Project Car: Mercedes G-class Gets a 4″ Lift Kit – Part II
After installing the suspension kit to give our project vehicle a 4″ lift, we turned our attention to the exterior appearance. We definitely wanted to give the truck a rugged off-road look, but just as importantly, we felt it needed a sleek and stylish appearance that would look at home in a mall parking lot (where trucks in LA spend most of their time, unfortunately). Lastly, since many customers don’t want to jump into a big project like the portal axle conversion, we wanted to create a vehicle that resembles the 4×4 Squared in some ways, with some of that cool factor, but at a lower price point.
We started a 2008 G500, so there was some updating that had to be done. We started with the G63 Facelift, which includes the G63 Front Bumper, G63 Front Grille, G63 Headlight Bezels with LED’s, and G63 Side Mirrors with indicators. Our car doesn’t have blind spot assist, but we thought it was pretty cool that the orange triangle in the mirror blinks with the indicator. I should point out, the G63 Facelift kit actually includes the G63 Fender Flares, as well (and even the brush guard if you choose that kit), but we skipped them in favor of wider DTD Fender flares. A lot wider. About 2″ wider, in fact.
Of course, the Mercedes G 550 4×4²-style roof spoiler was a must. Here, we used the polypropylene version and painted it body color. If we were doing it again, we would use the carbon fiber part. This particular part was bolted on to the vehicle, but it can also be glued on.
We also installed the B-style Carbon Fiber Hood Attachment and B-style Front Bumper Upper Add-on (below the grille). One of the most popular parts we offer for the G-class is the BRABUS Add-on Front Lip Spoiler with LEDs, so obviously, it was added here (albeit a B-style part). We didn’t smoke the lights, but we may go back and do that later. We’d like to point out, we always recommend genuine BRABUS parts for the best fit and finish. Unfortunately, for this build (an employee’s vehicle), it wasn’t in the budget.
With regard to the lights, we didn’t have the Dark LED’s in stock, so we used Chrome LED’s in the Roof Spoiler and smoked them instead. We used the MANSORY-style headlights and smoked the Chrome LED’s in the headlight bezel. We would used Dark LEDs in the headlight bezel, if they had been in stock at the time. We replaced the side markers with Smoked Lights (we also have these side markers in clear for white G’s). The clear indicators on top of the fenders were replaced with a smoked indicator to match the other lights, but we’re thinking of switching to the smoked MANSORY lights instead (or smoking the OEM part).
The DTD Fender Flares are a lot wider than they look, which gives the vehicle a much more aggressive look. In fact, these Fender Flares are about 2″ wider than the G63 Fender Flares. The 20-inch wheels get 35×12.5R20 mud-terrain tires. They have been spaced out 50 mm front and rear. They tire sits pretty much flush with the edge of the fender in front. In the rear, we’re waiting to install the Rear Panhard Bar (aka Track Bar) to center the axle. As you can see, the wheels sit way in right now. Once the axle is centered with the DTD-spec Mercedes Panhard Bar, we’ll install 75mm wheel spacers.
In the rear, the taillights were replaced with LED smoked lights. The factory chrome spare tire clamp was powder coated gloss black, and the spare tire cover was replaced with a carbon fiber part.
It’s not a great photo, but you can get a glimpse of how the G-class, in this configuration, dwarfs the Chevy Tahoe next to it. It’s a little surprising, since the G-class is not a particularly large truck, but with the 4″ lift kit, larger tires (good for another 2″), larger Fender Flares, and the 4×4-style Roof Spoiler, it really changes the appearance. Together, the parts give the truck a presence. The G already has style in spades, but we feel like it’s smallish footprint doesn’t command the respect it deserves.
Other carbon fiber pieces were added, as well, such as Carbon Fiber Side Mirror Housings (not covers, these replace the factory housing), and Carbon Fiber Covers for the D-pillar vent. We also have Carbon Fiber D-pillar Vents that completely replace the stock plastic part. Those are definitely nicer. If you look close, you can see the cover doesn’t fully cover the stock plastic vent. The mirrors housings, on the other hand, are really nice. You might need to sand a little here and there so the mirror (glass) doesn’t rub, but they’re worth it. So much better than covers!
As we mentioned, the taillights are now LED units, which look really good at night, and when braking. We’re not completely sold on the look, but after blacking everything out, the stock red lamps just looked completely out of place. We are thinking about swapping these out for the MANSORY Smoked Taillights. Stay tuned.
As mentioned above, these are the Carbon Fiber D-pillar Covers, but we also have a part that completely replaces the vent. These are pretty cool…just don’t look too close.
It’s a little difficult to see here with the reflection, but the Carbon Fiber Spare Tire Cover makes a huge difference. Our Sales Manager was planning to skip it, thinking it was just too busy for teh back of the truck, and that the body-color piece would be cleaner…but now he’s glad he got it! It looks really good, and with the spare tire clamp in gloss black, it’s a really nice touch.
While we offer these AMG-style wheels in 22-inch, our Sales Manager opted for 20 x 9.0 with 35″ tires. In general, off-road vehicles have less wheel and more tire, so we are thinking about installing the 16″ Hutchinson Beadlocks instead. It sounds like a really small wheel, but on this vehicle, with an off-road tire, it makes sense and it looks great! As you can see, the calipers were painted gloss red to tie in with the interior.
The silver trim that sits in the rubber side molding is a huge visual distraction, so we replaced it with carbon fiber pieces. It came out really nice! We also have carbon fiber pieces that completely replace the rubber molding. If a customer goes that route, we recommend matte or gloss black trim to replace the silver “stickers.”
We used the B-style Sport Exhaust and powder coated the tips gloss black. We also power coated the running boards gloss black.
Thanks for checking out our project car!
If you have installed a lift kit on your G-class and have questions, or if you’re thinking about installing a lift kit, feel free to shoot us an email with any questions: in**@gw*********.com.
Please check back for more updates over the next few weeks. Go Back to Part I.
