[Guest (MBNZ)]

Getting tired of his dull-looking louvred headlamp surrounds in his 1979 240d, my friend's father decided it would look neat if he broke the clear plastic shields off of the louvres that surround his headlamps. The result looks very nice and sharp, but here's the problem: Those grey louvres that sit underneath are delicate, and susceptible to being chipped by stones and bad weather.<br> <br> I'm working on a solution, and that is to cast the plastic louvres in aluminum to mount on my car. I'd be interested to know if anyone out there might want to buy a pair of these, if I were to make several sets. I assume they could be painted black, left unpainted (polished or brushed and clear-coated) or enameled in custom colors (can you say 'body-colored headlamp surrounds'?)<br> <br> If any of you w123 owners out there are interested, drop me an e-mail and I'll update you if my project goes well. If it works for me, I just may do a limited production for other owners who like the American-style look, but don't like how delicate those plastic headlamp surrounds are.<br> <br> Happy motoring!<br> <br> -Jerrold Adler<br> [email protected]

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

I applaud your creativity, but why would anyone like the American style look?? Replace the U.S. lights with their European counterparts to greatly enhance the aesthetic appeal of any 123 car.

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Well, I can't promise that everyone would want the American look, but I personally think that the round headlights have a certain amount of personality that is lost with the big Euro lenses (not that they don't look sexy with the right paint color) You see, my car runs great, but the looks are starting to get a bit dull, and the louvred American look would be great and unique if it were durable. (That's why I thought it would be neat to do them in black or body color.)<br> <br> The pics below are my car as it actually looks, and how it would look if I did all of the mods that I want to do.<br> <br> Tell me what you think!<br> -Jerrold<br> [email protected]

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Jerrold<br> <br> I've broken off the clear plastic like that as well. You might want to save yourself some time and trouble by checking Hemmings Motor News for sources that plate plastics and have a set done in dull chrome. Probably the quickest and cheapest way of doing the job. Let me know if you pull it off, may try it myself.<br> Ben

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

I agree. I find the euro lenses to actually look more dated. Once the plastic on them becomes dull they look quite old. At any rate I'd like to see what the aluminum louvres look like on your mb, but couldn't get the picture.