Waiting for parts to become available

[thomas wright]

Hi All,
My interest in this topic is not the exhaust pipes but the fact that we are prepared to search and wait for an original part to become available, no matter how long this might take.  My own car, 280SL July 1969 is currently under bodywork  restoration .
I supply all the panels, (including two original front wings/fender I purchased back in 1984 for £184.00 each) and the bodyshop do there magic. In the last four weeks it became apparent that the rear left side wing /fender was beyond repair even with a repro repair panel. I set out the find a complete rear panel and managed to locate one in Germany which was 100% original MB with all the ID labels. I had tried here in the UK, no luck and the US as well .
I guess I was just very lucky,  what do you think?

[BobH]

Before the internet you were pretty much reliant on the Yellow Pages (remember that!) or Exchange and Mart or equivalent, so you were limited to searching only in your own country.  Now with the internet you can search the world, just need to use the correct search words, there are are parts out there if you're patient, i recently found a couple of NOS all red rear lights, still in their original box, tucked away in New Zealand

[thomas wright]

Hi BobH,
You are very lucky to find those NOS taillights as they are are like hens teeth to get .
Coincidently I am currently looking for a complete set of all red taillights to fit my 280SL, July 1969 which was made for the French market and came fitted with the all red version on my car instead of the more popular amber/red version.

My recent enquiries have revield that the repro's available either come from Taiwan or from South Korea by SK Industries with this information coming directly from two suppliers in Germany.

If anyone knows of a reliable source of these taillights by a German manufacturer or other of equally high quality would be obliged .





 

[BobH]

Hello, so, do you have the early style lights with the wide reversing light?  The one piece lens and chrome surround, or the later two piece style, where the chrome and lens are separate?

From reading the technical manual, French lamps had amber reversing sections rather than the normal white.  Which ones do you think are correct for your car?

[BobH]

It's an age thing, i go off topic in every day conversation