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Not everything is about offroad prowess sometimes. An overlander should also be somewhat comfortable. or in the case of this Mercedes Benz G500, Very comfortable. And plush. And also just amazing in every possible way imaginable.

This build is probably one of the most involved ones i have ever had the pleasure to read. Kobzar is one thorough and obviously passionate person when it comes to his 2002 G500. Everything has been restored and improved from the bottom up, inside and out. Although he is not quite done, you can see some of his progress below.

How it Began

In March of 2016, Kobzar purchased a very rough condition G500 for a decent price. It had rust issues, holes in the body, scratches, dents, and to top it off a head gasket leak.

At the same time, he found a plethora of 2016 G63 parts from the MBWorld.org forum, (where he is an active user) through a member.

















The Task? a full restoration of suspension, frame, brakes, body, electrical systems, interior, etc. All the while Kobzar was going to implement the bunch of G63 parts he sourced from a forum member on MBWorld.

Exterior

This G500 received substantial body work, new window and windshield seals, and a fresh paint job. From the G63 it received lights, bumper and brush guard.

There is lots of custom work in adding some of the G63 parts to a G500. For example, the bumpers are not a simple bolt on. Mounting structures had to be fabricated, and several other details (like faux intercoolers) were added to more closely resemble the G63.

In addition, headlights and many other electrical systems had to be rewired. G500 electronics are not a clean swap to the later model parts.











































Frame, Suspension and Brakes

Besides doing a great job removing rust spots, Kobzar gave the frame and suspension parts a coat of rust inhibitor and then a coat of paint. The G500 now also has all new bushings everywhere in the suspension; there will be no unexpected squeaks here! The G63 parts pile included OEM suspension items, as well as brake parts.

a cool thing i learned from this thread is that some Mercedes have brake wear sensors. The braking system from the newer truck had these little sensors that you will see in the last few images. They let you know when its time for a brake job. Very handy!

The incorporation of the brake pad sensors was another custom task. The sensors had to be adapted to the legacy electronics for them to work properly.



































Interior

Probably the most time consuming and laborious part of this build. Kobzar’s G500 received all new reupholstered everything (seats, dash, center console, door trim, etc). In addition, the tub received rust removal, rust proofing, and new paint.

On top of that, the G500 received gobs of sound deadening material, custom door sills (including the rear door trim with his name on it!), various switch vessels were modified to accept the newer G63 Controls, etc.

Parts from this truck have been in Turkey for custom leather upholstery, as well as in Russia for customized electronics. You will see the crafty adaptation of the newer G63 window switches and seat controls adapted to the older G500 door trim.





























































How it Sits Today

Although this G500 is not quite complete, (currently waiting on reupholstered parts from Turkey) it has gone through a long journey. A journey lasting exactly 1088 days so far.

Gutted, paint-stripped, bondoed, welded, drilled.. this G500 has gone through all those scenarios and more. Endless hours of dedication (and gobs of money too) are the only thing that stand between a man and a diamond in the rough, such as this.

The end result? a sub $50k truck that looks like the model that’s worth $100k plus. I call that a very successful restoration.







I’m sure the Austrians can build them faster, but none of theirs will ever be as cool or unique as this one.

Thanks for reading! if you have any questions about this Post, leave a comment below or contact me here!