Mercedes Benz Unimog full restoration. Work, cost and why? Hello everyone, the day has come when I can say: I can present it and show it finished, even if something is still missing, such as the front linkage. The desire for a classic car or tinkering project is growing and gathering momentum. Whether it is a small tractor, a convertible, a bus or a commercial vehicle, the wishes are yours. My wishes were: -El Camino SS -Volkswagen Type 181 (Bucket) -Unimog 406 I have been tinkering and driving Volkswagens for over 20 years, we have an American on the yard and as a child I grew up in a Unimog 406, so childhood shapes your life and so it was clear: I need a Unimog! The search went on for months and the kilometers all over Germany kept increasing. Planned purchase budget - 15,000 euros and I found something on SPO (Germany's northernmost island) sea green and had already tinkered with it quite a bit, but it drives, brakes and steers and has been MOT-bought. I drove it a lot in the first few months, but then we started changing and replacing a lot of parts until it was partially dismantled in the first year to make it look nice. The following year we went to meetings, regulars' tables and also took it out into the forest to make wood with it, etc. In 2019 it was completely dismantled and completely overhauled, everything that needed to be replaced was done and the list is really long, really long! Why didn't I leave it like that? The basis was good, because it's an 87 with the latest technology, but the technology itself was worn out and the rust had really taken its toll - all or nothing, anything else would have made no sense here. The cabin was and had to be completely refinished and was very stressful. When it came back from the painter there was no turning back - it had to be perfect. And so you're caught in a dilemma and try to maintain the standard that the painter delivered. Every classic car has its charm and every classic car has parts that are difficult to get, impossible to get, or completely over-painted. Mercedes itself can really supply a lot, which sometimes amazed me, because the 406 has been built for almost 50 years - prices are high, but at least you get them! What DB can't supply is taken on by companies that specialise in these parts and manufacture sheet metal parts, for example. Whatever is left you build yourself. My attitude: buy 15, invest 10 and be happy didn't work - the basis would have been worlds better, yes, but not like this. What I've learnt: don't skimp on the purchase, the rest is more expensive and takes a lot of work. I've met a lot of people who share the same hobby. Whether collectors, mechanics, dealers, companies, whether patina or high gloss - private individuals or influencers - each of them does this out of passion for vehicles and for tinkering. THANKS TO EACH OF YOU. It's not the perfect MOG, but I think it's a good used one :-) Do you have any questions?? - Feel free to ask! Do you have any criticism?? - Feel free to share it Do you already have a subscription?? -- Click Have a nice day - stay cheerful Greetings Rene ,- Steelstyler