airbagging a w124 merc

[djp]

yo!  excuse the newb-ness... i've got me a w124 and a set of 17" wires ready to go.  i'm looking into bagging it as well.  i see lots of peeps have done w123s on here, would i be guessing a w124 is pretty much the same job?

peas.

[fatdaddy]

early shift tomorrow.

check back tomorrow eve.............

[fatdaddy]

where does time go.....................................
sorry.. I will do it but dont know when

[catboy]

think 124 is easier than 123..  on the w123 you need to relocate the damer on the rear end, however I think the w124 already has seperate springs/dampers front and rear..  mounting bags and running lines is fairly similar; check out rod's webpage (link in his sig) for some  some inspiration..

if you're after some bits to bag the car PM me; I have sol valves which are going on ebay at the weekend if they don't sell here first..

b

[Jez]

Exact same noob question from me too!

Have W124, have 17"s, would like to know what's involved in bagging it. What sort of bags, what sort of dampers, what sort of tank/compressors/management, where to get it all... so many questions!

[catboy]

think standard dampers are fine, you will need to make some "legs" to go between bags and suspension arms (info on rods webpage in his sig. - user name ROD) and run lines to the tank via either paddle valves (slow) or solenoid valves (fast but more expensive). You will also want a gauge showing either F/R pressures or all 4 corners independantly (depending on how you control the system, ie F/B or F/B/S/S)

Fatdaddy or Funbags are your best bet for info on which bags to use, as the exchange rate is in the pan right now you might find the best deals are from the UK suppliers, but not sure who has bags/tanks, i have a set of solenoid valves for sale, and you can get the line and fittings from most hydraulic/pneumatic suppliers which you can find locally on yellow pages or google or something..

b

[Jez]

Thanks man, thats helpful. Just having a look at RODs page now...

/\ Looks like Fatdaddy might be along with some info too! 

[monte man]

Id personally put hydros on a 124 as its dead easy,have you considered juice? I must add i know nothing about air,lol.

[catboy]

nice thing with air (as a starter system) is you can build a slow system for a couple of hundred quid and it will be fine as a daily; no messy leaks (although leaks are possible), a single 5gal tank doesnt take up that much room, no charging batteries, no strengthening required unless you go really fast air, easy to upgrade (provided you run big enough lines to start with)..  i am a bit bias though

biggest hurdle with air is damper re-location on cars with spring/damper units eg. macphereson struts, but on the w124 this isn't such an issue as its seperate all round. Rod's page is a good idea of how to do it properly; that car is super-tough!

[Jez]

Juice is something I want to do one day, but I'd rather do it to an American car than a Euro! Just seems to 'suit' better to me! Also my Benz is a daily so I just want a nice simple system that leaves the boot free for junk.

So you reckon a basic daily-able system can be built for a couple hundred?!

Sorry if I've hijacked this, it's all relevant tho!

[fatdaddy]

still dont have time to look out pics........................
but I gotta answer that

Juice or air can suit any car, they just got to be done right.
"Right" means using the correct bits used in the correct way. [That needs experience which is unfortunately sadly lacking in UK now.]

decent bag = £60 each
decent comp = £150
tank = £ 60
controls = £min 120 [dont even think of front/back only with air.... it WONT handle at all]

now, once you have fitted a basic system you will be disappointed by the way it performs and will end up spending a lot more in the long run that if you did it right in the first place.

[fatdaddy]

yo!  excuse the newb-ness... i've got me a w124 and a set of 17" wires ready to go.  i'm looking into bagging it as well.  i see lots of peeps have done w123s on here, would i be guessing a w124 is pretty much the same job?

peas.

your wires will need to be front laced to get any drop before the tyres touch the arches

[catboy]

the reason i say air is more suitable for a daily is because it doesnt take up as much space in the boot, you dont have to charge batteries (although there are ways around this for juice) and its cleaner if something goes pop..

FD's right, while you can do it on the cheap, spend the money upfront and it will save you in the long run, HOWEVER..  if you just want to get up and running spend the money on big-port bags and your mountings, plus a decent compressor..  valves can be brought on the cheap if you bide your time; i just sold 8 big-un's for £120

if you shop around on US ebay you could get 8 valves and a decent compressor for £200, tanks are pretty cheap, bags around £60 each as FD said, and the lines are negligable..  I reckon a fairly fast single comp system (viair450, 5 gal tank, 1/2" lines) should be do-able for under £500 if you hunt around and possibly less if you find a few cheeky ebay bargains (ie you might get some 2nd hand decent bags for £50 and a comp for £60 or 70)

Also, if you just want to get up and running for now, go with small lines and paddle valves..  that will get you low, but it will be v.slow (my first w123 merc ran 1/4" lines and paddle valves and took about 10sec to raise the front)..  fit big port bags, small lines, paddle valves, small comp and you can probably be up and running for £250

[ROD]

Couldnt agree more with FD/Catboy...I found this out, to my cost ,when I first did mine. Spent a lot of time on mounts etc ,then had to upgrade everything to get the moves,and faster set-up,cos I used small comp /lines/tanks first off,which TBH were OK for park and drop etc.If I did it again,I would def get the better larger capacity stuff.But I've promised 'wallet bitch' (the purse holder!)(the missus) that I'll never build another car..............................................................Hmmmm...she dont believe me ......I wonder why??

[fatdaddy]

the reason i say air is more suitable for a daily is because it doesnt take up as much space in the boot, you dont have to charge batteries (although there are ways around this for juice) and its cleaner if something goes pop..

i agree with that.........................