Restoring the wood bows

[johnk]

So a little off subject but not completely, is the box on the transmission tunnel suppose to be walnut veneer or just gel stained to look like it?  I sanded mine and the grain finish is coming off completely. I realize now that the grain finish on it was all in the stain not the wood underneath.

[Pinder]

im not sure what color stain to use. I have Minwax Ebony that looks similar to what is on the hidden part of the ash tray area. i guess it looks like what is described as wenge.  But if i look at the color of the hard top wood which is original to the car the wood is more on the redish brown side. My interior is dark brown MB tex and i think the ebony will look nice with it. ill try it on the scraps of walnut i have left then pic the one i like.

[lreppond]

DB described it as “dark walnut” which would be a dark brown with very slight reddish under tones.  What I received from Madera is just that and matches the hardtop trim which is original and in fine condition. 

This wood trim, in my opinion, was never intended to stand out as was the case of the w111 or w100 of the same period.  It wasn’t finished to the high gloss level either.  So I’d look at the speaker grill and hardtop and use them as a guide in selecting the stain. 

Ebony is to me, a deep charcoal color.  Think a grand piano!  Wenge has definite purplish under tones.  Neither seem appropriate to me but it’s not my car.  You’ve done excellent work so far and I’m confident you’ll make the right call on this as well. 

Please share pix of your results.

[johnk]

Thanks gents but my question is what wood is it veneered in? Mine does not appear to be veneered in walnut and I would need to use a gel stain to imitate the walnut grain in a similar color.

[lreppond]

I’m reasonably certain that all wood trim in the w113s were done in veneered walnut including the center console. The exception is the bottom of the console which appears to be pine or fir.  I have several old console trays and you can actually see the veneer delaminating from the base wood materials.

I’m not certain any stain, gel or otherwise, can make the substrate wood look like walnut since the graining is so different.  I guess it’s worth a try but after all you’ve gone through with your car, I’d go with reveneering it. 

[Pinder]

When I sanded the console box it is definitely walnut vaneer. It looks like the top edges of the box are small strips of vaneer and I can see the tiny joins. I am going to attempt  to vaneer just the top edges and possibly sides.

[Pinder]

I went and bought some wood stain in dark walnut and a can of poly satin finish.  that will be my project for next weekend. will post results of all the wood stained. then poly coated.

In the mean time I managed to recover the dash with MB tex to take care of 2 small cracks.

[mdsalemi]

I went and bought some wood stain in dark walnut and a can of poly satin finish...

I hope you use an exterior grade poly satin finish; an interior grade will not stand up to the UV, and will probably yellow and deteriorate quickly. Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane comes to mind as one commonly available in most home centers. Probably even a greater selection at a marine store...

[cfm65@me.com]

Well done, Pinder

[Pinder]

ill be going back to get the minwax exterior grade. I was thinking that when i was there then went for interior. Luckly I have been procrastinating.

[Pinder]

So I have finished the refurbishment of the dash bows, speaker grill and center console. See picks for final result.

I used dark walnut for the stain and semi gloss poly for the finish. 4 coats then wet sand 400 grit, 0000 steel wool then carwax (caranuba)

[Pinder]

While I had the bows out I also re covered the dash which  had two small cracks in it with MB Text vinyl. It came out really nice. I did remove the cloth from the back so it could be stretched around curves. It came out really well. Matches my seats.

[lreppond]

Nice work! Stain color looks spot on to me. 

[Pinder]

Im really happy with the color and thanks for the advice on the stain to use.  Finishing with the 0000 steel wool really made the finish look professional and smooth.

[Leester]

Looks great - nice work. May I ask where you purchased the vinyl from.  Thanks. Lee

[Pinder]

Lee,
 
 MB tex is from GAAH.

https://gahh.com

Very reasonable price. I ordered 2 yards.  approx. 100 bucks plus delivery.  its wide enough for dash and also soft top cover.    If you do the dash remove the cloth backing using acetone or lacquer thinner. Apply to backing with kitchen towel napkins to soak the back  then rip it off slowly. A member (Shevegel) on this site recommended that and it worked really well.  I used the Weldwood Landau contact cement meant for vinyl tops. It comes in a gallon. my seat covers are from GAT. same material looks identical. very durable stuff.

[Pinder]

Lee if you do the dash make sure you sand down any cracks so they dont mirror through. I did order a dash repair bondo stuff but did not use it as the cracks were so small.

[Pinder]

The best part of fixing what you have no matter how bad it looks is its still original.

[Leester]

Thank for info and tips. Agree with keeping as much as possible original parts. I did my bows a while back - came out decent but not as nicely as yours since. I have a couple of minor spots where the veneer had come off. With the stain on, its not very noticeable. Most people probably won't see it but I know its there. But I will re-install when I get there to keep the original parts.
The reason I asked about the vinyl is that my seats were Cognac MB Tex and I havent found a source for the deep grain. I thought I had samples from GAAH but will double check. Thanks again

[Pawel66]

I have recently bought some material for my car's upholstery to have "just in case". I bought some leather (dark blue) and MB tex dark blue. I cannot tell the difference when I look at them. I bought it from Heinz Reinke. Have you looked there?

[Leester]

Thanks Pawel, have not checked there but will. Most of the leather I have found is very smooth and I'm looking for something with some "grain" to it. Looking at Pinder's MB Tex, it has a quite a texture or grain to it which appeals to me.  Lee

[Pawel66]

Thanks Pawel, have not checked there but will. Most of the leather I have found is very smooth and I'm looking for something with some "grain" to it. Looking at Pinder's MB Tex, it has a quite a texture or grain to it which appeals to me.  Lee

Let me check over the weekend if I have samples at hand of both materials - if so, I will try to take a picture that reflects the texture. I have no idea if they have distributor in the US.

[Pinder]

Yes there is considerable texture and it feels very durable. it matches my seats which I got from GAT. They must be using the same source for the material.   GAAH has two types of MB text. One is perforated and the other one is like what I used on the dash. I think the perforated one is for the middle of the seats.