113 & 111 tail lights.

[larryled]

Last week I posted in the Wanted section of the Forum the need for a NOS leftTail light with an amber turn signal lens for my 66 250SE/C. (I have received several helpful "threads" concerning this and I appreciate that.)  I have an un-installed new one for the right side.  I have not been able to locate a NOS unit, either on the internet or thru the Classic Center.  Now, unless I am badly mistaken the tail lights for these early cars (230SL thru the 250SL and 220SE/C thru 250SE/C) are the same.  However, some had all red and some w/the amber turn signal.  Certainly the later 3.5 Coupes lights are different, in several ways.  The bulb reflector inside and the metal back being the major difference.  The bezel appears the same but the lens in different in that the back up clear lens portion is smaller and the top and bottom of the lens is "squared off" to a noticeable degree, not rounded like the earlier ones.  I know, because I havet two from the Classic Center.  There is a company in Southern California that markets just the lens, both the all red and with an amber turn signal.  A big help to me would be comments from anyone that has bought the lens only and installed them in an existing bezel.  Are they completely compatible and is the plastic as glossy and clear as an original.  I'm thanking you in advance for helpful comments.  A last note, there is one car I should never have sold and that was a 65 230SL.  What a wonderful little machine.  Larry   larryled@aol.com

[Jonny B]

I bought the lens insert, and had the good folks at Buds Benz in Georgia do the dirty work, aka bust out the old lens and put in the new one. I just did not want to tackle it. The result was spot on.

I must admit, I thought the lens configuration was different for the sedans vs the 113's. The part number for the SL's is a 113 starting number, which usually, but not always, indicates it is a unique piece. I happen to have a big parts book for the 250 CE and it has a 108 part number listed for the tail light.

[Benz Dr.]

It IS different. The lens is pretty much the same but the bezzel is very different. The Coupe has a rounded area which the bezzel dips into just before the small tail fin. The 113 is flat in that area.

[114015]

Hi Larry,

Dan is right. 113 and 111 taillights are very similar/mostly identical but the bezzel is different and not interchangeable.

For the clear differentiation of early tail lights versus late tail lights please refer to our Wiki:

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/Electrical/TailLights

The same holds true in the analogous manner for the W111 Coupé/Cabriolet.

I think from your comments you are referring to the early style and not the late style.

The early style is no longer available from factory.
This is extremely sad because the originals (early style) with amber turnsignal lens portion were available from factory until about half a year or a year ago at a very reasonable price! However, now they're gone!

Only replacements are available today and for these there are (is a) manufacturer/s who make/s only the lens and mirror for the early style, both, with amber or red turnsignal light.

The originals were solid-colored and the reproductions are clear and just sprayed red (or amber) from behind but from 5 feet you cannot see the difference (in the real life you can because the originals had a slightly brighter red color tone than the reproductions which are too dark).
Nevertheless, correctly fitted repros (see Jonny's comments) in new bezzels look great even from closeup and are hardly to be distinguished from originals.

As to Jonny's comments regarding the 250 CE ...
ah no, the W114 never had a 108 tail light unit or part, never ever. Those 114s always had own tail lights with a 114 or 115 820 parts number, nothing else. Perhaps the side marker lenses .... yes, those might have had a 108 parts number. Most likely you mean the 250 SE (sedan, not Coupé)... yes, that's a 108 and thus has 108 tail lights ...

Ask me how I know...

Achim
(who's member name is 114015)

[Bob G ✝︎]

Dan:
 in reply to your post on taillamps for the  W113 chassis from 1964 to  1971. I ordered a pair of new lamps unities with up to date removable  lens andamber color turn signals. This was a safety move since most driver on today's roads can don't understand a red turn single lens on an older classic car. Unfortunately I ran into a problem . While trying to fit the new lamps a part  of the rear end body work were the lens fit  "a portion of a folded piece of metal that would not let me fit i the newer lens in.
for clarification if  I have this part of the rear end redone to allow me to fit the new lens unites  during the bodywork and  painting process ,"will I still be able to fit back my original red lens unites if I choose to do so"? When did the rear end panel change during production of the W113 SL?

Sincerely
Bob Geco

[Benz Dr.]

I don't think the sheet metal ever changed on the 113 around the tail lights. Are you sure you have 113 assemblies and not 111 coupe lights?
If you have the right parts they should simply slide into place and then you use some small nuts to hold them from inside the trunk. The chrome bezel should lay flat against the body work.

  Does that sound right?

[teprngr]

It is not easy to look for lens that way. And looking for a piece of antique would be a really waste of time if you didn’t know where to search. But I believe that if you visit shops that scrap old cars and turn them into a heap of junk metal to be recycled, you will probably find some that you could use. But if you are looking for custom ones, go to retails and they would have it.