2006 C55 AMG restore/build

2006 C55 AMG restore/build

ThatSlow.W204

ThatSlow.W204

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Hello everyone!

Meet my 2006 C55 AMG, a car I’ve been wanting for a long time and am finally bringing back to life! It currently has 148k miles, is incredibly rust-free, and overall seems to have been very well cared for.

Unfortunately, it’s been in an accident at some point, and whoever repaired it didn’t exactly use the right parts. But that’s all going to change—I’ll be rebuilding it properly, like the damage never even happened. You’ll get to see the entire process along the way!

Right now, the car has a no crank, no start issue, and the battery is completely fried, so the first step is diagnosing and getting it running. More updates coming soon after I swap in a new battery!

I have been a huge fan of the W203 generation ever since I owned an 05 C240 a few years back. When I first learned about the C55 AMG, I fell in love with it even more. A naturally aspirated 5.4L V8, rear wheel drive, and a sleek yet aggressive design, it checks all the boxes for me. With only 1750 units produced for the US over two years, these cars are getting harder to find, especially since so many have been wrecked or neglected over the years.

The one I picked up does have a few issues, but the shell is unbelievably clean and looks like it was very well cared for. It is completely unmodified, even the exhaust is still stock, which is rare for these since they were considered way too quiet from the factory. This one is a 2006, meaning it is the last model year for the C55 in the US, and as far as I can tell, it is fully loaded with every available option for that year. On top of all that, it is my dream spec, black on black.

Can’t wait to drive this thing, and hopefully some of you will enjoy following the build!


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Weistec C65 4MATIC Black Series: The Ultimate Transformation
Weistec C65 4MATIC Black Series: The Ultimate Transformation
C55 8hp70 swap idea
C55 8hp70 swap idea
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Hey everyone,

I have been putting in a lot of work on my C55 lately, and like I mentioned in my last post, the previous owner or whoever repaired it did not use the correct front-end parts. The C55 is a bit of an oddball since Mercedes had to fit the 5.4L V8 into the W203 chassis, they actually modified the body and extended the front end by using parts from the W209 CLK-Class. That means almost everything from the windshield forward is technically from the CLK instead of the C-Class.

I did have it torn down further than this, but forgot to get a picture
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The issue is that during the repair, they used a lot of parts from a base-model CLK500. That means halogen headlights instead of the factory bi-xenon adaptive lights, the older style bumper, grille, fog lights, and a few other mismatched pieces. On top of that, they did not bother replacing a lot of the brackets, so the fitment was way off. Panels did not align properly, and the whole front end just looked a bit off. I did not want to leave it like that, so I tore everything apart, straightened out some brackets, and got things sitting a lot better. It is not perfect yet, but it is a huge improvement.

You can see here the driver side headlight still doesn’t sit right, but better than before.
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My plan now is to find a wrecked CLK550, preferably rear-ended, as a parts car and completely swap the front end onto my C55. The CLK550 is part of the facelift generation, and personally, I think the bumper design looks a bit more aggressive and sharp compared to the pre-facelift.

Pictured here is the difference between pre and post facelift, the pre facelift is on top, post facelift is on the bottom
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While I am doing that, I will also replace all of the bent and missing brackets to get everything aligned properly. Plus, I will be swapping in the correct bi-xenon adaptive headlights that the car originally came with from the factory. Overall, this should bring the car back to how it should have looked from day one, maybe even a little better with the facelift upgrade.

Excited to get this all done and finally have the front end looking right. Let me know what you guys think!
 
Hey everyone, just a little update on the C55 project. I have been working on a few things lately and decided to pull the valve covers to get a better idea of the engine health and how well it was maintained over the years. I also wanted to replace the valve cover gaskets as preventative maintenance since I was already planning to remove the coils, spark plugs, and plug wires. To my surprise, even with 148k miles on the clock, the engine is extremely clean. Looks like the previous owners did a great job maintaining this car. Always nice to see that kind of care in a higher mile AMG. Excited to keep moving forward with this build. More updates coming soon.



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Hey everyone, I wanted to share an exciting update with you all! The C55 is up and running, and it’s running great! The new starter did wonders and got the car cranking smoothly. I also replaced the crankshaft position sensor, spark plugs, and wires. While I was in there, I took the opportunity to do the valve cover gaskets and even painted the valve covers for a little extra touch.

There’s a slight misfire, which I suspect is due to one of the coil connectors being a bit messed up, but otherwise, everything’s running solid!

I did make a bit of a mistake while reassembling the passenger side exhaust manifold—got a little too excited—but honestly, that’s just the perfect excuse to upgrade to some headers!

I’ll link a YouTube video below showing the car running, and I’ve attached a picture of the engine bay now.

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Can’t wait to keep making progress on this build!

Here is a link to the YouTube video:
 
Hello everyone,

Here’s another update. I have gotten the new headers and the coil connectors. The headers are very nice for the price I paid—only $420 and shipped to my house in three days! The coil connectors are also much better than the ones that have been on the car for almost 20 years now.

I will include some pictures of the headers and connectors. There is a bunch more stuff coming, but it is just little things.

Here’s the headers:
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Here’s some pics of a new coil connector next to an old one 🤣
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Hey everybody,

I’ve been doing more work on the C55 and kinda forgot to update my thread—might’ve missed a few things, but here’s what I’ve knocked out over the past few days. She’s getting close to being road-ready again!
  • New brakes all around
  • Flushed and replaced brake fluid, power steering fluid, diff fluid, and transmission fluid
  • Installed a PPE aluminum finned trans pan during the trans service to help keep temps down
  • Threw in some stainless hardware to dress things up a bit while I was in there
What’s left before she’s back on the road:
  • Hooking up the headers to the rest of the exhaust
  • New tires
  • Replacing the hood latch cable
All the remaining parts are already ordered—just waiting on deliveries. Shouldn’t be long now!

Here’s some pics of how the old fluids came out and the new PPE pan!

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