Unfortunately, I am having a dispute with a vendor on the swap shop classifieds board over a bumper I bought for my 1979 300TD wagon. The bumper I received had the two cutouts for the backup lights, but there was no metal behind them to receive the bolt on the back-up light units to secure them to the bumper. On my old bumper, when I get underneath and look up, I see this piece of metal (I call it a bracket) that appears to have been welded to the bumper; there is a hole in this piece of metal, and through this hole is a bolt from the back-up light. The unit is secured with a 10mm nut attached to the bolt.

I need someone with a wagon to confirm my impression--or correct it, if it is wrong--on just how the back-up lights are attached to the bumpers.

My MB dealter parts guy looked up the 123 wagon bumper on his computer, and there does not seem to be a separate bracket--in other words, it appears that my impression is correct, that the metal to which the back-up light is attached is in fact part of the bumper. It appears to me that it is welded on before the bumper is chromed.

To correct the problem with the bumper I received, I would have had to fabricate some sort of replacement metal, weld it to the bumper, and therefore ruin the chrome in the process.

The thoughts of knowledgeable 123 wagon owners would be most appreciated.

Joe Bauers
404 N. Willis Avenue
Champaign, IL 61821
217-359-4640
bauersjo@soltec.net