correct color of bottom (undercarriage)

[pablo_o2]

Does anyone know if the bottom (exterior)of the sl was painted in the bodycolor before waxing? If not so what should be the correct paintcolor and original treatment of the floorplate? Thanks.

Paul Haems
'68 280SL

[Naj ✝︎]

Hi, Paul,
I was under my 230 yesterday.
It has the original arabian grey in the wheel arches/floors etc.

naj

65 230SL
68 280SL

[Vince Canepa]

The entire bare chassis was dipped and primed.  Then a PVC undercoat was applied.  The primer is gray/green in color (that is the best color description I can come up with).  The PVC undercoat was tan.  When the color coat was applied the wheel wells received a pretty good overall coat, but the undersides (floorpan) received mostly overspray.  To get an idea of how it would look, a red car would have 80-90% color coverage in the wheel wells an be pretty much body color there.  Underneath the car would see maybe 40-50% coverage an appear tan/pink from the effect left by the overspray.  In the driveshaft tunnel there would be mostly the primer (gray/green).

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[Naj ✝︎]

What do you make of these:


Download Attachment: UndrCarrge01.JPG
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Download Attachment: UndrCarrge02.jpg
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Yes, I do realize they need attending to  :oops:

naj

65 230SL
68 280SL

[Vince Canepa]

Not knowing the exterior color it is hard to say.  However, in the first photo, looking up into the tunnel alongside the transmission, the gray/green I described is visible.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[Benz Dr.]

I'd tend to agree with Vince although I think the later 280SL cars may have had more paint coverage underneath. I'll be looking at an original soon and will post my findings.

Dan Caron's
 SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
 slbarn.mbz.org
  1 877 661 6061

[saygold]

The underside of my car was the original color (papyrus white) where I could get past the undercoating.

Ken
230SL (4-speed, euro)

[Vince Canepa]

A car in Papyrus would look pretty consistent on the flat areas of the floors due to the similarities between the off white and the beige/tan undercoating.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[Chad]

By papyrus do you mean DB 181?

This car was DB 181 originally, before becoming DB 350 blue, and now on it's way to DB 180 silver.  Much of the undercarriage was DB 350, but  there are nooks and crannies that were seemingly, to me, something like DB 181. But perhaps that was the primer.

What rust preventative treatment are people putting on the undercarriage of their cars post repaint? Preventative coating with Por15?

[Vince Canepa]

If the car was DB 181 originally, the "overspray" would be DB181.  Subsequent repaints may show the repaint color, depending on whether or not the painter tried to reproduce the factory look.

The original undercoat can be convincingly duplicated with Wurth SKS-Beige Stonegard.  It can be sprayed on with a special gun sold by Wurth.  There may be other products also.  I don't see a need for POR-15 unless there is an underlying rust issue.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[pablo_o2]

So Vince if I get it right first a grey/green primer (I noticed this color with a 190SL as well but then as a final layer in lacquer)followed by a PVC tan coating (rust-prevention)and finally an overspray in the bodycolor, more pronounced in the wheel wells and less on the floorpans. Correct me if I'm wrong please.Thank you so far!

Paul Haems
'68 280SL

[Vince Canepa]

Yes, you have the idea.  Try to imagine the painter shooting the bare body.  He can do a pretty good job in the wheel wells by just bending down a bit and fanning the gun.  When shooting the floors however, the lowest level he would be shooting would be at the bottom of the doors, top of the rocker panels.  With the old booths and HP equipment an lot of overspray would be flying around and underneath the car the side of the "bumps" in the undercoat that face the painter get hit first.  The backside gets very little.  The effect is hard to duplicate exactly during a restoration since it wasn't a conscious effort orginally.  It was more of a "side-effect" of the process.  Therefore perfection would be hard to quantify.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[Tom230sl]

or use MBZ undercoat

Download Attachment: PB140103.JPG
67.65 KB

[Vince Canepa]

Just for everyone's information, how about posting the M-B part number rather than just the photo?  Not all dealer parts guys a clever enough to find this sort of "shop supply" product in the system and the P/N can be a godsend.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[Tom230sl]

will do...

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