Reproduction rear lens available from germany

[Dave H]

Ive just purchased 2 new rear light glass,s from germany..they are top quality aftermarket reproductions and they work out about £160 for the two or i guess $260 in funny money...
they do the red usa spec even cheaper at around $230 for 2.....copy the item below into gobal e bay search and check out the sellers other items ie the red usa spec ones..


Rücklicht Lichtfenster W113 W111 Coupe 280 SL 3.5 Rückleuchte Pagode Mercedes

[JPMOSE]

It should be noted that searching on Ebay.com will require an "advanced search".   When in Advanced Search, scroll down to "LOCATION" and check off "ONLY SHOW ITEMS"; then check off "LOCATED IN";  the right of this open the choices and select "ANY COUNTRY/REGION".....then hit search on the bottom.

You have now opened up Ebay to various locations not listed on Ebay.com.    This is been a secret of mine for years in finding rare NOS parts out of Germany.  My W111 has so many NLA parts that have been found this way!

[66andBlue]

A German eBay seller routinely offers a pair of red/red reproduction lenses for Euro 150.
http://www.ebay.de/itm/180809134915

[badali]

Someone should make the red lens to insert in the bezel like the later amber ones.  This would make it easy to install.

[hank sound]

I recently saw (in the flesh) a reproduction red lens that is supposed to "fit" into a stand alone bezel - - wasn't thrilled.

But cheers anyway,

Hank

[velle]

Look through my pictures and see if the one I have would be good enough to reuse. The back reflector is busted but might be repairable. http://www.flickr.com/photos/63119801@N06/sets/72157629208024630/

[66andBlue]

I recently saw (in the flesh) a reproduction red lens that is supposed to "fit" into a stand alone bezel - - wasn't thrilled.  ....

Why not? Can you elaborate, please?

[George Des]

How do these actually work? I have the early Italian market tail lights with the amber outside. I know these are outrageously expensive if you can even find them. I bought a set about 25 years ago when in Germany and they were even expensive back then! I now have a very small crack in one but the lens is still intact. I do anticipate the day though where I will have to replace these. Do you just break out the existing lens and somehow glue these repros in or are they designed specifically for the later two piece tail lights?

George

[DaveB]

That's right, break the old and glue the new, but I think there's an art to it or at least some special adhesives that work better than others. I think the chrome bezel is identical between the old 'glued in' style and the later 2-piece style so converting to the new style is an option, but the new style lenses are also expensive and you then need to convert to the new style bulb holder too. And of course you lose the nice original look of the old ribbed lenses.

[IXLR8]

Hi--

I removed a good lens from bad chrome and reinstalled it into good chrome. I used two part-epoxy and some clamps to get a good seal. The epoxy bit was done three times(three coats) to get a good waterproof seal and to fasten the inner reflector piece.


The other Joe

[hank sound]

Hi folks,

Alfred, the best way I can put it, would be to say that when the lens was placed inside the chrome, there were gaps in the corners.   The lens was actually slightly smaller than the bezel's opening.  

Instead of buying a repro replacement for my left side all red, I'll just wait for a good used original lens to magically turn up.   Then I'll follow IXLR8's lead.

Cheers, Hank

[66andBlue]

.... when the lens was placed inside the chrome, there were gaps in the corners.   The lens was actually slightly smaller than the bezel's opening.   ....

Hi Hank,
that is what I had suspected. From whom did you buy the replacement lens?  Were you not told that they go on the outside?? 
The later style tail lights that are assembled from all the parts and on those the lens goes indeed on the inside of the frame.

The replacement red/red lenses for the 230SL to early 280SL cars need to go on the outside and must be glued on. Unfortunately, none of the regular glues work that well or last long enough for this purpose.  IMO the best solution is to "cement" them in with acrylic pattern resins that dentists use.  I have used the acrylic resin mentioned here:
http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2000/01/stuff_eng_tech_dentistry2.htm
and brushed the mixture into the gaps as shown here: http://www.xpdent.com/catalogs/bredent/resins/pikuplast-resin.aspx?sm=g_a

[Tomnistuff]

I too am going to need to replace my Italian taillamp lenses, but since my car is just recently off the rotisserie and not yet painted, I've got time to wait for all you guys to experiment with the best way to "rebuild/restore/replace" the old taillamps with the new reproduction lenses.

I hope some one (or more) of you will take lots of photos (extreme closeups)  and create a "how-to" section for the Technical Manual.

I plan to do my part with other things when I start putting my car back together.

Tom Kizer

[Tom Colitt]

I recently saw (in the flesh) a reproduction red lens that is supposed to "fit" into a stand alone bezel - - wasn't thrilled.

But cheers anyway,

Hank

Yes Hank. The two versions are completely different. The later style has flat lenses that fit slightly loosely from the inside of the separate chrome bezel. The all-Red lenses were originally heat molded into a chrome bezel. The reproduction solution available these days is glued in and some of the products available have had a pretty bad fit, although I believe some of the newer ones aren't so bad. They probably will all leave some gaps that show. I've seen silicon used to glue and seal them in as well. Another option would be to remove the old lenses if they are not cracked, by carefully grinding away the molded overlap portions, then re-chroming the bezels and gluing the original lenses back in.....

[66andBlue]

...  They probably will all leave some gaps that show. ....

Hi Tom,
as Sportin' Life likes to sing "it ain't necessarily so"!  

If one takes a close look at these repro lenses it shows that they have a rim on three sides on the outside.  This is where the lens presses against the chrome bezel. However, this rim is missing at the top of the curved edge because the manufacturer has found out that not all bezels are exactly the same.  Some may be a little distorted after re-plating so the edge is ground off and one needs to fill in any gaps. That can be done with silicone (German sellers recommend to use "aqua silicone", a product used to seal aquariums) but I agree that this will not last for many years.
As you mentioned the original lenses were heat-molded into the bezel.  Well, the same can be done by filling in the gaps with methacrylate (= Plexiglas) the same material that the lens is made of and creating a rim or lip on the inside to cement it in.  It is not a quick job and needs lots of attention to details but the end result should last as long as the old lenses.
There is one BIG difference between the old lens and the repro - the old one was colored red throughout whereas the new one is cast in clear plastic and then colored on the inside. Thus, do not use a solvent to clean it, scrape it, or polish too much, the paint will come off!!