buddy? will it be a design build from the word go or have you yet to seek divine inspiration?
 
Hey T9,

I have a definite plan in mind, but bear with me as it's not the easiest to explain, but here goes...
  1. Take a standard S500 in (in black of course), install a watertight partition behind the two front seats (floor to ceiling).
  2. Remove the rear seats, rear window, boot lid, partition between rear seats and boot space.
  3. Cut away the bodywork below the base of the rear window.
  4. Cut away a little of the roof using a line taken from the outside edges of where the rear window was.
  5. You now have the starting point of a Mercedes S-Class pick up!
  6. Now use the existing boot lid but hinge it from the bottom on a long cantilever set up so that it moves right out of the way.
  7. Ideally, the rear window will be re-used (if possible/practical), perhaps in a hatch back type set up, though that will need further measuring up etc to see if feasible.
  8. The end result should be a 2seater with a concealed flat bed retaining as much of the original car as possible, just large enough to swallow up 90% of two trail bikes in the back, and retain all of the creature comforts one would rightly expect on a S-Class!
The thing is, that whilst pick ups converted from cars like the 'UTE' held in very high esteem by our Australia cousins are practical, I want something that is not immediately obviously a pick up.

Leaving the buttresses in place will serve to retain the existing lines of a big saloon car and provide the utility to transport 2dirtbikes. Hence the need for the LWB version!

Yes, I could buy a van or a trailer, but there are downsides to both of those options, a van couldn't then be used as a long distance 2seater capable of transporting the occupants in sublime comfort. A trailer means that it's only possible to drive at 60mph on the motorway and is notoriously bad for a car with a LSD.

But, the idea of the big merc, would facilitate transportation for bikes and could still be used as a long distance comfy car, in which I could comfortably drive from Cheshire to Devon and still be relatively fresh at the other end.

These are just a couple of quick mock ups I did trying to figure out IF the LWB version is long enough to accommodate 2 trail bikes in the way I had imagined.
IMG_0249.JPG IMG_0253.JPG IMG_0259.PNG IMG_0264.PNG
 
Well I was not expecting that at all :confused:









It is good to see that imagination is still vivid and alive here in the UK :)


The very best of luck to you with this project buddy, looking forward to reading all the details in your project thread ;)
 
:) thanks man!

will be a few months yet before anything moves forward with this one, just thought it would be good to get some buying/owning tips from owners/ex-owners.

if all goes according to plan, i will have enough income to finish the QT and buy a donor car Merc befor the QT is ready to collect, that way I can drive to Zcars to collect the QT and leave the Merc with them to get cracking over the summer while i enjoy my new toy!
 

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