Hubcap restoration Guidance

[tarheel]

Hi

I'd love your suggestions on sending out my original hubcaps for refurbishing and possibly rechroming , along with repaint of center circle papyrus white

I've spent oodles of time polishing the chrome and they just aren't looking as fresh as I'd like.

Best quality for best price naturally.

Thank you!

[Tyler S]

Tarheel, It's easier to start with good canidates for re-chroming. There shouldnt be any dents and pitting/rust should be to a minimum. If any you have are questionable then you may want to buy a second hand replacement that is in better shape. They are not very expensive on e-bay.
Send them out for chroming then paint the back side with the correct cream color paint. Carefully mask out the star and surround for your papyrus body color. First use a self etching primer, otherwise the paint will peel off the new chrome in no time. A body shop could also paint them for you. But thats no fun!

[Jonny B]

I agree with Tyler. I used the approach he outlines, and the hubcaps came out just great. If you are going to use the tape, the ¼" 3M flexible tape works just great for the thin lines. Also the flexible tape makes the curve easier to mask on the outer part of the cap. It also gives a crisp line. It has been some years since I did a couple of sets, but it took me about ½ hour to mask one cap. After you paint them, be sure to not let the paint get completely set as the lines can crack when you remove the tape. This means you need to be careful to not get a fingerprint on the fresh paint!

That typed - the group also has the original type stencil tool available. I believe there is one for each major region of the globe, just get on that list and pay for the shipping.

[Iconic]

....... then paint the back side with the correct cream color paint. ....

Tyler,
What do you mean by that statement?
I was pretty sure that original chromed steel caps has a greenish paint on the back.
Which style cap/ What year are you referring to?
Thanks,
Mark

[66andBlue]

Mark,
my hunch is that Tyler had the backside of the bumpers in mind since those should be kind of almond beige.

You are correct the wheel covers for a 280SL are "military green" on the back side:
https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=15313

However, the inside of the small 230SL hubcaps could have been a grayish color:
https://www.sl113.org/wiki/WheelsTires/Hubcap

Tarheel,
here is another description of the paint process;
https://www.sl113.org/wiki/WheelsTires/HubcapPainting

[Iconic]

Thank you Alfred!!
You are probably correct about Tyler's statement AND I thank you for that reference to the green paint post.
Somehow, I don't believe I ever saw that one.
Take care,
Mark

[Tyler S]

Yes I was refering to the earlier 2 piece caps. The inside is a creme-ish color. Almost like the 158h body color.  Later one piece are green.
 Is what happens when you have a 4 and 6 year old at your feet while trying to think! Ha

Taken from the tech manual "The inside of the wheel chrome rings and little chrome hub centers were painted with a sand or pale grey shade, just like the inside of the bumpers. We usually use DB 158 paint to represent this when restoring a vehicle. After 1968, large wheel centers were not chrome anymore, just pressed metal, so no paint on their inside."
Which is why I assumed the OP was referring to the earlier 2 piece "Chrome" caps. Later are stainless.

[Iconic]

.......After 1968, large wheel centers were not chrome anymore, just pressed metal, so no paint on their inside." .....

Is this a documented fact?
Isn't 49er's (John's) car a '69? (For those that don't know, it is a fantastic example of an original car.)
Doesn't he in fact have greenish paint on the inside of his wheel covers? ....
Maybe John will chime in.
(Also, my gray car has the greenish paint on the inside of the wheel covers and I have had no reason to believe the wheel covers weren't original to the car, a 1970 I bought from the original owner.)

[Tyler S]

I was quoting from the tech manual.
I know at some pointthe one piece with green paint were chrome and later changed to stainless.
The manual has some issues regarding dates as well. My vin well past the cutoff came with two piece caps

[bogeyman]

My '69 (ser no in the 8000s) has chrome.
My '70 (ser no in the 18000s) has stainless.

[neelyrc]

I popped an original factory delivered wheel cover off my 280 SL (007749) to look at the inside.  Not beautiful, but green paint.

The entire cover is not painted.  Paint stops about 5mm from the inside of the slots.

[Iconic]

Thanks Ralph,
That looks very much like the picture I saw of 49er's.
Maybe someone knows the exact cut off and we can fix the Tech Manual.

[Jonny B]

Not sure if this was the break point (Hans, Achim and I are still working on the 280 SL list of changes) but one possibility is for the 1970 model year, per Engelen at 11948, there is a listing for "Radeinbauänderung" translates (from Google) as a wheel modification. Could this be the switch point??

[Tyler S]

Jonny, I think that wheel change was the rim itself. The 3 dog ears were omitted. Even 69 and early 70 still retained the rim with the 3 ears for attaching a small cap even though they used the large one piece cap.
However, weren't the rims and caps both manufactured by the same subcontractor?
With the wheel/rim change, possibly by a new company, could have also changed the hubcap construction at the same time?

[Iconic]

I hope I never stop learning.
Here is a picture of my original, date coded (what I've always thought was 6/69) from my '70 anthracite car vin 113.044.12.012160, which is after the change discussed previously.
My wheels have the three dog ears as you can see in the picture.
Or, is the date code 69/9 and therefore not original to my car??? 
Is the wheel date code "month over year", or "year over month".
It just so happens with my numbers it can be looked at right side up or up side down and it represents different dates.
I will need to look at the wheels for my Blue car which I've also believed to be original to that car.
Mark

[mbzse]

.../...Is the wheel date code "month over year", or "year over month"

It is like a triangle; Month on top (towards tire) and Year underneath. See attached; this is April 1969 and you see "4/69" to the right under the lug hole.

The three pressed-in "noses" were present on the W113 wheels until end of production (I think); wheel type A108 400 0002. This is the part No in the parts book 10 202; january 1972.
The interesting thing is, the illustration in that book depicts the holed, later design wheel    No "noses" any longer on these (A108 400 1402; see picture attached).

This later type with holes and no "noses" were not fitted to Pagodas from factory.

[66andBlue]

Not sure if this was the break point (Hans, Achim and I are still working on the 280 SL list of changes) but one possibility is for the 1970 model year, per Engelen at 11948, there is a listing for "Radeinbauänderung" translates (from Google) as a wheel modification. Could this be the switch point??

The Spare Parts List 10202 for the 250SL/280SL shows the wheel cover started with 280SL chassis number 00045.
Jon, can you check your earlier parts books for confirmation?

[neelyrc]

It is like a triangle; Month on top (towards tire) and Year underneath. See attached; this is April 1969 and you see "4/69" to the right under the lug hole.

The three pressed-in "noses" were present on the W113 wheels until end of production (I think); wheel type A108 400 0002.

My car came with 6Jx14H2 Sudrad  rims stamped 1 69 as shown.  I bought a used 6Jx14H KPZ Rim stamped 7 70 as a spare and it is also pictured after being refinished.  Although it is a MB rim, don't know if it is from a w113.  I understand both makes were used on our cars.  Both have the "noses" for the small hub caps.

The orientation of the date stamp is different however.

[mbzse]

.../... both makes were used on our cars

Daimler-Benz in the 1960´s had three vendors that supplied steel wheels for their passenger cars - Lemmerz, Suedrad and Kronprinz.
Any of these were used on all cars, when it comes to the 6 x 14 size for W108, W109, W111 cp/cab, W112 and W113 Mercedes (more than 2 million wheels made).
However, on one specific car the four wheels + spare would be from the same manufacturer, as the car left the factory.

The orientation of the date stamp is different

Right you are. Minute differences between the three steel wheel vendors

[Iconic]

Hans S and Ralph,
Thank you. I believe the orientation of the date is rotated in an different direction, but if the month is always above the year (which seems like a likely requirement to the wheel manufacturers) then I, personally, am in good shape as my wheels were produced in June of '69 for an August car production date. All the same brand by the way (Sudrad).

The Spare Parts List 10202 for the 250SL/280SL shows the wheel cover started with 280SL chassis number 00045.
Jon, can you check your earlier parts books for confirmation?

Alfred,
I believe the cut off VIN you are talking about is for from two piece wheel covers to one piece, correct?
The subject here is from a discussion about an alleged change from chrome wheel one piece wheel cover to a stainless steel one piece wheel cover.
Up until now, I had not heard that the stainless covers were ever production on a Pagoda. I thought all of the one piece wheel covers were all chromed steel with greenish paint on the back once the change was made to a one piece wheel cover.

[Benz Dr.]

I don't think so. Very early 280's were cap and ring followed very quickly with full cover steel caps that were chrome plated. Possibly early 1969 they went with stainless steel full cover caps and they are not painted on the back side.

Most cars I see either have 108 rims or the later rims with all the holes. I'm not going to say that any of them are correct but that seems to be the two common types from that time period. All rims are date coded and you can loose points for incorrect or dissimilar rims.

[mbzse]

.../..Most cars I see either have 108 rims or the later rims with all the holes. .../... All rims are date coded...

So please Dan - start looking !  See if you can find a 108 400 1402 holed 6 inch rim with a Month stamp before March 1971 

Well of course - this goes for all of you on this Forum, he he

[Benz Dr.]

I think I have some 1971 date coded rims. Can't say if they're March or not. More money if they are - ha.

[mercakungen]

Hi Everyone,

I checked these of my car yesterday. Three hubcaps are chromed and painted green on the backside and one hasn´t paint on the backside. I´m not sure if the one has been chromed. All four are made of ferromagnetic steel.

I have a set of stainless reproductions. They are nonmagnetic (AISI304 or AISI316).

BR,
Matti

[Iconic]

......Possibly early 1969 they went with stainless steel full cover caps and they are not painted on the back side. .............

I have seen this kind of a statement several times.
But, mercakungen's car is a '70, and a later vin than mine and we both have Chromed steel with paint on the back.
Does anyone have any facts  on when, or if, stainless steel one piece wheel covers were ever used on Pagoda's???