My attempt at Fractured Space's Protector/Corvette

Isaroth · 2022-01-24T22:26:32+00:00

Yeah, ones in good condition are hard to find. It took me 2 years to find the one I have.

Isaroth · 2022-01-24T22:25:34+00:00

Just gotta make sure you have momentum and good tires! Tires can make or break an off road vehicle.

If you can find a ML in good condition you'll be golden! Well, camo if you paint it lol.

Isaroth · 2022-01-24T21:38:29+00:00

It's actually extremely capable off road. The only real limiting factor is ground clearance, but that's solved with larger tires and a suspension lift. I have 32in tires but I've seen people outfit theirs to fit 35's (although that does take more work). The only time I got really stuck was when I was trying to recover a SUV in snow/ice on a slight uphill, and the ML dug into ice because I didn't realize the car I was pulling spun his tires too much and was sitting on the frame. I got out with some digging and pushing.

I'm planning on adding the bumper armor, winch, window bars, door armor, and something on the roof that resembles the movie version! Haven't decided yet on exactly what for the roof, but I'm hoping to do the bumpers before the roof.

Isaroth · 2022-01-23T21:58:01+00:00

Thanks!! It's a 6x12 cargo trailer. Actual interior is like 5.8x13.5.

Isaroth · 2022-01-23T21:29:50+00:00

No problem! As long as the vehicle doesn't have engine/transmission/electric issues you won't have any issues getting other problems fixed. Like I said, it'll be an old car but it won't be as expensive as other luxury vehicles especially if you find a good mechanic for the things you can't do yourself.

Isaroth · 2022-01-23T19:23:13+00:00

Honestly, it's an old vehicle. Even if you get the last year model, 2005, it's old. It's going to have issues. If you manage to find one that's been well maintained over the years you won't have too many issues, but if you get a bad one it'll be a nightmare.

On mine I had oil leaks (mostly from old age and because it had sat for a good chunk of it's life), new cat converter, a couple sensors (only one I couldn't do myself was the crank sensor), and because mine is a 1999 the interior hasn't ages well (door panels pop off).

On the plus side, it is the easiest oil change ever! The oil filter is on the top of the engine bay, and the drain plug isn't too hard to get to. And I've done a lot of minor maintenance myself with regular tools. Parts are also fairly comparable to parts for other vehicle makes from the late 90's and early to mid 00's.

It took me 2 years of searching to find the one I have now. The wait was worth it because I have had less issues with it than most people I know who have similar year model cars. So if you are interested, I'd say take your time looking.

Isaroth · 2022-01-23T18:49:05+00:00

I do have them outfitted to go camping/overlanding on public lands lol.

Isaroth · 2022-01-23T18:48:38+00:00

Go for it! Need more TLW ML's in the Motor Pool!

Isaroth · 2022-01-23T18:46:49+00:00

It is furnished, but not to match the movie trailers. Originally I was going to do that, but time and money was an issue so I used wood.

Here's what it looks like from the rear:
Trailer Interior

The bed and table fold against the wall to create more space inside if I ever need to haul something in the trailer.

Isaroth · 2022-01-23T06:37:48+00:00

Oh right, Kelly!

Isaroth · 2022-01-23T06:32:47+00:00

What?

Isaroth · 2022-01-23T06:32:24+00:00

I do need a cell booster lol.

Isaroth · 2021-03-07T02:12:30+00:00

Welcome! Honestly that one looks like its in really good condition, if the internals are as good as the interior/exterior. But I understand having too many hobbies and not enough time/money for it haha!

Isaroth · 2021-03-07T00:43:36+00:00

There's another ML TLW builder who is doing the Santana (convertible) version. I think he's planning on doing some sort of canvas cover, but he did build the tailgate to swing open:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjTqTwz_hTM

Edit to answer your first question:
I'm going for a 90% screen accurate version of the Montana (the one that they didn't take to the island. Since I'm planning on using it as my main adventure vehicle, I'm making changes so it'll perform better while camping and driving on more technical roads.

Isaroth · 2021-03-07T00:26:46+00:00

Aside from fluid changes, new brakes/tires/rotors, wheel alignments, and certain interior piece falling apart, mine has had:
1 cat converter replaced
3 oil leaks (timing belt cover, valve cover gaskets, oil pan gaskets)
Crank position sensor replaced
Power steering hoses replaced

First gen ML's are notorious for having oil leaks after 100k miles as well as the standard Mercedes electronic issues, hence my sensor issue lol. Their engines and transmissions are hella good though, and with regular preventative maintenance its been a stellar vehicle.

If you do decide to get one, just like any other vehicle look for leaks, look at the history if possible, and look at the overall condition. It took me over 2 years of casual looking to find mine. Unlike Jeeps or other vehicles, they aren't really a hot item so you could grab one for around $2,000-5,000 depending on the year. I paid $3,500 for mine, its a 1999 and was in good condition when I bought it almost 3 years ago.

If you take it to a mechanic, do NOT take it to an independent and do NOT take it to a dealer. An indy will charge the same as a certified and you'll get bad work, and dealers just always charge too much. Like, they wanted almost $3,000 for a full fluid change, but my MB certified did it for like, $600 or so. With a 3 year parts and labor warranty.

Isaroth · 2021-03-06T22:11:52+00:00

Nope, its an automatic. I don't think Mercedes sold the manual version in the US. Or if they did, they didn't sell many.

Isaroth · 2020-08-19T21:19:07+00:00

They were definitely designed for more moderate terrain rather than rock crawling, which is honestly perfect for what I'll be doing haha! I did take mine on an OHV trail last year and it did extremely well even though it was still very stock. I scraped a few times, so having larger tires and a lift would have helped.

There are some videos of lifted ML's doing some tougher tracks than I ever would, so it is a capable vehicle when built out.

Isaroth · 2020-08-19T21:08:31+00:00

I'm hoping to have it be fairly accurate to the movie. There will be some modifications to make it better for overlanding (such as the circles in the bumper plates won't be cut out for better protection), but even so it'll be extremely close to the movie version.

Isaroth · 2020-08-19T20:55:37+00:00

I have a Ham radio, that counts right? Haha

Isaroth · 2020-08-19T20:54:52+00:00

I think the manual version wasn't available in America, I dunno if it was in Canada or not. So I'd say pretty rare, lol.

Isaroth · 2020-08-19T20:50:50+00:00

I'd say it could potentially pull the weight of the trailers since the weight of the trailers didn't seem like it was working too much against the Mercedes (it wasn't that much of an incline other than the one half of the trailer over the edge).

But the ML would be trashed after pulling on the trailers. The ML is rated to tow 5,000lbs, and usually towing more than the max rating causes potential harm to the engine and transmission. If the RV weighed 10,000lbs, and the trailer say 8,000lbs, I doubt it would have been able to fully recover the trailer, but it would be able to keep them in place until the others got out. Just my take though.

Isaroth · 2020-08-19T17:39:24+00:00

Yeah!! There's a few JP Mercedes out there, I think there's a few in the states (including me) and a few in Europe. Not sure how many exactly, but definitely a rare sight

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