280SL Trim and Moulding Metallurgy

[rrb]

I have owned my  early 1969 280SL (all red tail lights) since 1984. The car is starting to show its age and I plan to have it "refurbished" soon. I do not like to use the "restored" word here as it makes my wallet hurt too much. I plan on having some minor rust attended to before the new paint job. Because I am retired,  budget is a big concern. I am capable of handling the interior work and want to save some money by being able to deliver the car to the painter "stripped" of as much chrome, trim and moulding as possible. I have spent many valuable hours on this site and appreciate all the knowledge I have gained concerning my car. From what I have learned, it seems that not all trim pieces were created equal. It sounds like some are aluminum, some are chromed brass and some might even be stainless steel. Because of this, it seems some pieces are candidates for repair and re-chroming while others are not.  Is there are source I can go to (or can someone tell me) the metallic composition of the various "shiny parts" on the 280SL body and hardtop?  As stated, I have gotten some information from this site already but still feel kind of lost on this topic. Thank you in advance.

[mdsalemi]

RRB,

I don't know of any OEM stainless steel trim on the car, but most of the chrome plated trim is either brass or pot metal; pot metal being zinc castings. There are some steel pieces, too, that are chrome plated.  There is some aluminum trim as well, the lower linear pieces on the car are clear anodized.

If your goal is simple removal, cleaning and polishing, the base material is not that significant.  Zinc castings (such as the grill star) can get very brittle with time and have a certain fragility.

Is your plan to have the trim re-plated?

[rrb]

I would replace the trim as needed or check for cost of re-chroming where applicable.  Chrome is in nice condition though maybe not totally perfect. One of my concerns at this point is to know which pieces are steel and which are aluminum so I know how much "force" I might want to exert in trying to remove the piece. Last thing I want to do is damage an already good looking piece. I am not at all an expert in body work. I am trying to save as much labor expense on the body work and paint by delivering the shop as close to a stripped down body as I can. Also I am not sure how each piece is attached. I have read many posts and have come to the conclusion that some use pressure fit clips while some may be actually screwed to the body. I am trying to figure all this out as I go. Thanks for the respone.

[Benz Dr.]

Get a magnet - that should solve some of your questions.

 There are some SS parts on the car but not very many. Door and trunk locks come to mind. A lot of the trim is chrome plated brass or chrome plated steel. The rest of it is anodized aluminium or pot metal.
 
Pot metal can be tricky to plate because it will often form small pits under the plating. Once the chrome is removed you will be able to see most of these pits. By the time you grind, polish, fill, and plate, there will be nothing left of the original shape. I've seen trunk stars which had no sharp edges from being re-plated. Get a new one - it will very likely be cheaper.

Door handles and the front star are two places where you can save a lot of money providing the parts are not junck to begin with.  Always price new parts and compare that to replating before spending a lot of time and energy on plating.
Anything that was anodized should not be chrome plated. These parts are usually quite soft and will bend easily while chrome won't; so you can expect it to crack and start peeling off after a while. Besides, it doesn't look right.