Topic: 450SE Rocker Panel Paint Color

[brettj]

In hopes of having my 450SE repainted in 2008, I stopped by my local auto body shop for an estimate. The shop owner surprised me in stating that the rocker panels on my car, which are currently painted body color, would have originally been painted black. My car has been in the family since new and I don't recall these panels ever being black.

I looked at an original sales brochure for pics of the 450SE new from the factory for proof and it does look like  the rockers were factory painted black. I'm still not convinced thinking that maybe the brochure pics are shadowed and just look black but are really body color.

Is my auto body man correct?  If so, does anyone have the color name and paint code for that particular color of black?

Thanks,

Brett

[oscar]

Don't know about the code for black sorry.  I always thought by the myriad of w116 images and cars I've seen that rocker panels were black and FWIW, inside wheel wells were body coloured, which is true.  However!!! Check the rocker panels in this brochure image

[brettj]

Thanks I guess you are both correct. It is very confusing in looking at MB publication photos only to find one pic with black rockers and body colored in the next. I guess the wheel well body color is correct too. I'm not going to bother with painting mine in Deep Blue as my wells are covered with undercoating, a necessary evil here in Massachusetts where winter weather will rot your car out in a flash!

Thanks

PS How do you attach pictures in your posts? I have a couple of pics I wanted to share on this topic.

[oscar]

For posting photos, here's a tutorial on using the gallery http://forum.w116.org/the-org/uploading-photos/msg38846/#msg38846

Alternatively, you can use an offsite host like imageshack or photobucket or something similar.
http://www.imageshack.us/ or
http://photobucket.com/

Personally I think some photos used in brochures may have been pre production shots and some details changed when the assembly line was in full swing.  Or parts purposefully coloured differently to be highlighted for the brochure.  For example, the photos in brochures of the suspension components.  I'm sure none were sold with bright yellow and red undercarriages although they do look smart

Similarly, the rocker panels for the purpose of putting together a brochure early on may have been body coloured and a decision to paint them black a late decision or an intended decision that they didn't get round to carrying out before the photographer was collating shots for the brochures.  Just a gut feeling, no proof of course.  BTW, before I repainted my rocker panels black, stone chips revealed body colour (white) underneath.

[brettj]

True, so much for using primary source material for restoration work! lol

[116Benz]

When I did a rust repair on the SEL, the black paint was the stone chip resistant pant, but it was the same underneath as Oscar's car, was white as well. I think the black part was done after the car went through the paint shop. Some of those photo cars were the pre production units as well, that may have had something to do with it.

[OzBenzHead]

I have read extensive discussions on other forums (from memory M100 and SLmarket) on restoring to "original"/"correct" specs, and the overwhelming consensus was that sills/rockers were black and wheel-arch unders were body colour - at least on Pagodas and W116 6.9s.

[s class]

the overwhelming consensus was that sills/rockers were black and wheel-arch unders were body colour - at least on Pagodas and W116 6.9s.

Thanks for that.  That is what I have intended doing on my trusty rusty and I'm glad your research confirms this.  Lately I am swaying in favour of painting the car black, so it may not matter anyway....

[brettj]

116Benz,

Do you know the name of the black stone chip  paint or the correct code for such paint? I am going to go with black on the rockers as everyone here seems to feel is the correct color as does my autobody man.

[116Benz]

I cheated and used an off the shelf unit, all it was, was a spray pack with "black anti-chip paint" made by a company called Septone (it had the same wrinkly finish as the original).

[brettj]

OK thanks for the info!

[OzBenzHead]

Brett:  I, too, have used a Septone (I think) product to refresh my sills.  It is a semi-transparent / translucent browny colour, dries with an appropriately textured finish, and can be painted over with the Septone black that 116Benz described.

It never sets hard, but remains kind of waxyily soft, thereby better able to cope with the impact of flying gravel etc.

[brettj]

When you repainted your rockers, did you paint the inner edge of the wheel wells black near the rockers or did you leave that area body color?

[oscar]

I just realised I used the same as OBH and 116benz EDIT: maybe . ie the septone product.  I then sprayed on a matt black in the second pic.  That was for my white 350.  I did have, but can't find pics of, the 350's panels after redoing them.  I didn't strip before painting either.  Just cleaned then sprayed those two paints.

Brettj, The lowest picture is of my red 280S which is unaltered.  You can see the inner edges are black and the rest of the wheel well is body coloured.  The rest of the inner edge of all wells are body coloured.  Only the inner edges adjoing the rocker panels are black.  the black splatter in the wheel well is just road grime.

[116Benz]

I used that one 1st, after the rust repair, then sprayed the anti chip coating over the top, reason being the the underbody rust proof was still a bit tacky, and I could imagine all the crap being thrown up and stuck to it.