Mercedes Driveshaft Restoration - The Hard Way
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treatment.
In this episode, I restore the driveshafts from the Mercedes W123. It still had the original boots from the factory which makes them 38 years old. I think it's time for new ones, don't you?
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Second channel - / rustynutrestorations - New episodes coming soon!
#restoration #mercedes #driveshaft
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:34 - Remove the clamps
01:03 - Remove the oil
01:38 - Cutting the inner casing
02:15 - Remove the casing, the cage, and ball bearings
02:53 - Remove the race from the shaft
03:22 - Remove the boots and second half of the case
04:47 - The second shaft quickly
05:24 - Cleaning out the cv joints and other parts
05:53 - Knowling
06:15 - Removing the rust
08:14 - Cleaning the ball bearings
08:44 - Removing two small dents
10:01 - All of the new parts needed for the rebuild
10:29 - Packing the outer cv joint with grease
10:58 - Installing the new outer boot
12:05 - Installing the new clamps
12:52 - Installing the second boot and case piece
13:18 - Installing the race onto the shaft
13:49 - Installing the cage and the ball bearings
14:14 - Installing the small O-ring & large case piece
14:20 - Joining the two case pieces
15:32 - Packing the inner cv joint
16:00 - Installing the new inner boot
17:00 - Cleaning the grease off
17:30 - Masking for paint
18:27 - Painting the shafts
20:26 - Removing the masking tape
20:47 - Removing residue from the tape
21:00 - Before
21:00 - After
21:21 - Shafts with the diff
21:35 - Wrapping for storage
21:37 - Thanks for watching
Tools & equipment used:
Quartz Lacquer - goo.gl/8PTVKM
Base Coat Paint - goo.gl/mWhufG
Rust Remover - goo.gl/13gopW
Rohr 250 Welder - bit.ly/33mkOGP
Workbenches - arborgardensolutions.co.uk
Moldex Full Face Mask - goo.gl/NNYGrv
FGL 5 Spray gun - goo.gl/Acg5rd
A.N.I. R150-T Mini Spray gun - goo.gl/cHTJS2
Colad Washable Overalls - goo.gl/3Css9E
Colad Mixing Cups - goo.gl/8DYmE8
Colad TurboMix Sticks - goo.gl/cYZfks
Colad Synthetic Paint Strainers - goo.gl/H79ZgL
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Probably the only person in history to use filler on a CV axle.
My old car the subframe rust holes filled with silicon sealant. I only found out when the car steered itself into oncoming traffic without my permission.
@@ALKUKES Probably something like, not the only person to use filler on unusual parts of a car.
I was ready to write something similar....this is not normal :D that should be welded
And clear coat...
@@Nbomber O_O
40 years old rubbers keept gear oil inside wow, i don't think the new ones can do that.Great job.congs.
Exactly.
nazi car
@@Justinhomii Arena KZhead nutzen?
Bet the modern MB`s wont last like that.
I'm pretty sure if he moved it around enough or drove with it like that it would split open like a gateway to the underworld. the grease inside is keeping a thin amount of the rubber pliable only enough to hold the seal, but it can easily be torn.
Well that oil in the boot is a pretty flawless way of knowing the where still sealed!
True that!
@@RestoreIt They all came with gear oil from factory, using grease might make it so during driving, the centrifugal force may push the grease outwards and away from the joint ,hence the oil :)
Of all the things that look difficult in this repair it's the joining the two case pieces that looks the most nerve wracking. The owner of this Mercedes will have a museum piece by the end.
Thanks dude! It was a bit tricky for sure
Great video, but you are not supposed to fill grease in the boot. They may rip apart sooner, because of the centrifugal forces. The grease in the boot are not going in to the CV either.
I have done the same rebuild job with new cans on both ends. We made up a closing tool on the lathe from large round bar and pressed the cans together with the lip swaged evenly on like we guess the OEM did it. Removing and replacing the inner shaft circlips can be made easier by stuffing a lint free rag in the void just in case the clip pings off and falls into the crown wheel or out across the workshop. It's a job worth doing so not to have to revisit that area again.
Despite my scepticism you made a fabulous job of these drive shafts, well done. Considering it was preventative maintenance it's an amazing testimony to the quality of the parts used by MB.
Good job! My respect to 40 year old rubber compound!
Amazing uber detailed, TRUE restoration on both the diff and axles !
Fantastic attention to detail as always and great to watch.
it's incredible all the time and dedication you put into this. Amazing work. Total respect.
Thank you Pedro! Much appreciated.
I cant help myself of not thinking that restoring driveshaft is a total waste of time. Driveshaft is the exact part which is better to buy brand new. It is not worth the effort. Sorry.
@@razberik8320 is worth The effort if he enjoy It. If he want to do it. Is his decisión. And i loved seeing the video, so...
Nice video. I found that the proper amount of grease can pushed into the can by simply shoving it in with one finger. Hence, no need to put any inside the boot. This way also assures that the spider and balls are completely lubricated.
Man, the fact that you did it the hard way instead of the easy way was a nice tough. Great work!!!
Those old cars were surprisingly well made. The parts are not that bad on the inside, I was expecting much worse.
Awesome video as always. No apology required for the delays. Always a treat and understandable how much time jt must take to not only do these jobs but when you have to film it, edit, and voice over etc.. nightmare!
This is the equivalence of polishing the bones inside your body, makes it look shinier if you happened to get a x ray on yourself, but does absolutely nothing mechanically. I guess it feels good knowing that you have shiny parts inside of something, regardless of whether it’s actually still being shiny.
The world is going crazy and yet this guy continues to be meticulous and pump out quality content. Thanks for taking my mind off the craziness for 22 minutes. Much appreciated!
Never assume the whole world is going crazy. Your bubble was going crazy
Great job, your attention to detail is amazing. This car is going to look awesome once its done. We hope our 1963 c10 looks half as good once we are done.
Good Job Man... Thank you..!
I didn’t even know Mercedes used gear oil in their axles I guess they were building it like a truck so that it would last longer
Great job on updating the axle shafts,starting to look like a improved Mercedes coming back to life.👍👍👍😎😎😎
Cheers Tom! 👍
you should spray the driveshaft with red colour...it can add 4 hp
Is that at the crank or the wheel?
Another good episode as always.
I like the way he uses etch primer,also the horizontal spraying of the shafts was a good idea.The gloss finish looks very good,like a factory finish.
Nice Steve! Looking very nice indeed!
This is factory job !! great result, I enjoyed watching.
Excellent attention to detail buddy 🤩🏴
You are a legend mate. Great vids, cheers
Great to watch you back with another great video.
Thanks mate. Been a while. Back on the grind now with four more vids in the bag!
Man...there is magic in your hands. Most will chuck the old ones and go for new. But not you. This is called real restoration. Amazing job. Waiting to see the end result. I am sure the Merc will be staggering once finished.
Excellent work...👍.
Always great seeing an upload. Top man as ways
Great work as usual! I was wondering why you hadn't painted it before assembly, but seeing what you had to do to assemble it I can see why now 😄 Keep it up 👍
Cheers! First time doing it this way I think!
What a good work man, thanks a lot it was great
Ну давай, после этого видео, расскажи нам, как тебе тяжело менять ШРУСы на своей приоре XD
Excellent work!
Thanks man!
Nice work!
Outstanding and remarkable. Surely someone with these skills won't have any difficulty on finding a job, or even make hands meat on himself as self establish business man. Kudos for him👏👏👏
Pretty impressive quality on the boot rubber. I regularly see modern cars less than 10 years old with torn axle boots.
Well, I would guess that the car was a barn find and these driveshafts haven't moved in a long time. Regular use would have worn them out decades ago.
Great work!
legend as always cant wait for more
Excellent video
Well done!!
Thanks Kieran!
Good jobs thanks very much God bless everyone around shops ❤
Simply the best 👍👍👍💪💪💪💪💪
Thanks for the vid! Any specific reason why you assembled the things before painting? You now have bare metal under the lips of the boots where water will come in and start rusting again. It would also have saved you quite a lot of masking time. Just wondering.
I imagine because assembly would be quite damaging to the paint. Hammers and punches and being held in a vice etc.
I was wondering the same. He could have at least painted the driveshafts to have a little overlap under the boots.
It wont be in contact with water and very little oxigen so there will be pratically any rust inside the boots. Even if it did anyone will see there inside unless the person is making maintenance or a restoration so....
@@yagomojaes6636 I was talking of the area just under the lip of the rubber boot. Where the clamp is. There water will creep under and start rusting.
@@MrBlaadieblaa with plastic strips like on my steering rack there will always be a little oil creeping on there and normal maintenance should include having a look at it once in a while ..
Amazing attention to detail as always 😊 Why are the replacement ring clamps with screws not as good as the OEM style clamps?
Looking good!
Didn't know these Merecedes driveshafts are that complicated... Great job!
Thanks! :)
Me neither but they seem to work well.
@@Gustav4 I just restored mine few days ago on a Porsche 924 project... Much simpler design for servicing.
Very nice work.
Nice looking job again budd keep it up great job👍👌👏😎
Staggering attention to detail. I can only hope the client actually uses this car and doesn't just park it in an air conditioned garage until the internal combustion engine is banned.
Thank you Jamie! I think his plan is to drive it, so all good there :) Lets just hope they don't "ban" them too soon!
Yeah true, the way governments and the environment folks are harping about the goodness of electric automobiles.
Perfect 👌 nice job. Cheers
Thanks Sony! 👍
Man, I wish I could paint half as well as you do with my collection of spray cans. Could you make a video sometime of your spray process?!
vraiment du beau travail bravo
Nice work 😊👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks Magnus!
Really interesting video. Really enjoyed it. Those Germans build stuff to last.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks Joseph!
AWESOME CONTENT!!
Thanks Pedro!
Restoration is complete with the help of roman 👍
Good ol Roman!
Nice .I wish you more progress
Nice finish 😁 Personally I would have had them chromed
For the cans we turned a round steel billet up with radiussed lip, put under a pressure with support tube for the main body then the lip turned over just a Mercedes produced it.
Very good job
Very very good made!!!!
Thank you :)
@@RestoreIt i have an W123 to on my canal
Came out brand new
Thanks Dillan!
I can comfirm that Mercedes did indeed use gear oil from factory rather than grease.
Very good Job Love it more more 👍❤️💙👍
Thanks Pascal! 👍
Very good video
Classic!
i love watching your vids!
That was in 2006. The steel press tools are lying in my garage! RIP
Fabulous work, buddy. Well done ❤️🤩 But, from a feelin human, I’m working on an offshore drilling rig, and having experience around pressure, i just have a little headsup. That scene in the beginning, where you pressed out the shaft, please avoid those angles and length. You should’ve moved your workpiece to the highest position and used a smaller, and wider tool to press with. That thing you did there, could’ve flinged off at projectile speeds, and maybe turning into someones last day.
Hi Man! Those shafts must be filled with oil, not with grease..
Hey Fran! I did some research, this is not the case. Both can be used.
Your skills are mind boggling! Are you a trained mechanic? Just amazing work!
Hes not. He's just taken the time and effort to research, learn and practice skills and have a bit of confidence in himself. It's amazing what you can do with these attributes. He's learned alot and taught me a few things that I didnt even know before with some of his restorations. Anyone can do anything they put their minds too! So give it a go buddy. Go do an oil change and replace the filters in your car. You'll discover how satisfying it is to do it yourself and how good it feels!
Thank you, Phil. You're spot on about me and everyone else. The internet is an amazing tool. Great comment.
Thank you Ptroinks! Please see Phill's comment :)
@@RestoreIt years ago id never done anything. I watched a video on how to do an oil change, one of Eric the car guys first videos, I was one of the first 50k subscribers to him lol and now I have a garage filled with special tools, engine crane, 200l air compressor, Lord only knows how many tools. But yea... your a credit to all of us serious diyers. The attention you pay is admirable throughout so many frustrating points in restorations and I think we are both alike in that we both seek the perfect result, just making it work isn't good enough! It's a curse lol.
@@RestoreIt and yes. Out of all the tools available the Internet is by far one of the most useful tools around... if only most people used it for that purpose lol!
Great video on how to properly restore these axles. Except I don’t understand why you filled it with grease after going through so much trouble doing it the right way. Why not also use gear oil? That’s what these axles are designed for. If you’re going to use grease it would be a lot easier to just get flex boots. But I’m concerned that using grease won’t last nearly as long as gear oil and aftermarket axles are very poor quality compared to the originals. So doing it the hard way with replacing the can, like you did, would be the way to go. But you have to fill it with the proper gear oil.
i love it
Cheers!
That parts washer could do with some love from 'Restore it!'
so awesome how u explain everything you would make a good trainer thanks i learned alot and have with all ur vids and how did you learn all this cause ur so young ????
very good video😘
AMAZINGNES!!! By the way, what is your airsystem setupp?
Nice 💪💪
Why didnt you change the inner cv joint cups?
9:25 é a primeira vez que vejo alguém passar massa em uma homocinética.
Harika iş
Thanks!
factory painting was hardly one layer and last 40 years. now will be ok for 100.nice work
Never seen gear oil inside driveshaft boots ! Is it better than grease maybe ?
How apt that working with broken shafts is sponsored by an E.D company
😂
I never expect you to disclose what you earn from this work, but if you are up for a challenge, consider a video that discusses how you quantify this level of work (and how clients come to the same conclusion). I ask for this honestly, because there are so many people that want epic work, and they want to pay nothing for it. Of course, amazing work. 2021 thanks you in advance. 🙂
Not sure I'd want to pay for this work.
@@MiG21aholicwhy?
Хорошо получается.
Thank you!
Wow! That was amazing. I bet all new OEM drive shafts cost a lot. I wonder if there are commercially rebuilt ones available that are done this well and if they are cost effective. I have heard cars make a clicking noise in the cv joints. Does that mean the bearings are worn to much, usually on front drive cars?
Yes.Because of steering there is a lot more articulation on the outer joints which is a true CV joint and more complex than the inner one.That clicking is the final warning before they disintegrate.
I'm satisfied! :)
Glad to hear it!
I wonder if the alignment of the CV joint is important. I guess by definition it may not be, but wonder anyway. I'd have painted before the build. Great job regardless.
Instead of punching the seams together I had a shop made device in mind, consisting of some round jaws and a thing like a oil filter wrench, the ones with the chain...would that work? Great job, what an effort! :-D
I hope the boots don't slip off the new cans, the lip seems tiny🙊 great video!
I thought that! But then again these clamps clamp hard af...
@@RestoreIt which is good although can make it tear.... ask me how I know hahaha
Febi must have done some testing to make sure boots stay on, surely? Haha.
@@RestoreIt I would like to think so. Had an astra a few years back that I replaced the outer cv joints on. I cannot remember the brand of the aftermarket cv joints i used on the axle but the area for the boot to grip onto appeared smaller than oem. And no matter what I did the boots kept sliding off when turning turning wheel, I used some good clips and tightened it like a mfer. It held for a couple weeks but then ripped the boots.. ended up buying oem cv joints.. the boot lip area was bigger and never had the problem after that. The aftermarket world of parts is a minefield!!! Lol. Normally febi do have their shit together though in my experience. I should have just tried their joints but hey, hindsight and all that lol. I just got fed up and went with the option I knew would work!
You can also make a clamp tool out of an old end cutter/snipper.
I didn't think of that, good idea
@@RestoreIt Thanks for the video BTW :)
Why not to use oil (as it was originally) instead of grease in the boots ?
I know why you didn't try the pneumatic boot stretcher. The OEM boot wont stretch enough to go over the can. However you can stretch an aftermarket universal boot over the can with the tool. I've been here before.
Silicone spray would help get the boots on. Could you also take a very wide chisel and cut a curve into it to match the cases?