Welcome...to the new old guy

Whatup peeps Im here to welcome aboard a real Euro enthusiasts to the Mod ranks. He's not just an enthusiasts he's an owner his name here is OCKlasse and he's one of the newest mods in this place we call VSC...Im starting this thread to ask him how and why he went the way he did. Im sure he could have picked up a nice GS,LS, or Q just like anyone else around here but he didnt he chose the C Class and oh wow what a machine he's built...so Brandon why was it Mercedes over the rest??? lets see where it all started

Thanks for the little intro. I bought this car almost three years ago now. I really was looking for a good platform to start with and to be a little different. I chose this particular car because I knew that no one touches the older C classes these days, especially in Smoke Silver metallic, which can be dubbed a senior citizen-car color :biggthumpup:...here's the saga:

A little homage to the building of my car's exterior from the beginning to present:

When I first bought the car, the first thing I added were some hand me down 17" AMG monoblocks off my dad's then C43 and a decent drop. Then came some crystal headlamps and an "avantgarde" grill

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/trefiveincognito/C230/DSC05623.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/trefiveincognito/C230/DSC05624.jpg[/IMG]

Finally gave the car some justice. Japanese 19" staggered Club Linea Barlettas

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/trefiveincognito/C230/July%2006/DSC06054.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/trefiveincognito/C230/July%2006/DSC06108.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://boostjunky.com/gallery/albums/album08/DSC06761.jpg[/IMG]

Addition of the hydraulic suspension. Two pump four dump Prohopper setup with CCE accumulators and two Optima yellowtop batteries

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/Cinco%20de%20Mayo/DSC00111.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/Cinco%20de%20Mayo/DSC00162.jpg[/IMG]

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/Cinco%20de%20Mayo/DSC00192.jpg[/img]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/Cinco%20de%20Mayo/DSC00223.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/Terminals001.jpg[/IMG]

Addition of WALD front and rear bumpers and sideskirts, as well as monochromatically painted side moldings, hood squirters, and a Supersprint exhaust

[IMG]http://ling-ly.com/Gallery/albums/Cars/IMG_5366.jpg[/IMG]

Addition of W210 European E-Class blinking and power folding mirrors and crystal fog lights with 8000K HID

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/WALD/IMG_6649_1200.jpg[/IMG]

Painted door handles, added front and rear WALD badges, and did the B pillars in matte black. Also decided to ditch the avantgarde grill in favor of the stock OEM grill with painted gloss black inserts.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/HMS%20Meet/IMG_9914.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/HMS%20Meet/p904219348-5.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/HMS%20Meet/IMG_0036.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/HMS%20Meet/IMG_0058.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/HMS%20Meet/IMG_0007.gif[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/trefive/HMS%20Meet/p1009496497-5.jpg[/IMG]

I'd love to answer anyone's questions if there are any!

Sick...the car was exceptionally clean from the start when I saw it at the Chinatown show I knew it was yours immediately you keep it in pristine condition...another question I had was why did you decide to go hydros instead of air??? inquiring minds want to know

[quote=jbo;172864]Sick...the car was exceptionally clean from the start when I saw it at the Chinatown show I knew it was yours immediately you keep it in pristine condition...another question I had was why did you decide to go hydros instead of air??? inquiring minds want to know[/quote]

Excellent question:

I went hydraulics over air for a few reasons. I first looked into running air on my car, and found that the only way to do it would require a lot of fabrication and maybe even negating shocks up front. This immediately turned me away and I began to explore hydraulics. What I discovered really amazed me.

Not only do hydraulics produce more lift, they actually make the car lower than the car would be with bags. To know the reason why, imagine a fully deflated bag...the bag still takes up a little room right? Now imagine a fully closed cylinder; it fully encloses providing the lowest drop. 

Not only the lowest drop, but substantially more lift than bags. While most air bags have a travel of maybe 5 inches or so, my car has ten inch cylinders all around, which provide me with double the travel! People may ask what's the importance of this? The reason is that I never bottom out. I can go over any sized speedbump, or hit a large dip and the car will never ever bottom out on me.

Then there was of course the unique aspect of hydraulics. While it has become so cliche to run air setups, hydraulics remain the unknown alternative. People know little about them, and most are afraid of them. I can tell you my car rides nicer than any aftermarket air bag setup I have ever been in, bar none.

I hope this gives people a little insight into researching all avenues and alternatives before picking a popular mod choice, no matter what it may be :biggthumpup:

Knowledge is key...I never looked at it that way your ride definitely sits insanely low and when its up its in the air which Im sure can be beneficial...of course when we think Hydraulics most of us think 64 Impala not Mercedes Benz but you've combined the 2 with class and style kudos to you for a job well done...what are your next plans for the beast???

[quote=jbo;172873]Knowledge is key...I never looked at it that way your ride definitely sits insanely low and when its up its in the air which Im sure can be beneficial...of course when we think Hydraulics most of us think 64 Impala not Mercedes Benz but you've combined the 2 with class and style kudos to you for a job well done...what are your next plans for the beast???[/quote]

Thanks man! :biggthumpup:

Next on the list is I am completely redoing the hydraulic setup to "show quality" standards by hardlining everything and really making people oogle at the thought of running juice...similar to trefive's setup currently in the suspension forum. Then I am on to doing much more of the interior, including a diamond-stitched headliner in suede, as well as suede pillars and lower door panels :giggity:. I have Brabus pedals, shift knob, door lock pins, and AMG-style wood steering wheel right now...so there's not really that much more to tackle as far as interior "bling" mods.

Oh I also forgot to mention that I have CLK550 front and rear brakes (13.6" four piston Brembo calipers up front). I have too many mods now I forget a lot of them :pat:

Nice...I cant wait to see what you come up with it all sounds good to me definitely keep us posted...

You know I love this car...

this thing was money from the amg monoblocks... glad its only gotten better !