Emerald Bullet gets a Woody! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JeffreyNMemphis · #1 03-26-2010, 03:19 PM

Hello Peaches,

I just finished installing the wood trim on the Emerald Bullet, my W111 Fintail. It took two weeks to refinish the wood. Here are some pictures!

thorsen · #2 03-26-2010, 03:28 PM

That looks good. Is that an ashtray above the clock?

JeffreyNMemphis · #3 03-26-2010, 03:36 PM

Yes, that is the ashtray above the clock. I also installed the block off plate where the "Radio Shack" AM/FM Cassette deck used to be. Right now I am enjoying the sound of the engine when I drive it.

The car was originally delivered without a radio. I have been slowly undoing all of the modifications of previous owners. I can't decide whether to install a vintage radio or hide a modern stereo somewhere under the dash.

JeffreyNMemphis · #4 03-26-2010, 03:43 PM

One more photograph!

Necrosavant · #5 03-26-2010, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffreyNMemphis

One more photograph!

came out very nice..do you have any before pics of the wood?

JeffreyNMemphis · #6 03-26-2010, 04:19 PM

The before pictures are not very good... I wish I had taken better ones.

JeffreyNMemphis · #7 03-26-2010, 04:27 PM

This is the best before after comparison...

Squiggle Dog · #8 03-26-2010, 04:53 PM

That looks nice! My roommate wants to refinish the wood in his 1965 220S. My W110 has plastic trim with the ashtray and glove box door in painted wood.

I have the original non-working Becker Europa. I have been fighting the urge to cut the radio opening larger to install a modern CD player. It looks like a cassette player like what you had would fit the stock opening fine, though they always seem to overlap the stepped part of the dashboard and the lower trim.

JeffreyNMemphis · #9 03-27-2010, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squiggle Dog

I have the original non-working Becker Europa. I have been fighting the urge to cut the radio opening larger to install a modern CD player. It looks like a cassette player like what you had would fit the stock opening fine, though they always seem to overlap the stepped part of the dashboard and the lower trim.

That radio shack cassette player is actually smaller behind the face plate.

What are you planning to do with your Becker Europa? It can be repaired...

My car was delivered without a radio, so I have the wooden delete plate with the 220S chrome.

mak · #10 03-27-2010, 10:33 AM

very nice indeed.What do you intend to do about the dashtop area;they all seem to crack from the same place. A Long time back i saw a leather top one and it looked very original especially in the contour area.

Both my cars the 220s and the 230-110 require a dash repair too.
mak

JeffreyNMemphis · #11 03-27-2010, 11:30 AM

Mak,

I filled in the crack with matching green paint. The foam under the leather is bright orange which made it stand out and draw the eye to it.

World Upholstery will recover the dash for a bag of money. My goal is not to make the car brand new. My approach is to maintain what is not broken, preserve what is original and functioning, and restore what is missing or broken.

The windshield was cracked right down the middle and the gasket was leaking water into the cabin. I restored that by installing a new windshield and gasket. The rear window was leaking too, so I had the original window carefully taken out and a new gasket was installed.

The paint on the body was dull and stopped protecting the car from rust. But there was still paint everywhere except the trunk. Instead of stripping and painting the entire car, I compounded and buffed until I got to the layers of paint that were still good. The trunk lid was beyond preservation (too much paint completely gone), so it was stripped, primed and painted with the original single stage paint matching factory code. There is no clear coat on vintage original Mercedes paint. The value of the car is actually reduced by a $6,000 paint job; you get zero financial value from painting an average Classic car. There are exceptions...

The first exception to this statement about paint value is the car being painted. For instance a $6,000 paint job would hurt the value, where a $25,000 job that is flawless would still be a fraction of the value on a 1955 Gullwing 300 Mercedes.

Another exception would be the case where the interior looks brand new, the engine compartment looks brand new, and the body is absolutely perfect. Then, a high quality windows out, chrome removed, paint job would be rewarding if the car does not "look painted". The goal is to make the car look like it left the factory with that paint job. If you can tell the car has been painted, it was a bad job.

daw_two · #12 03-30-2010, 05:30 PM

I do wish you still lived in Memphis; however, I'm not "wishing" that on you. I have a lot to learn from you. Your efforts continue to amaze me.

Beautiful wood.

pchbreeze · #13 03-31-2010, 12:58 AM

I'm with you, I don't like that 'fresh paint' look on classic cars. I also plan to paint the inside of my dash cracks for the same reason. It's my daily driver and the best way to show it love is to drive it.

What I would recommend is one of these 'classic' looking newer radios, where you get the classic look with the benefit of auxiliary input/mp3/ect.

JeffreyNMemphis · #14 03-31-2010, 10:43 AM

My wife is out of town, so I got to paint my hub caps on the dining room table and bake them dry in the oven! I didn't want to start a thread about it, but it is one more little thing that makes the car look special.

This is before...

And this is After

JeffreyNMemphis · #15 03-31-2010, 11:00 AM

I found a picture of the dash wood before it was redone. This picture was taken at the glass shop when my windshield was being installed.