Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Vintage Mercedes Forum

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 09-16-2008, 12:59 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 5,134
Getting my 450SLC 5.0 painted

I'm in the progress of getting my 450SLC 5.0 painted. After getting it registered, I decided to take it to David's place so that he can hook up his CO machine and tune the car properly.

Once we got done, I decided to stop by the local Maaco to get talk to the owner about getting my car painted. The owner (Mak) is a chemist by trade and a really easy guy to deal with. He has a great crew and does good work.

We walked around the car and I pinpointed the areas that needed attention. I also informed him that I wanted to go back to the original Icon Gold color.

He has a full Sherwin Williams paint mixer but could not get the paint mixture from the computer so we agreed that I buy the base.

I picked it up from from Dupont.

He also had to do some rust repair but the only part that I bought becuase I prefered that the body man not work it is the ribbed section on the drivers side rear quarter.

This was purchased from K&K.

He let me spend an afternoon at the shop to take the car apart and will bring someone in on the weekend to help me put it back together.

The car is now in for final masking but the painter was not in today which is a shame because today was a beautiful day to paint.

I hope to see it painted by the end of the week so that I can put it back together on the weekend.

Here are some pictures:

When I picked it up from Scott's house.


After bringing it home and giving it a wash




After taking it to the Maaco




I marked the dings that needed attention with some masking tape



Some pretty serious damage to the wheel arch



This looks like it was repaired improperly in the past, a new panel will replace it.



After stip down:




After some body work to repair the dings and adding new sheet metal.







Masked and ready for painting









More pictures will come after painting.

__________________
With best regards

Al
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 09-16-2008, 01:37 AM
bgkast's Avatar
Rollin' on 16s
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Vancouver WA
Posts: 6,528
Looks like a nice SLC. It will look sharp with fresh paint
__________________
1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 09-16-2008, 02:02 AM
Strife's Avatar
General Purpose Geek
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: KY USA
Posts: 2,238
You are painting your car much the way that I did - I did the prep (but I did the body work too), I took the parts off, the painter painted, and I put the parts back on.

I suspect that the best time to hit Maaco up with a job like this is in the winter, and with a slow economy. They will spend time on it and will deal. But it sounds like you found yourself a "good" Maaco.

Your picture of the front fender rust just behind the wheel - If I could have welded, I would have bought the patch from K+K but I did a credible job with sheetmetal and body filler (and a little Bondo sculpting, learned when I lived in Chicago, in high school, and broke) on the ribbed parts.

I very strongly suspect that rust in this area comes from three sources:

1. Old, failed seals between the inner fender plate and outer fender (just to the rear of the wheel)
2. Dirt allowed to collect behind the tire (especially in the winter)
3. Plugged body drains (in the extreme)

In my case, I'm pretty sure that the fender was straightened out in an accident and the body putty seal under the plate and the rubber around the plate weren't properly reinstalled. I bought both at the dealer and I'm confident that the inside of my fenders will be dry (and I undercoated the heck out of everything, too).

I hope you will look into this because the seals weren't expensive, weren't hard to install, and without them in good shape doing their jobs the same thing will happen again. 28 year old rubber and plastic can't be good. Same goes for:
1. The door handle seals
2. The bumper seals on the sides of the car (REALLY important, don't ask how I know this)
3. the trunk handle and license plate light assembly
4. The taillight rubber seals (I've seen a lot of MB's rust in this area because of bad seals)


I think it's a good idea to take the cowl grilles behind the hood off and clean inside (I removed these and they were painted separately, the grilles are very delicate and need to be hand-buffed).

Most paint shops don't want to get involved these days with removing trim - A. They don't know how anymore (virtually all new cars are mask jobs) and B. It's risky. I noticed that you didn't take off the window trim. This was difficult, but worthwhile for me (I used clones of the vinyl wedge tools dealers would have used). My trim was cloudy and I was on a budget for my 380SL, so I removed the pieces, stripped off the anodization and polished everything, and reinstalled them . The only pieces I couldn't salvage were the lower corners - not expensive. While I was "in there" I cleaned out about 20 years of dirt and crap under that trim - which is a rust-promoting moisture magnet.
__________________
86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 09-16-2008, 04:54 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 5,134
I stopped by today and took a look. The paint is on the car and I have a few pictures taken from my cellphone.

This cellphone takes horrible pictures which is fine because I can't make a call from my camera.









__________________
With best regards

Al
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 09-16-2008, 05:00 PM
Chad300tdt's Avatar
Benzless Scoutmaster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: North Wales, PA
Posts: 4,001
Wow ... your car is looking very good!! It's making me think of a Bond car. 007
__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 09-16-2008, 05:11 PM
Dee8go's Avatar
Senor User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The People's Republic of Arlington, VA
Posts: 7,193
Nice, Alabbasi. That'll be a real looker when you're finished with it.
__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 09-16-2008, 05:34 PM
79Mercy's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 4,131
what color is that? Is it a MB color or something they mixed up? Looks great.
__________________
1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 09-16-2008, 05:35 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 5,134
It's a DB colour and it's called IKON Gold, it's very very 70's.
__________________
With best regards

Al
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 09-16-2008, 05:35 PM
79Mercy's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 4,131
whats DB?
__________________
1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 09-16-2008, 05:36 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 5,134
Quote:
Originally Posted by 79Mercy View Post
whats DB?
Daimler Benz
__________________
With best regards

Al
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 09-16-2008, 05:37 PM
79Mercy's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 4,131
I was thinking MB, never thought of DB.
__________________
1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 09-16-2008, 05:40 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 5,134
Sorry, I mean to say that the paint code itself is called DB-419 which is Ikon gold.
__________________
With best regards

Al
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 09-16-2008, 09:05 PM
Strife's Avatar
General Purpose Geek
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: KY USA
Posts: 2,238
BTW, you have great taste in paint color. My car is similar, and not quite a naturally-occurring MB color
Attached Thumbnails
Getting my 450SLC 5.0 painted-cr.jpg  
__________________
86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 09-16-2008, 10:30 PM
Moderator
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Southern California, U.S.A.
Posts: 8,538
Looks excellent! I'm glad you kept it the original color. It is a period piece from the '70s, and deserves to have a color that fits its provenance.
__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 09-17-2008, 12:07 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: los angeles
Posts: 451
its a great color.

to be honest, never a big fan of slc model, but you might be changing my mind. i have driven one years ago (mechanic's loaner car), and it certainly had power (only a 450, but a rocket) and a nice ride (longer wheelbase than sl?) they seem to be going up in price from a few years ago. is there a new appreciation for all older mercedes as the new ones get more expensive, less interesting/reliable? (oh, and is the back seat at all functional? gas mileage? 10? on premium? - maybe the ladyfriend might like one, is why i ask)

thx

__________________
"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:04 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page