News:

Please add your location to your profile. It will help others to help you!

Main Menu

What are these?

Started by gurrier, 16 February 2022, 06:11 AM

gurrier

Hello all,

Curiosity has got the better of me.

While working on the front footwells I see that there are designed in openings in the structure on both sides filled with a round plate and sealed with seam sealer.

This is the one on the driver's side with seam sealer taken out.


There are two more in floor of the spare wheel compartment.

Just wondering what the purpose was.

Regards,

Bill
1973 350SE

rumb

There are dozens of those throughout the body.  I thinks the holes are there for when they dipped the chassis in the undercoating baths to allow the fluid to get in and drain.
'68 250S
'77 6.9 Euro
'91 300SE,
'98 SL500
'14 CLS550,
'16 AMG GTS
'21 E450 Cabrio

gurrier

rumb,

Thanks for the reply.

May have to delete one in the spare wheel well due to rust getting
under underbody coating on the outside and seam sealer on the inside.

Bill
1973 350SE

ptashek

Rumb is correct. These were used at factory as drain holes when the chassis was dip-coated during assembly.

They came in handy when my car went through the same process 40 years later! No drilling required.

If you don't plan on anything like that done, it's OK to delete the bigger ones.

You may want to keep the smaller ones around certain box sections. These were also used for access when rust proofing wax was injected.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

Jan S

ptashek,

fantastic - so you stripped your car down to bare metal a few years ago? Please tell us a bit of that story. Do you have pics?

Would be interesting.
1975-mod W116 450 SE with 6.9 engine

rumb

Quote from: Jan S on 17 February 2022, 06:13 PMptashek,

fantastic - so you stripped your car down to bare metal a few years ago? Please tell us a bit of that story. Do you have pics?

Would be interesting.

Click on the little blue globe under his name on the left side of his posts.
'68 250S
'77 6.9 Euro
'91 300SE,
'98 SL500
'14 CLS550,
'16 AMG GTS
'21 E450 Cabrio

Jan S

fantastic story and what a journey, and great pics!

AND, the pics are very useful - finally i get to see some parts and areas I haven't seen before.

Built and restored for the eternity - a lucky car and a lucky driver/owner!

1975-mod W116 450 SE with 6.9 engine

ptashek

Quote from: Jan S on 18 February 2022, 01:43 PMfantastic story and what a journey, and great pics!

AND, the pics are very useful - finally i get to see some parts and areas I haven't seen before.

Built and restored for the eternity - a lucky car and a lucky driver/owner!



Thanks :)
I don't have the skills to pull of a job of this magnitude, so had it done for me. But yes, completely stripped to nothing but bare metal.

If one considers how many hours can go into sandblasting, getting rid of all that underseal, layers and layers of paint and filler, the chemical stripping/de-rusting is a much better, and not much more expensive alternative. Plus it really gets in everywhere, something sandblasting can't do.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE