230SL Antenna Question - FENDER MOUNTED ONLY?

[mbcko]

Hi,

I am not sure if this is technically the correct area for this question.

I've tried searching the forums and could not find a definitive answer.

In brief, my question is the following:  Do all 230SLs have the antenna fitted on the front fender? Or, did some 230SLs also have the antenna fitted in the rear?  There is some material that implies that the rear mounted antennas were only introduced in the 250SL and later models...

Many thanks.

[66andBlue]

When the antenna was installed on the assembly line its location was always on the right front fender for all three models.
Installations after delivery of the car were either in the front or the rear as per Becker, or Blaupunkt, and Hirschmann instructions, and that included already the 230SL starting in 1964.
See: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/uploads/Electrical/BeckerEinbauanleitung.pdf

[Garry]

That is an interesting question and the Tech Manual gives one answer but my 1965 230SL that was ordered with a MB dealer in Sydney for factory delivery/pick up and included the radio fitted appears to have come with the antenna fitted to the left rear guard   I have also seen this on other 230’s here in Australia with the same fitting as well. 

[66andBlue]

Hi Garry,
do the option codes on your data card indicate that the car was ordered with an antenna (codes 314 or  531, 532, 534-536, 914) or a radio?
AFAIK, the factory only installed car phone antennas in the rear fender. What exactly is the left rear "guard"? Bumper guard? 

[RobSirg]

There is an option code where the car was originally fitted with the radio antenna on the rear left side. I have come across a few cars with this code and it was factory original. ( I know someone who was so bothered by people telling him his antenna was incorrectly installed that he got it changed - that was before I decoded his datacard which clearly stated it was to be rear mounted on the left side    )

Rob

[Naj ✝︎]

 

What exactly is the left rear "guard"? Bumper guard?  

"guard" as in mudguard = fender (aka wing in blighty)  

naj

[Garry]

Alfred it came with a 516 Becker Grand Prix and 531 automatic antenna option for pickup at the factory and the arerial is fitted on rear passenger (RHD) fender, (mudguard). Certainly quite a few 230SL’s here have them fitted that way in the left rear mudguard. It was quite common for the Australians to go to Europe to collect their cars after ordering them from the principal State dealer as there were very few dealers in Australia for MB at that time.

Garry

[pagoda113]

I have 230sl with the antenna mounted on the rear wing from new, This was authorised by the first owner when he placed order, Have written instructions in his hand writing requesting that this is where he wanted it installed. So to my conclusion there is no one place they were ever installed.

[66andBlue]

There is an option code where the car was originally fitted with the radio antenna on the rear left side. I have come across a few cars with this code and it was factory original. ( I know someone who was so bothered by people telling him his antenna was incorrectly installed that he got it changed - that was before I decoded his datacard which clearly stated it was to be rear mounted on the left side    )
Rob

Rob,
I would really interested to know the option code for the rear installation of a radio antenna that you mentioned.
There are codes for the installation of a phone antenna in the rear, for example:
219  from 01.10.1971  to 31.03.1973     BECKER OR TEKADE ANTENNA, ON LEFT REAR FENDER
219  from 01.04.1973  to 30.11.1976     BECKER ANTENNA ON LEFT REAR FENDER
355  from 01.03.1973  to 30.09.1995     ANTENNA FOR BECKER OR TEKADE CAR PHONE ON LEFT REAR FENDER
and one for the antenna hole:
917  from 01.02.1968  to 31.10.1971     HOLE FOR ANTENNA IN LEFT REAR FENDER
Looks like there was no option code for a rear antenna installation before 1968.

Alfred it came with a 516 Becker Grand Prix and 531 automatic antenna option for pickup at the factory and the arerial is fitted on rear passenger (RHD) fender, (mudguard). Certainly quite a few 230SL’s here have them fitted that way in the left rear mudguard. It was quite common for the Australians to go to Europe to collect their cars after ordering them from the principal State dealer as there were very few dealers in Australia for MB at that time.

Garry
What I am wondering is whether this was special for RHD car orders. On LHD cars Mercedes clearly wanted the antenna on the right front fender since the inner fender had a large cutout below a mark in the outer fender where the antenna hole should be drilled.  Next time when you have a few minutes to kill look whether this cutout and the mark are also present on your RHD.

[Garry]

My ’69 RHD also with factory fit had it on the right front fender.  Maybe it was something with the RHD 230’s only???

Am away till August so will not be able to check it all out at this point and will probably forget by then

[George Des]

My Italian model 67 230Sl came from the factory with the front right fender mounted automatic antenna. My car had one owner before me and the radio was not a Becker. It was connected to the antenna electrically with a number of exposed relays right under the glove box. The radio had an auto seek function. I removed this radio many years ago because the FM bands did not cover the whole US area. I tried using the original antenna but had numerous issues with the relays so replaced it with a Bosch automatic when I installed a Becker Grand Prix. I elected to mount the antenna on the left rear fender for ease of replacing if required in the future and to keep it from collecting road debris as it was prone to do when mounted up front. I had the original hole filled with a brazed in piece of metal when the car was restored.

[mbcko]

Thanks again for all your help and responses.

Best,

Robert