Restoration advice requested

[Ollie]

I am the second owner of a 1967 250 SL 4 speed MT with 230 000 miles. I have owned the car for 28 years and it has been kept in top mechanical condition. I probably have spent $3000/year of ownership to maintain the car over my ownership and the original fastidious owner did much the same. It has had one engine rebuild and runs like a top. Always stored inside in a heated garage and never winter driven as I am in Alberta, Canada.

I have every receipt from day 1 of original ownership. The paint is original on every panel, no accidents or previous paint work and the pitting that occurs from use has been touched up yearly. The original cognac leather is supple, the original wood is in great shape and there no rust anywhere but on the outer trailing edges of the rear wheel wells. Even the bulkhead padding is original and in great shape. The paint on the front end of the vehicle is looking worn due to the pitting and paint chip repairs done over 57 years.

So after this longwinded preamble, my question to the forum is how to deal with the rust spots/paint as described above?
Should I consider a full restoration? I am unlikely to recover the cost ever and I like the originality.
Should I just consider a full paint job with rust repair? I feel it would decrease the patina and look "half done".
Should I just repair the rust and do a limited repaint of the affected area? Just to stop the rot at least.

Your expert opinions are appreciated.

[Ollie]

Some photos of the area of concern. Not great due to the lighting I am afraid.

[Ollie]

One more.

[DaveB]

Hi Ollie,
It’s a great car. Personally I would go for your latter option. But IMO those chips look only skin deep and not bad enough to worry about. You could maybe give them a rub of grease now and then to slow corrosion. How does the trunk floor look under the mat?

[Cees Klumper]

Address those spots locally and have paint shop blend in as they call it to preserve original paint. Do make sure to look at typical rust spots underneath and address those, if any, thoroughly.

[DaveB]

Yes that would be the best way to get it looking great for not much money. That horizontal chrome trim behind the wheel is a great place to blend in. Might need a shop experienced with the original single stage paint.

[Ollie]

The trunk is immaculate, but my photos of the wheel arch are poor as the car is up on the hoist - the rust is through the inner lip the very bottom of that wheel arch. I think a common spot as dirt collects there and stays wet.

[DaveB]

Ah, I see. In any case it should be a straightforward patch weld repair and blend-in paint job.
I don’t think the car needs any higher level restoration, for exactly the originality/patina/cost reasons you already mentioned.

Another place dirt gathers is the horizontal ledge at the top, engine side, of the front wheel wells, so check that out. Mine had  a bunch of sand and gravel up there, luckily bone dry.

[Ollie]

to DaveB. Thanks for that - I will check that out tonight.