450SLC A/C upgrade and front suspension rebuild

After owning my 450SLC for over 20 years, there has really only been one thing that has disappointed me about the car.   That is the performance of the A/C.   I don’t think it was ever optimized for the Australian climate even when new.  When you add in the use of R134A gas, plus aging components, on the days you really need it, it can’t keep up.   I’ve read period reviews that mention this fault.

Back in 2022, I fitted an upgraded A/C condenser to my 560SEC.   The A/C in that car wasn’t too bad, but the parallel flow condenser made all the difference.  From what I read, this is car more effective when using R134A.

The company that supplied the W126 condenser, Klima Design Works, have just released the 107 version.   This presented an opportunity to finally give the 450SLC the A/C that it deserves.  The kit comes with the upgraded condenser, plus the brackets and lines that you need.   You need to supply your own drier.

I supplied the kit to my mechanic to do the work.   From what I gather it was a bit more involved than the W126 install, probably because space is tighter on the 107.   During the install we found a hard line was missing.  While the line was possibly lost during customs inspection, Klima sent me another at no charge with very fast shipping, which I appreciated.   The kit bolted together well, the only slight issue we had was an existing A/C hose was a tiny bit short, and we had it remade.  Not sure if this was a RHD thing.

In any case, the difference is really noticeable.   While it wasn’t a very hot day when I picked the car up, I was quickly able to make the cabin too cold.   Even on not particularly hot days I was never able to do that.   I’m looking forward to trying it out on a really hot day.    So far I really like this upgrade.

While the new condenser is unpainted and the old one is black, once the bonnet is closed you could hardly tell.   I don’t want to paint it as it would probably loose some efficiency.  It is probably not an upgrade for a show car.  For a car like mine with 315,000km on the clock and used regularly, it is great.

While the car was in the workshop, it had all the bushes in the control arms replaced, and the front brakes done.  Some of the control arm bushes looked pretty bad, and the brake rotors had quite a lip on them.

I’m about to take the 450SLC on a 3,700km road trip.  This 450SLC A/C upgrade should really make a difference to how the car goes on that trip.   I’m also in the process of having the upgraded W126 condenser put on the 560SEL.