Early Tray, speaker grill and dash wood

[jszeman1]

I was wondering if anyone knows when the changes for the dash wood and tray took effect.  I have car 671 a 63 230sl and my research shows my car should have the early tray up to car 770 however I am not sure.  I have a complete wood set for the dash as well and was told that the dash wood is also different.  Can someone advise.

[Jordan]

John, couldn't find anything on changes to the dash wood during '63.  The tray did however change as you mention at car 771 when the ash tray was added.  So your tray should not have an ash tray.

[paults1]

My '63 230sl,body no. 319, did not have a wood tray. The mounting brackets were there, covered by the carpet. So I decided that the tray had been broken and not replaced. I was able to buy a tray, refinished it to match the other wood, bought a new ash tray and thought I was now in compliance.  Now I find out that there was no ash tray in the early 230sl's. Maybe that is why there was a chrome metal ash tray that was mounted between the floor shift and the area where the box tray was suppose to be.  If there was no ash tray in the early series up to 771, why did they have a cigar lighter in the dash??
Regards, Paul.

[stickandrudderman]

To charge their cell phone of course!

[jszeman1]

I have heard the no ashtray before but then again I have factory photos of very early cars with ashtrays.  Earlier posts suggest that the 770 number might have been a mistake regarding the early trays. 

[J. Huber]

I am hearing "Achim, Achim... wherefore art thou, Achim?"

[114015]

I am hearing "Achim, Achim... wherefore art thou, Achim?"

 


(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wherefore)
Usage notes
•   A common misconception is that wherefore means where; it has even been used in that sense in cartoon depictions of Romeo and Juliet, often played for comedic effect. In Romeo and Juliet, the meaning of “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” (Act 2, scene 2, line 33) is not “Where are you, Romeo?” but “Why are you Romeo?” (i.e. “Why did you have to be a Montague?”).[1]


Well, James,
Thanks a lot for your request.
Well, since I am (sadly) no native speaker I am of course struggling with a phrase like this "Achim, Achim... wherefore art thou, Achim?" because I am well aware that you were not willing to completely misspell …
I was already afraid this could be a historically old ancient English phrase of some (weird..) special meaning… and yes, I found that stuff on wikipedia. 

Well, "why am I Achim?" (i.e. “Why do I have to be an Ahlert?”)
Most likely because I am a son of my parents and they named me like that, I guess. At lease I find this on my birth certificate … 
I cannot ask my father anymore (sic …) but request this from my mother soon tomorrow.

Do I have answered your question sophisticated by this?

Best,

Achim

[J. Huber]

Dang it anyway. I thought that was the one Shakespeare phrase I actually understood... 

I guess I should have stuck with the more modern lingo... Yo Achim? Can you answer this one...?

So can ya?

[jszeman1]

Can we confirm that the early cars up to 770 used a different tray.  I have been seeing much conflicting information. 

[gerster]

Here a picture from the interior out of a brochure of 1963.

[J. Huber]

Very useful picture Gerster. Thanks. It appears to me that the tray is slightly different?

Also noteworthy for other questions:

Driver's side pull handle
Ivory colored knob on brake pull
Painted dash vent area
chrome strip around soft-top cover upholstery
Round horn ring
Radio Delete emblem
Straight/longer stick shift?

Anybody see more early features?

[66andBlue]

Is the release lever for the folding top compartment lid longer/different?

[rmmchl]

when I purchased my carpet from world upholstery, it included two wood tray carpet inserts-one being shorter. I think the earlier ones were a different size. I have an early 250SL, and it takes the larger one

[66andBlue]

The shorter carpet insert is for cars that have heated windows in the hardtop.
See:
http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=16894.0;attach=17421;image

[Flyair]

Alfred,
In my 1971 car I also have the heated HT window, but there is only one switch on the device. What the second is for?

[Hans2012]

There is a space for a second switch to the right of the rear window defroster knob - it is for the European fog light that was mounted on the rear bumper. It is identical to the rear window defroster knob except it has a green center instead of white.

Regards
John

[Flyair]

John
thanks. Quite frankly I find the idea of placing both knobs by the central tray a bit peculiar in terms of design, but maybe at the time they deserved such a distinguished placement.

[Hans2012]

I have attached a photo - I purchased the green knob from the Classic Center.  In my case, it conceals an iPod connector.

Cheers
John

[jszeman1]

Thanks for the picture of the tray.  I know that the early cars had them but to what point.  Is Meredith's book correct to car 770.  I have seen pictures of cars in the 300s with modern tray but cannot determine if they are replacements or not.  If anyone has an early car can you post the type of tray that came with it early or late one.  Thanks, John

[114015]

Thanks for the picture of the tray.  I know that the early cars had them but to what point.  Is Meredith's book correct to car 770.  I have seen pictures of cars in the 300s with modern tray but cannot determine if they are replacements or not.  If anyone has an early car can you post the type of tray that came with it early or late one.  Thanks, John

This may be a long story ... and that's why I haven't answered earlier..

To make a short story long....
Well....,
....I don't believe that the number 000770 / 000771 in the official Mercedes literature (parts lists 10126 and 10097) is correct.  

There is no change in the wooden tray from 770 to 771 !! All follow-up literature (Engelen, Meredith, etc.) is only refering to the initial MB literature with the parts lists being the best.

There was only one significant change, which was the omission of the the additional glued-in wooden platform for the ash-tray on very early cars ... roughly below serial no. 000100, which you can recognize on Gerster's factory brochure's picture above.
Additionally, all Pagodas with regular VINS had a wooden tray with ashtray, also # 000001 !!

Nevertheless, the change from tray with platform to later tray without platform was/must have occured much earlier than 770 / 771 since many very original cars in the 200 - 700 serial number array do not have the earlier wooden tray anymore.

I therefore guess
- and it is only a guess since I do not have the scientific proof for this -
... that the number 770 / 771 is incorrect and much more likely to be a transfer misprint from the early factory hand-written notes/sheets into the printed parts lists etc.

For instance, I do have a factory list on all wire colors for the wiring harness of the 230 SL, and that one is hand-written only, not typed.

As such I believe - and I claim I believe but I do not know whether that is the truth or not -

that the original hand-written notes carry 770 / 771 instead of 770 and 771

with the striked-out initial "7" of the 770 / 771.
In German writing it is common that the number "7" carries anyway a dash in the middle in order to better distinguish it from the number "1".
I know very well that this behavior is completely unknown in the English written hemisphere.

As I mentioned, I have no secure proof for my assumption. This would only be possible if I (and Alfred ...) could have access to the Mercedes factory archive and have a look to the original documents about the changes .... which usually is inaccessible to completely unimportant MB owners like me ....

Maybe I can get it work to talk to Guenter Engelen about this topic again ... he has better access to the Mercedes archive than I will ever have...

Regards,

Achim