How to understand original wood on dash

[swood1]

Hi all,

My car is a project car.  I have the wood but parts for the centre console but it's that tatty that it's hard to determine colour/type.  Is there a way of determining what type of wood finish was supplied from new with the car?  I have the datacard but cannot see a reference to wood type/finish.

Regards

Steven

[49er]

 The finish should not be highly polished/gloss finish. I would say the color should be a medium brown.

John

[Jonny B]

I would concur, definitely not a high gloss. There is only one type of wood used in the 113, unlike some of the other MB cars. Do be careful with the sanding and handling. The original wood is a veneer and quite thin. You can do some searching with the main search tab, and will be able to find a lot of information. If you have the hardtop, the frame around the back window will give you a good idea as it often has not been bleached out by the sun, as the dash might be.

[Bullethead]

It may not be correct, but I used a satin AP lacquer with a slight tint, recommended by a high-end cabinet maker friend.
The color (medium reddish brown) and non-glossy finish were as close as I could get to an unrestored hardtop piece, but a bit lighter considering that had darkened somewhat over time.

Years ago we had a 280SE coupe with zebrano wood and original varnish which wasn't high gloss either.

[hkollan]

Years ago we had a 280SE coupe with zebrano wood and original varnish which wasn't high gloss either.

AFAIK Zebrano was never an option on the w111 coupes, and the finish was glossy.
I guess it was French nut which is somewhat similar to Zebrano.
The other options Burled wood and Macassar are quit different in appearance.
But the finish was always glossy, that with age often has turned dull/less glossy.

Hans

[ja17]

The "Hearshy Bar" brown finish is not glossy and not thick. It actually has an open grain, matte finish.

[mbzse]

.../...Is there a way of determining what type of wood finish was supplied from new with the car? I have the datacard but cannot see a reference to wood type/finish

.../...definitely not a high gloss. There is only one type of wood used in the 113.../...

The wood in our W113 SL's does not have a colour code or designation. It was (is) an open grain wood finish as JoeA states. The shade of brown can vary somewhat. The exact wood finish (shade of brown) was chosen by the master technician ("Meister") there at the assembly line in Sindelfingen (M-B factory) some 50 years ago, and he chose it to match the colour of the interior.
Just as JonnyB states, look inside the HardTop for a good estimate of what the wood looked like when the car was new.
A tip re: maintaining the wood in our cars: I prefer treating the wood with Tung oil every couple of years. Google it.
/Hans S

[swood1]

Thanks all.

At the moment I have the centre console assembly and the speaker fret but both are in a terrible condition as they have been badly water damaged.  The finishers around the windscreen are missing.

I may spend some time this week trying to repair these parts.  If it aint happy with the results I shall have to replace them.



Regards

Steven

[neelyrc]

Steven, in the Technical Manual on this site you will find a suppliers list which includes Madera Concepts.  They claim to be able to repair even badly de-laminated wood parts (or supply new).  I have not used them so have no first hand knowledge of there quality or pricing. I suggest sending them a couple of pictures of your wood parts and see what they say.
Ralph

[Alex D]

I sent my wood to Madera Concepts last year, and couldn't be happier with the results.  Not cheap, but as the saying goes - you get what you pay for. The cost of an after market set at that time was about 1/2 of what they charged, but I decided to have the original redone, and do not regret it.

[swood1]

Cheers guys,

I shall take a photo of the parts I have and send them to Madera.  I shall also ask them to quote on a full suite of new parts.



Regards

Steven