I have bundts on my 85, but my 72 SL has similar wheel covers/hub caps to the early W123s and other Benzes of that era.

The hub caps on my SL look like they are stainless steel, but they are quite strongly magnetic. One other owner has a couple of spares and one is magnetic and the other is not, yet they look identical.

A shop in UK that sells parts for many vintage Benzes says they have refurbished covers that they have repaired and had re-chromed. Several other instances where Chrome is mentioned.

Anyone know for sure what the 70s W115 and W123 hubcaps were made of. Or if they were changed at some point? If there is info on-line somewhere, that would be interesting.

While checking, I also checked the bumper on SL (magnetic) and 300D (non-magnetic). Are our W123 bumpers aluminum? (i should know that - had them off a couple of times!)

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

I've seen both on the hubcaps, so I can't say for sure on those. I just recently found out that 123 bumpers were all aluminum in the U.S. except for the wagon (which I have), being steel in the back.

-Rog

Stainless steel as I have never seen one rusted. Thats with the older full wheel disk cover of course. Remember that some stainless steels are magnetic and some not. If they do not look chromed and there is no rust anywhere I would just assume they are some grade of Stainless.

Most likely, but when SLShop says they send them out for chrome plating, it makes it confusing. Mercedes-Benz SL W113 Pagoda & SL 107 14" Hub Cap Set - 1154010324 | The SL Shop

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

Well if they are that model specific perhaps they are chromed originally. Only about 250.00 each as well from that source. I was trying to remember what my fintails caps where like long ago but have failed.

Some stainless steels have magnetic properties according to the amount of nickel used.

I have seven identical wheel covers from a W114. Six are magnetic. None have been re-chromed or re-finished in any manner.


https://www.fastenal.com/en/75/magnetism-in-stainless-steel-fasteners

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

1 in 7 is not magnetic. Weird.

That fastenal link is a good explanation of magnetism in stainless alloys. The hubcaps are no doubt cold worked during manufacture. This could induce some magnetic properties.

Still puzzled as to why the hubcaps 'look' like stainless, have magnetic properties like regular steel and that in several places chrome plating is mentioned.

Found this thread from back in 2010 where there was even more confusion

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

Hah! That was fun seeing my old post declaring them to be aluminium because they were not magnetic. Since then I've taken a metallurgy class and I is much smarter.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

.... We had a few of the early W115 chassis cars in the family, several 68s and 69s.

There are noticeable changes in the spec of the cars from the early ones to the later ones. The 68 and 69 models had unique parts that differed from the 70 and up cars. Among these were the tail lenses, the front USA light doors, the side marker lights, A/C controls and the hubcaps.....

The earliest hubcaps (introduced in 68), were subject to corrosion, just like the finback hubcaps. By 1970, the hubcaps no longer rusted! I suspect the change occurred in 1970, maybe slightly earlier. from 70, the hubcaps remained unchanged until the advent of plastic hubcaps in the eighties.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

I spent good part of my life around sailboats and chemical plants. Stainless steel everywhere in both.

On sailboats, we used a magnet to distinguish between 316 and other alloys like 302/304. 316 didn't rust, but was weaker. The others did rust a bit in salt water environment. The metallurgists at chemical plants had an instrument of some sort that could distinguish between different types of stainless. But it likely cost a small fortune. Too bad I am retired, I could have taken my hubcaps over there for testing!

Something like this:
Metal Analyzer, Alloy Analyzer, Metal Tester, Portable Metal Spectrometer, Handheld Metal Testing Equipment for Metals & Alloys Analysis: XRF guns from Bruker Elemental

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5