Project W201: The 'old lady' makeover

I'll start my post this year (hihihi...dah bulan 8 dah weih) with my father pny project.....mahu bikin Mercedes 190e yg dah lama tersadai kat umah...the merc oledi berusia 21 yrs old (1986 model)....abah don't want to sell it because he said byk sentimental value...plus, is the only merc we can afford...hihi....up till now i think about RM10k already spent on engine repairs, servis aircond, new 17" wheels set (although rims just replica not ori amg, but still Made in Germany!...tayar Firenza - Japan mari...but lupe plak what series).....oledi change to new adjustable cambers.....

The car is still using APEX racing springs with Bilstein absorbers....lowered meh, baru nampak cun....nothing done to the engine...still using the stock 2.0litre one...oledi got more than 400K mileage....but still going strong, cruising at 150km/h smoothly and capable of reaching 180km/h (just test drive wif my abah couple of days ago)....but abah oledi bought Denso iridium spark plugs....next time send the car to workshop going to 'install' it...he olso talk bout repaint the old lady into Black....and changing all the lights to clear glass one(Taiwan mari,...hihi)....but I told him better to find AMG or Cosworth half-cut and do engine swap.....I want more power.For the engine transplant, if possible swap the 2.0l with the 2.3l twin-cam 16v cosworth engine.....ther's this one fella in Klang selling it for RM7k....some fact on the engine & its reputation:

1. European Sedan Series Champ- 83, 84, 85, 86
Sedan Series Racing is Europe’s equivalent to NASCAR. Mercedes successfully teamed up with AMG and other aftermarket sources to create a competition 190 Sedan. Aarton Senna, Alan Probst, and other up-start F-1 drivers were employed. Senna, often considered the most talented driver in history, took the series championship in 1983 at the wheel of a 190E 2.3-16.

2. 2.3 Liter Four cylinder sixteen-valve “twin-cam” engine- 167 hp, rev limited to 6,800 rpm

3. Five speed close ratio transmission. (1:1 in 5^th gear)

4. Limited Slip rear axle with 3.64:1 ratio

5. Endurance Speed Record Holder- 154.06mph for 50,000 km
Endurance Records were set in August of 1983 at Nardo, Italy’s 12.6- km oval. A team of drivers and crew fielded three identical 190E 2.3-16’s, which covered 50,000 km in 201 hours. Including fuel and maintenance stops the cars averaged 154mph. The engine literally ran at 6,000 rpm for eight days around the clock.

Haha.....i want to inject some racing dna into the old lady and boost it pedigree....Car & Driver (a well-known automag in case u dunno) actually tested and drive it on the Autobahn and managed to achieve the speed of more than 160mph...!

The 190e also come in variants of 1.8l, 2.5l 16v and 2.6l. Hopefully this dream (daydreaming!!!) will come true....then i can drive the old lady with pride...hehehee....will post the pcis of the old lady in later post...rite now, i want a DSLR camera...mau blaja photgraphy....

if want to know more on the W201 history+stuffs....got to ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W201

ciao!