Quote:
Originally Posted by Foreste2002
I will be excited to see how you tackle the damaged paint in the engine compartment. That is the very worst thing about my 108 as well. I was thinking a touch-up gun with the original color but just haven't pulled the trigger.
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On the day after I cleaned up the right side of the engine bay, I coated all of the rust areas with POR 15. This product is meant to be applied directly over rust to seal the area. When dry, it has a very hard, durable finish. I had some left over from a previous project. I applied it with a brush being sure to make sure it was thoroughly soaked into the seams. I also applied it to the area under the brake booster.
While the POR15 will do its job of sealing the rust areas, I couldn't leave those areas black, even though much of the right side area will be covered by the battery tray. We have a local old time auto parts store in Salisbury. Been there forever as has their paint guy, who is considered to be one of the best in the area for mixing paint.
I told him I was working with a '73 Mercedes and gave him the paint code number. He said he would have to go to his archives which turned out to be a bunch of dusty old auto paint books from years past. Once he found the one for imported cars in 1973, he found the paint code to match the car. He then proceeded to mix a single stage paint to match the car. We had no idea how good the match would be. He said if it did not match perfectly I should bring him a gas door so he could make it perfect.
Since it is not in a highly visible area, I asked him about the possibility of using a brush. He said brushes don't normally work with auto paint but that I might have a shot here as the only paint he could use to mix the paint was his best premium paint. Because the paint it so good, he said brushing should work. It was $40 for a 1/2 pint!
Believe it or not but I have experience with painting an engine with a brush as I painted the engine bay in the red 912 in that manner and it turned out great. One advantage I had with the 912 was that the surface was textured. In this car I would be painting a totally flat surface.
I bought the best 1" brush I could find and it worked great. The paint covered in one coat and looks great. I forgot to take a photo of the area under the brake booster.
I now have plenty of paint left for touching up any chips on the car.