Clear coat on chrome?

[Ulfi]

The chromed sill covers underneath the doors are getting blotched with surface rust, that polishes off quite well, but comes back again only after a few weeks. I wonder whether I could give them a layer of clear paint the next time they are polished. Any ideas whether this is a good idea or not?

Thanks in advance

Ulf, Copenhagen

[Douglas]

Ulf,

I wouldn't paint them. Moisture may find its way behind the clear eventually and then you'd have a bigger problem. The questions is where the water/humidity is coming from to begin with. I assume you mean the chromed trim that has the rubber piece inserted into it. That trim is not usually prone to rust. How's the chrome itself?

[Ulfi]

Hi Douglas - no, it is not the narrow ones with the rubber inserts, it is a very large piece ( appr. 10 cm x 1,5 metres) that runs underneath the doors from the front wheelarch to the rear wheelarch. It think its only purpose is to give the car a lighter stance/look as it reflects the ground underneath the car...

Regards

Ulf

[rwmastel]

Ulf,

I thought that piece was aluminium.  Am I mistaken?  I would think that it should not rust.

[hkollan]

Hi,

That cover is normally painted black, assuming you are referring to a W113 car and not a 2door W111 car where a similar cover is chromed sheet metal.

[rwmastel]

Ulf,

The top chrome trim part is brass, I believe, with the rubber insert.
The lower "chrome" trim part is aluminium, I believe.
Below these is the rocker panel cover, steel, typically black on these cars.

Which part are you referring to?

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[Ulfi]

Rodd - it must be the rocker panel cover,but I no idea why it is chromed on my car. Seem ilogical to have a large piece of chrome that close to the ground. If it is originally black, then I'll just paint it black - that should do the trick...

Best regards

Ulf

[waqas]

Ulf, Can you please post a picture of the side of the car before you paint the panel?

[rwmastel]

quote:Originally posted by Ulfi

Rodd - it must be the rocker panel cover,but I no idea why it is chromed on my car. Seem ilogical to have a large piece of chrome that close to the ground. If it is originally black, then I'll just paint it black - that should do the trick...

Maybe someone was trying to "Americanize" the car.  My old 1976 Buick Electra had chrome (or at least some polished metal?) below the doors.  See this pic I found on Google:
http://www.fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com/collection/Photos/1976electraII.jpg

There is a specific paint to use, and I'm not sure if it will stick to chrome.  Here's some information and pictures:

http://index.php?topic=8377

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=DataCard.PaintCodes
On this page, scroll down a bit to the first table, titled "Additional colors used on W113 vehicles".

[Ulfi]

I'll snap a few pics during the weekend and post them, although it is a euro-spec car, it has spent some time in the states and also sports some very unusual and highly un-original chrome wire wheels from Dayton.

See you Monday

Ulf

[Ulfi]

Here is a close-up that I shot yesterday

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[waqas]

Interesting... it's like someone wanted it to look like the 111 coupe/cabriolet chrome rocker cover.  Definitely not original, but interesting nevertheless. I'd love to see what the entire car looks like from the side with this piece chromed... if you don't mind sharing a full picture, that is.

[Ulfi]

This is the best shot from the side that I have so far...

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