A real classic

A

Atlantian

Not A Dude
Joined
Nov 16, 2009
Messages
163
Hello, I'm Atlantian from Washington, my name is Ben and I am 18 years old.

Just this past month, I got myself a 1986 Blue-Black Metallic 190e 2.3-16 Cosworth with a Dogleg 5-speed for a mere $1825 before taxes and licensing. A fixer-upper, but quite a deal considering that it's a rare classic and a nice piece of automotive history.

It's one of the dream cars on my list (mainly because of the dogleg gearbox).

10523_1261540096612_1172970541_30787368_3369559_n.jpg


It's a sports sedan and DTM homologation special back in the 80s.

The link to some articles about my car:
Wikipedia Article
Pistonheads Article
MotiveMag Article

Mercedes wanted to make a compact sports sedan for rallying to replace their big V8 coupe, but then the Quattro came out. So they decided to change a few things and put it into touring racing.

But despite not having Mercedes officially back the 190e in rallying, there were still privateers racing 190es.

merc190.jpg


Even till today...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mz45OBYhf0&feature=related

Awesome DTM montage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-AxiVqihM

Really bad preview pictures of my car:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030115&id=1172970541&l=b3677641c8

Will get more detailed pictures when the weather gets better and my car is in better shape..

Things to do: (That I found out about so far)
1) Fix shifter mechanism so I can use gears 4 and 5.. Done
2) Check valve timing
3) Check/replace timing chain/belt ASAP (I heard that single rows are fragile)
4) Replace shift lever bushing with Derlien bushings
5) Bleed clutch line/change clutch
6) Fix high idle... almost, need new vacuume lines
7) Examine and fix/replace handbrake cable or rear brake pads.
8) Replace windshield... done
9) Rejuvenate leather
10) Replace power headrest switch on driver's side
11) Fix ride height problem (rear is sagging)
12) Bodyfill, repaint and reinstall my rear fender flair front piece
13) Fix rear driver's side power window.
14) Replace pull tab on grill for the hood
15) Re-affix leather peeling off of some door panels.
16) Get blue tint replaced with black tint.
17) Get new cover for the allen bolt joint on the windshield wiper.

Others:
Replace brake rotors that are warped from extensive track use... Done
Replace Serp Belt... Done
Fix stalling engine... Done
So... What's up? What do you guys think? Hope I make lots of new friends. :D
 
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Atlantian said:
Things to do: (That I found out about so far)[...]
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They should have given you Money for taking that heap of Junk out of their hands ... :blink: You?ve taken on a huge risk there, it won?t be cheap or easy getting all that fixed.

But congrats on having the balls to get a real special classic with such a list of faults and trying to make it good again!

It's one of the dream cars on my list (mainly because of the dogleg gearbox).[...]
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:lol: I hope you don?t plan to impress girls with that fact :)

Oh and by the way ... speaking of video-reviews:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK4vLkUGOs4[/YOUTUBE]:)
 
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Nevermind girls, I have no idea what a dogleg gearbox is...

but I do know what a 190E Cosworth is, and I approve :thumbsup:
 
I'm glad there are people out there that are willing to take on seemingly daunting restoration projects of these classics that would have otherwise been neglected. The fact that you picked a favorite of mine garners you plenty of my respect.
 
That is the most pointless gearbox layout ever.

Cool car, cool back story. Took a huge risk with all the fixing it'll have to do, hope you know how to do the vast majority of it your self.

Edit: Reading about the gearbox, it makes sense for racing I suppose.
 
^I was going to give you the arguments for that gearbox pattern but I'm glad you figured it out.

And for the car, good luck in bringing your classic sporty Merc back to its former glory!
 
Anyone who had to look up Dog leg fails.
 
Woo! Awesome project. I can't wait to see more pictures and progress!

Congrats on the find. I'm glad someone is saving that beautiful Merc!
 
Hey, I am a car nut, but no car really sparks my interest like this car.. I am WILLING to just dump money on the Cossie. And I am in sales, so I have a slightly better paycheck than average. And I've seen kids around me put ridiculous amounts of cash in shitty cars that don't mean anything.. EG6/EF Si, cough.. WRX, cough... Mk1/Mk2 VWs, cough cough cough...

And it's a nice daily driver. Once you go German, you can't go back. :)

And I am 100% down with getting my hands dirty, I always wanted to play with cars, I was just not fortunate enough to be in a car family like some of my friends, fixing or racing cars.. =/

Btw, doglegs may look scary and impractical at first, but after the first few hours or so, you get over it and you start loving it for it's fast shifts and racing heritage. Practical and sensible is not me, I take huge risks in life, and I am rewarded by my returns. (I know, I know, Merc drivers are stereotypically boring, sensible people.. lol, but according to stereotypes I've seen... I am more of a M3 driver wearing a business suit)

Btw, her name is Anastasia (because every w201 want to be a Cossie, she is hard to find and looks plain and subtle, but once you get to know her, she is very spirited).
 
I know dog leg gearboxes from driving trucks (10 ton max weight) - never associated them with sporty driving, though. Coming to think of it, the whole "you only use first to get moving (and even then only when fully loaded)"-argument works for sports cars as well, of course.
 
Thanks guys!

And..
I take a lot of risks in life (less retarded risks nowadays), and I lose some and win some. You just gotta move in life, can't stay at home and dream about stuff.

I've seen a lot of kids around me dump a ridiculous amount of money into cars that are worth less monetarily, and historically.. WRX (Cough), EF/EG6 Si (cough), Mk1/2 VWs (hack hack hack)..

I am totally down with getting my hands dirty on the car, working on the car so far has been a joy. I am 100 percent a car nut, and I just never got the chance to wrench cars or race cars like some of my friends who grew up in car families.

Lol, in my crowd, my car is worth murdering someone for, I just happen to be lucky enough to be looking for a car at just the right time. The only thing that the CL ad said was "190e Manual". So I didn't know if it was an 8v or 2.6 liter..

I called in and asked if it was a dogleg, he said yes. I went in to check it out and saw "2.3-16" and got extremely giddy (although I tried to suppress it as much as possible for negotiation purposes). I went home and researched the history of the 190e throughly.

Although getting the car into my name was a PITA and took me over 2 weeks..

Btw, for all of y'all non-believers, the dogleg transmission may seem scary, impractical, and hard to drive. All true, but not by much. You get used to it within the first few hours of being in the car. And you start enjoying the swift acceleration, and the racing heritage. This gear pattern is the best thing in the world if you don't have to stop very much. With the firm and confident German suspension, it is the best commuter/highway car.
 
I appreciate you for taking on the restoration of a bona fide classic. I also hope you don't like money, since that sounds like it's going to need lots of it.
 
Lol, money comes and goes, all that matters is that you get by and that you do what makes you happy. :)

But yeah, I love money, it gets me stuff I like in life.
 
My CJ has a Dog leg 3 spd. lol :p

I know what you mean though, it takes no time at all to get used to. I accidentally tried to put it in reverse instead of first once and never again. (partially due to the horrific sound it made... un syncro'd reverse FTW!)
 
Yeah, my car has a two stage lockout, to get into the first gate, you need to pull the shifter into towards you, hard, the spring action is so strong that it will just rest in the second gate when I put it in neutral.

Then I need to pull the shifter upwards then put it into reverse. So it's hard to misshift.. (unless you are a total stick shift n00b and try to forcefully jam it into gear).

I got my windshield replaced last week, and the guy jammed it into reverse, nearly driving it into a poll, I had to stop him before he decimated my Ana.

My gearbox is short ratio, top gear being 1:1, but it isn't near as irritating to drive as a Honda 5mt... having all your important gears within two shift gates help a lot with smoothness. I don't care about gas consumption so I shift from 4-5k. Sooo good.
 
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I always tell people about the shift patern before I let them drive my car.

gas mileage? Don't talk to me about gas mileage.... :p I have a 1:1 3rd gear and get about 8mpg, 10mpg MAX! But it's oh so worth it.
 
Psh, right? Sports cars are meant to be enjoyed!

I like to crank my engine to redline a few times a day. WOT feels guud.

And umm... I don't warn them... I bore them with the history of my car along with a placard of the Wikipedia entry about the Cossie. xD (jk about the placard, but I seriously do tell people about my car's history if they want to drive my car)..

And I don't hand out my keys, because of:
A) She is my very special "barnyard find" and special girl
B) She is rare
C) Because of the gear pattern

PS: but seriously, I am going to print out a placard about my car and my gearbox and put it in my windshield on the dash for shows.
 
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Atlantian said:
PS: but seriously, I am going to print out a placard about my car and my gearbox and put it in my windshield on the dash for shows.
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I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to be the party pooper. I only see a few really poorly lit photo of your car and then a ton of generic information. First of all the 2.3-16 (never officially called the Cosworth in the USA) was only sold with an auto-box on this side of the pond. Second of all, a 16 valve 190E for under $2000?! I'm having a near-impossible time believing that. You can hardly get a regular 190E in good nick for that money, not to mention the highly desired 2.3-16. Even a "fixer-upper" as you say that one was should cost much more than $1825, especially if it is a one-of-a-kind with a manual. Here's one currently going on eBay for $12k.


So, before printing out the wikipedia entry about "your" car, I think we'd like to see a handwritten sign with your username, and "finalgear" and anything else that can be used to prove its actually yours on the car (as per forum rules). ntil then, I'm not buying it.


Thanks
 
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CrazyRussian540 said:
I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to be the party pooper. I only see a few really poorly lit photo of your car and then a ton of generic information. First of all the 2.3-16 (never officially called the Cosworth in the USA) was only sold with an auto-box on this side of the pond. Second of all, a 16 valve 190E for under $2000?! I'm having a near-impossible time believing that. You can hardly get a regular 190E in good nick for that money, not to mention the highly desired 2.3-16. Even a "fixer-upper" as you say that one was should cost much more than $1825, especially if it is a one-of-a-kind with a manual. Here's one currently going on eBay for $12k.


So, before printing out the wikipedia entry about "your" car, I think we'd like to see a handwritten sign with your username, and "finalgear" and anything else that can be used to prove its actually yours on the car (as per forum rules). ntil then, I'm not buying it.


Thanks
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x2. We're getting a little carried away with living vicariously through this guy, but I def want to see more pictures (if not for the excuse of looking at Cosworth Benzes :D).

However, 2.3 16vs were sold in America with manuals. The one you linked to on eBay has one! And I've seen them go for less than $5,000, so either this one is truly knackered or the previous owner didn't know what he had (could happen sometimes).
 
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