Hubcap switch from chrome to stainless

[bogeyman]

Does anyone know when they switched the hubcaps from chrome to stainless?
My '69 has chrome and my '70 has stainless.  I think they are both original but don't know for sure.

[w113dude]

I think you are correct, the switch over took place in late 60s.

[redpagoda]

My observations are that the switch, at least for RHD cars took place early during the 250 production. 250's commenced production in November 66 and I think somewhere around March of 1967 the change took place.

[Bernd]

I have an early '68 280SL ( ser # 1518) which has chrome hubcaps, no that's a nixnaye on the switching date. Guess it doesn't really matter though. I found a set of stainless ones for $25 for the whole set, and have polished those. Keeping the original chrome ones as well.

[114015]

My observations are that the switch, at least for RHD cars took place early during the 250 production. 250's commenced production in November 66 and I think somewhere around March of 1967 the change took place.

250ies?
250ies never had one-piece hubcaps but only small caps and beauty rings. Those are of chromed steel (which can rust) only.
I am not aware of any stainless steel hubcaps for 230/250 (and 280 SL up to serial 000044). If so -> seems to be aftermarket.

As to the change of the one-piece hubcaps for the 280 SL; sadly the parts list mentions the older hubcaps but does not say when it was changed.


Achim

[badali]

As per my book "Original Mercedes SL" on page 106, Starting 8/12/67 (Dec 8, 1967,  Numbers in the book are day/month/year) Chassis # 45 one piece wheel trims fitted

[Bernd]

That seems to agree with my microfilm from 1991. That shows the switch just as you said in the 280 series as of serial number 44. It is still unclear when the caps where changed to stainless from the info I have available to me. Definitely do know that as of serial number 1518 it was still chrome plated steel with the green paint  on the back center portion. Perhaps other owners with heigher serial numbers could comment?

[Dave Gallon]

We own a 1972 280SEL 4.5 and it was originally delivered with chrome plated steel wheel covers. Thus, I am reasonably certain the change to stainless wheel covers (14 inch) took place after 113 production ceased.

[ljg]

I currently own a 1971 280 SL with 14,000 miles, etc.  The hubcaps are original and are chrome plated steel.
LJG

[mdsalemi]

I'm fairly certain that Dave Gallon is correct.  Garnered from bits and pieces over the years, I understand that production of the spare part (chrome plated steel) had stopped for a time, leaving a window of opportunity for aftermarket ones to be made.  That they were, and they were sold for a time by people like Miller's.  These knockoffs were stainless steel, but not brightly polished. (I still have one here I believe).

Of course, you can't manufacture anything with that 3-point trademark on it, and the lawyers shut down that parts source.  Then, MB started making them again.  The ones coming as spares from MB are a superb quality of stainless steel, extremely highly polished, and nearly indistinguishable from chrome save for the slight difference in "tint" or coloration of the metal.  Of course they had the hologram label on the back and this was posted once before...

[badali]

My 280 SE 4.5 has the original stainless hubcaps.  It was built in 9/72.

[mdsalemi]

...and 9/72 is after W113 production ceased.  So there are probably no OEM SS wheel covers delivered as new on the W113's.

[bogeyman]

My early 107 (built 11/71) has original stainless, so maybe it was simply a model series change at least as far as SLs were concerned.

[jacovdw]

Not to throw a spanner in the works here, but my original 1975 W114 which has been in our family since new, has chrome plated steel wheel covers.

[Iconic]

How does one identify if a hubcap is chrome plated or polished stainless steel?
Is it the chrome ones have painted backs and the stainless ones have exposed metal backs?
Or maybe the chrome ones attract a magnet and the stainless ones don't?
These are questions since I believe some stainless steels attract magnets and some don't.

[bogeyman]

Yes, the chrome caps have painted backs and you will probably see some rust,
The stainless are unpainted on the back.

[Iconic]

And are the painted backs (on the chrome hubcaps) always that same green color that is shown in the Tech Manual?

[bogeyman]

I have seen tan on the "dog dish" caps for the earlier cars but I have only seen green for the full caps.

I surely haven't seen them all, so maybe someone else has further info...

[Jonny B]

Green is a new one for me. I thought they were painted with DB 158, white grey. The 190 SL had a greenish undercoat, DB 169 (one catalog I have lists this as stone gray light) I think. But the interior of the bumpers etc was the 158 just like the 113 chassis.

[hauser]

My original set were painted green.

[Iconic]

OK, this string pretty much states conclusively that the full (later) hubcaps for Pagodas specifically, were chrome plated steel.
Now, I'm looking for a definitive way of identifying them.
Mine, and many others have green paint on the back (I'm talking about the full hubcap only).
Does anyone know of anything other than green paint on the back of the full chrome hubcaps?
What about other chrome full hubcaps of the same time period that were on other than Pagoda cars?

[mdsalemi]

Iconic,

Generally SS is considerably less magnetic than regular steel; you should be able to tell with a magnet.

I conveniently had one of each on the shelf: the older chrome-plated steel was magnetic.  The SS one was not.  The steel one did not have the back painted.

BTW, on my steel one, as well as the real old ones I sold a few years ago, I do not recall the backs of these being painted.  Maybe they were, and the paint and chrome had been compromised by the rust?

[Bernd]

Hi Michael

just to confuse the issue more...
my old ones were steel. They are DEFINITELY painted. The ones I bought off Craigslist which ARE stainless, and which I have polished, are also magnetic! How magnetic? Since i don't have a strain gauge I cannot tell the difference by feel alone.

The only real difference I found that is obvious on my old ones is slight rust spots at a few areas of the painted surface on the back (see pic). However, I am not willing to strip the chrome or paint off just to see, because the caps are in great shape everywhere else. The only (probably insignificant) difference otherwise, apart from the slightly different sheen of chrome vs polished stainless, is the weight difference- the stainless ones come in at about 630-640gm, the steel ones I have all around 700gm-this, I suspect is more a gauge of thickness difference than anything else, and may have no real meaning other than that. So. bottom line, I have no clue how to check them other than removing the paint chrome to see what lies beneath if there is no obvious rust. Even if you saw them side by side you would be VERY hard pressed to tell either.
 
(See attached pics. On the bottom, the one that is steel rests on top, thus is the lower rim)
Now, aren't you glad i am totally muddying the waters?    

[Iconic]

Believe it or not, I am following all of you ... and therefore, maybe that is why this question has not been answered before.
Additionally, we have a definite discrepancy between Bernd and mdsalemi on the magnetic issue. One says there is a difference and the other says they are similar or the same. Now, this could be explained by the fact that some stainless steels are magnetic and most are not. So, maybe the SS hubcaps that were aftermarket before MB started making them were actually different stainless steels, one magnetic and one not. Or, even MB could have switched Stainless Steels at some point. So, at this point I am satisfied. I can't conclude much, but I know a lot more thanks to all of you.
If you have more info and want to share, I will try to summarize it all up when we are done and put it in the Tech Manual. I will put it in as a summary of a discussion and not a factual account. Of course there are facts here and I will state those also.

[wwheeler]

I can chime in for 111 cars. My very early '68 280 SE has the original full hubcaps that are chrome plated steel. They have the pastel green color on the back and are painted in the same location as Bernd's pics. I have also found steel hubcaps in a salvage yard that also had the green paint on the back. I have no idea what car they came off of.

To tell the difference between steel and stainless, I feel the weight. The steel ones are quite a bit heavier and there is almost always some rust somewhere on the steel ones.