380sl / 560sl body panel questions

[RickM]

Just removed the AMG rear valance and side skirts from my 1985 380sl. Now I'm curious as to what is factory for both the 380 and 560.

The first pic is of the rear. Am I missing the center section of the rear valance? If so is it the same for the 380 and 560? Any details, part numbers or pics are appreciated.

[RickM]

Now for the side rocker panel.

Is it typically painted black(Gloss, satin???), body color or is there a metal or plastic cap that goes over the rocker area? I think I once saw a cover (or paint scheme) with matching horizontal lines as on the doors. Different for 560 vs 380? Also, are the drainage holes left "bare" or is there some type of cap, insert or dressing for this area? Again any description, pics or part numbers are appreciated.

Thanks again!

[4NDELIT]

Don't really have any pictures, but the side rocker panels are painted the same coler as the car (kinda rippled texture). Those aren't drainage holes though, that's where the jack (that comes with the car) goes!

[cbdo]

The rocker panels on my 560SL are painted body color over a stoneguard layer, which is a painted-on plastic material applied to the metal (probably with a primer or two involved). That stoneguard layer is the source of the texture. Mine are being refinished for the sake of some rust repair work around the jack holes; note also that the trim strip just above the rocker can conceal rust underneath, which tends to form first around the holes in the sheet metal that accomodate the mounting pins for the trim. Obviously, this can also need repair and would reasonably be done at the same time, since the strip has to come off to refinish the area properly..

[RickM]

OK..I went on ebay and saw that the rockers on every 560sl and 380sl were painted black.

But as mentioned above I know I've seen body color as well. Anybody have examples they could share?

Also curious about the rear valance center piece. Could a fellow 380sl owner check to see if their car is like the first pic?

[cbdo]

Mercedes brochure from 1972, showing the 350SL (actually 4.5 liter), in its first year, in the US version: Rocker panels are body color.

Mercedes brochure from 1989, showing the 560SL (obviously US, as it was never sold elsewhere by MB): Rocker panels are body color. Unlike the earlier brochure, this does list two-tone paint as an option on the car.

Hope this helps--

Craig

[BDBENZ]

My 560 is all original with 040 Black and the rocker panels are a dark gray color, stone guard finish.
BD

Craig -

Could you post (or attach to an email to me) a picture of a factory two-tone?

If not, was the body one color and the hardtop another, or was the body itself two-toned (as the image in my signature is)?

[RickM]

Below is what I see on Ebay and one 560 I happened to see in a parking lot yesterday.

I wonder if MBNA will be able to confirm this feature on my car. Anyway, with what I see on my 380 it could either be black or body color. I best take a closer look.

Any body color rocker pics appreciated. Especially if the car is light ivory.

Here's what I've been seeing....

[maheath]

I have sales brochures from 1973, 1983, 1987, 1988, and 1989. The '73, '87, and '89 brochures most definitely have the rocker panels black. The '83 picture is a shade dark to be positive, but looks black also. The '88 picture is from a bad angle.

Not a single one of the brochures shows an example of two-tone paint.

My '88 is black, which seems to be the only way the rocker panels are body colored.

[cbdo]

Doc, the early brochure I have is the MB-North America brochure from 1972, showing the "350SL" with 4.5L engine, 280SE, 280SE/SEL 4.5, 300SEL 4.5, and 600. The 350SL is solid color in what I think is Icon Gold, 419. The brochure doesn't identify a year, but as far as I know 1972 was the only year that the "350SL" along with the 108 and 109 bodies coexisted.
The later brochures I have are the entire MB-NA dealer's kit from 1989, with brochures on the S-class (including the 560SL), the 190 class, the 190 class, a separate colors brochure, and assorted other marketing and specifications pieces. The 560SL in the S-class piece is solid-color white, unmistakably, in each of the three photos that show a side view. Unfortunately, there are no views of a two-tone car, but to the best of my memory the break was at the side trim molding, with the second tone showing only below that and below the bumpers front and rear, as on your car. The color brochure doesn't specifically identify two-tone combinations. The 190-class shown are mostly two-tone, as are some of the 300-class, both with only the lower body in the second color. The 190's show usually white above, medium gray below, while the 300's show the lower body in a mildly darker tone of the upper body color as far as I can tell.

That covers the first and last years of 107 production; I have nothing about what happened in between!

Craig