Trim components repair

Received installed onto the car brass decorations from 300SE were damaged and required careful repair before chrome plating, so it was taken decision to restore car to the original condition – i.e. without embellishers derived from another model.

All available chromed decoration elements were brought up for assessment to check suitability for further use. List of missing chromed decorations was compiled.

Body components requiring re-plating of chromium layer were brought for inspection and disassembling detecting all defects.

Door quarter windows were disassembled and all parts sent for appropriate treatment.

Received from the owner chromed parts were inspected. Most of parts were damaged and needed repair and re-plating.

All chromed parts were brought up for inspection and compatibility check.

Lately received front bumper was damaged at some accident and required extensive repair, so it was decided to use previous notable corroded bumper for this project.

Some parts were received double and even triple, but some of chromed decorations still were missing.

Rear body decoration was missing some centimetres of its length. It was necessary to add missing piece to make a use of this moulding.

Fit of the rear lamps to the body was acceptable.

Fit of the front decorations was assessed as well.

Fit of side doorstep mouldings was checked on received from paint shop body.

Damaged areas of the side mouldings were repaired to achieve perfect fit.

Holes on the bumper were plugged by brass soldering.

Wooden decorations required restoration of different level of difficulties. Parts 3 and 4 were completely rotten – here was necessary to produce those anew, like part 9, which was broken and separated. Part 5 was made of plywood, which was separated by humidity – it was also necessary to look for replacement.

Even carefully packed received chromed parts had damages so any component was unpacked and checked before further works.

This dashboard trim element was seriously damaged – cast alloy stud was broken. We had to invent certain restoration method to attach steel stud to thin alloy piece before re-plating.

Existing front bumper pieces were repaired prior to sending to re-plating workshop.

Unnecessary holes in the bumpers were plugged by brass soldering.

All rusty decoration elements were cleaned and repaired using brass soldering prior to re-plating.

We packed all prepared for re-plating decoration elements and sent to specialist workshop.

Broken wooden items were manufactured anew and veneered before varnishing.

Copies of rotten pieces of the wooden trimming components were precisely self-manufactured and attached to the existing remnants.

Defects of wooden instrument binnacle were first repaired.

New threaded attachment studs were fixed into the wooden body.

Upper surface of the instrument binnacle was delaminated by humidity and support props, which had been glued into the veneer, were lost. New support props were manufactured and glued among the housing veneer layers.

As repair of housing was completed, new Makassar veneer was applied over the surface.

New veneer was applied over new radio loudspeaker cover frame.

New veneer was applied over new and repaired windscreen wooden decorations.

Cleaned and repaired windscreen side post woods also got new veneer. Several layers of varnish now were necessary to complete restoration of all wooden components.

We also bought used internal mirror, surrounds for door handles and pipe holder for inlet manifold.

Chromed parts were repaired by copper before final decorative layer was applied.

Final coating was polished before delivery for assembling.

Additional batch of decoration parts was sent for re-plating.

Broken aluminium trim inserts were welded before delivery to re-plating workshop.

Received bumper (US style, without number plate illumination lamp) had several damages in the central area. There were additionally needed US style number plate illumination lamps.

Semi-finished (one more layer of varnish and polishing foreseen) wooden components before application of final varnish layer were tested on compatibility with body panels and other related components.

We received re-plated components from specialist workshop.

All received parts were unpacked and assessment of condition was carried out.

Some components appeared damaged during processing or transportation and those were gathered together and envisaging sending back to contractor for repeated repair.

Using received frames we started assembling of windows.

Quarter window frames were preassembled using new rubber profiles.

During assessment of received from re-plating components it was discovered that some of components do not fulfil our quality requirements. We sent quality claim to supplier and reached agreement that those parts we should sent for re-plating.

All defects were clearly marked and commented to the supplier. Defective parts together with broken during transportation items parts were sent for repeated treatment.

Before delivery to re-plating workshop lately received bumper was repaired, cleaned and tested on the car. We did adjustments to accommodate of European number plate lamp.

Last varnish layer was applied and polished before delivery of wooden trimming components for assembling.

Compatibility of all wooden trimming parts was checked upon receiving of trimming kit.

Current batch of re-plated decorations arrived ready for installation.

Rear bumper components as received from re-plating were sent for painting of internal surfaces according to Mercedes traditions.

We assembled renovated bumper.

We received first parcel with long awaited re-plated trimming elements.

Re-plated chromed components facilitated assembling of the doors.

Parcel arrived with re-plated front bumper parts which were sent for internal surface painting.

Finally, we received for installation renovated doorstep mouldings.

Radiator mask was assembled from restored components.

Re-plated doorstep mouldings preparing for installation were coated by protective paint.

We self-manufactured missing under-dash cover plates.