Well, the moment I've been longing for these past few years has finally arrived and my queen (nervously looking behind my back if SWMBO isn't watching ;-)) is off to a no holds barred, all-paint-must-go, back to bare metal full body respray! And in what style - supported by her younger sibling, an indestructible 1981 W123 200D. I'll be posting as pics and lessons learnt as we go - so if you're interested stay tuned for updates!
![2618482]( "2618482")
![2618483]( "2618483")
![2618484]( "2618484")
![2618485]( "2618485")
![2618486]( "2618486")
Off to the races!
miko1aj
261 - 280 of 427 Posts
83 280 SL- 5 speed-The PIG
Joined
·
40,059 Posts
Hey! It's never too late!I thought $50 for the lot is a great value, I'm pretty sure this stock will last me the lifetime... Unless my garage expands
'79 450SL, '04 CLK200 convertible; former A124, W210, A209.
Joined
·
4,659 Posts
I hear ya, and for one I am convinced - but SWMBO isn't, work in progress ;-)
I’m rather late to the party, but that’s one of the cooler things I’ve seen 😎
'79 450SL, '04 CLK200 convertible; former A124, W210, A209.
Joined
·
4,659 Posts
Wow, looks like my previous post was Dec 2020 - hard to believe a year gone by in the meantime!
An update is well overdue, and it might not be much but here’s a little cosmetic upgrade – kudos and thanks to @MFA Mo Faraz for his support and supplying the decals, in case of the hazard switch and the lights bezel he actually designed them for my 1979 Eleanor.
Overall, I’m delighted with the outcome as I noticed the worn decals while restoring the interior (1979 450SL Interior and dashboard refresh) and they’ve been annoying me ever since – despite my sincerest attempts to repair them using a white marker which proved futile, of course At any rate here’s some detail on the pre, in-progress and post state - to clarify I’ve no affiliation to Mo, I merely want to share my “happy experience” just in case there’s someone else out there with a similar OCD levels about their Merc baby
Here we go – those are the decals, I ordered 2x of each as I expected I’d need some for trial and error:
The first item I decided to tackle was the indicator switch, the “before” condition wasn’t terrible but wasn’t good enough either.
First the old icons need to be removed, and I used a couple of ear swabs dipped in brake fluid – no going back after that! To my surprise, the installation was actually straightforward though you do need to be patient and have a steady hand – once the decals stick that’s it, there’s no opportunity to correct the position without destroying them… Which I learnt the hard way later.
After some consideration I decided to leave the wiper icon next to gear indicators as is – the originals were intact and matched the new decals just fine to my untrained eye.
I then used the backing paper and a soft pencil to gently burnish the decal.
Next one up was the hazard switch – same as the light switch, the icon was worn which I somewhat corrected with the marker but it annoyed me every time I looked at it
The scary moment of wiping the decal off – the point of no return!
The challenge was that one of the two decals got damaged in transit so, like a minesweeper, I only had one chance to get it right – and to my surprise I did!
Last but not least was the light bezel which would prove most challenging due to the location and shape – the point being is that I couldn’t apply the whole set in one go, instead I had to go one decal at a time. Alternative solution would be to remove the switch, though I’m not sure if it would have made a whole lot of difference.
I applied each decal separately, but I wasn’t happy as one of the arrows was off - and since I had a spare set I decided to remove it and get it right. That’s where things went wrong for me as one of the arrows from the spare set fell of and I messed up the second one - luckily Mo came to my rescue and supplied me with a spare arrow which I was able to install just fine; third time’s the charm!
Finally, to protect the decals long term some clear coat is required – I used Rustoleom which worked just fine. This step is mandatory as without clear coat the decals will get easily damaged, which defeats the purpose of the whole exercise.
An update is well overdue, and it might not be much but here’s a little cosmetic upgrade – kudos and thanks to @MFA Mo Faraz for his support and supplying the decals, in case of the hazard switch and the lights bezel he actually designed them for my 1979 Eleanor.
Overall, I’m delighted with the outcome as I noticed the worn decals while restoring the interior (1979 450SL Interior and dashboard refresh) and they’ve been annoying me ever since – despite my sincerest attempts to repair them using a white marker which proved futile, of course
At any rate here’s some detail on the pre, in-progress and post state - to clarify I’ve no affiliation to Mo, I merely want to share my “happy experience” just in case there’s someone else out there with a similar OCD levels about their Merc baby Here we go – those are the decals, I ordered 2x of each as I expected I’d need some for trial and error:
The first item I decided to tackle was the indicator switch, the “before” condition wasn’t terrible but wasn’t good enough either.
First the old icons need to be removed, and I used a couple of ear swabs dipped in brake fluid – no going back after that! To my surprise, the installation was actually straightforward though you do need to be patient and have a steady hand – once the decals stick that’s it, there’s no opportunity to correct the position without destroying them… Which I learnt the hard way later.
After some consideration I decided to leave the wiper icon next to gear indicators as is – the originals were intact and matched the new decals just fine to my untrained eye.
I then used the backing paper and a soft pencil to gently burnish the decal.
Next one up was the hazard switch – same as the light switch, the icon was worn which I somewhat corrected with the marker but it annoyed me every time I looked at it
The scary moment of wiping the decal off – the point of no return!
The challenge was that one of the two decals got damaged in transit so, like a minesweeper, I only had one chance to get it right – and to my surprise I did!
Last but not least was the light bezel which would prove most challenging due to the location and shape – the point being is that I couldn’t apply the whole set in one go, instead I had to go one decal at a time. Alternative solution would be to remove the switch, though I’m not sure if it would have made a whole lot of difference.
I applied each decal separately, but I wasn’t happy as one of the arrows was off - and since I had a spare set I decided to remove it and get it right. That’s where things went wrong for me as one of the arrows from the spare set fell of and I messed up the second one - luckily Mo came to my rescue and supplied me with a spare arrow which I was able to install just fine; third time’s the charm!
Finally, to protect the decals long term some clear coat is required – I used Rustoleom which worked just fine. This step is mandatory as without clear coat the decals will get easily damaged, which defeats the purpose of the whole exercise.
'79 450SL, '04 CLK200 convertible; former A124, W210, A209.
Joined
·
4,659 Posts
Finally, some 4 thin coats later… Voila, and beer time! 🍻 💪
Here’s another case study that Mo shared with me as guidelines for installation, if my post piqued your interest you should take a look Turn Signal Stalk/Light Panel Decal Review - MBWorld.org Forums 1.
P.S. Sorry for some pics being sideways, no matter how I rotate them they seem to upload the same way....
Here’s another case study that Mo shared with me as guidelines for installation, if my post piqued your interest you should take a look Turn Signal Stalk/Light Panel Decal Review - MBWorld.org Forums 1.
P.S. Sorry for some pics being sideways, no matter how I rotate them they seem to upload the same way....
Great job, haha, I was plastering today, no route into the garage for me these days.
FANTASTIC JOBWow, looks like my previous post was Dec 2020 - hard to believe a year gone by in the meantime!
An update is well overdue, and it might not be much but here’s a little cosmetic upgrade – kudos and thanks to @MFA Mo Faraz for his support and supplying the decals, in case of the hazard switch and the lights bezel he actually designed them for my 1979 Eleanor.
Overall, I’m delighted with the outcome as I noticed the worn decals while restoring the interior (1979 450SL Interior and dashboard refresh) and they’ve been annoying me ever since – despite my sincerest attempts to repair them using a white marker which proved futile, of course
Here we go – those are the decals, I ordered 2x of each as I expected I’d need some for trial and error:
The first item I decided to tackle was the indicator switch, the “before” condition wasn’t terrible but wasn’t good enough either.
First the old icons need to be removed, and I used a couple of ear swabs dipped in brake fluid – no going back after that! To my surprise, the installation was actually straightforward though you do need to be patient and have a steady hand – once the decals stick that’s it, there’s no opportunity to correct the position without destroying them… Which I learnt the hard way later.
After some consideration I decided to leave the wiper icon next to gear indicators as is – the originals were intact and matched the new decals just fine to my untrained eye.
I then used the backing paper and a soft pencil to gently burnish the decal.
Next one up was the hazard switch – same as the light switch, the icon was worn which I somewhat corrected with the marker but it annoyed me every time I looked at it
The scary moment of wiping the decal off – the point of no return!
The challenge was that one of the two decals got damaged in transit so, like a minesweeper, I only had one chance to get it right – and to my surprise I did!
Last but not least was the light bezel which would prove most challenging due to the location and shape – the point being is that I couldn’t apply the whole set in one go, instead I had to go one decal at a time. Alternative solution would be to remove the switch, though I’m not sure if it would have made a whole lot of difference.
I applied each decal separately, but I wasn’t happy as one of the arrows was off - and since I had a spare set I decided to remove it and get it right. That’s where things went wrong for me as one of the arrows from the spare set fell of and I messed up the second one - luckily Mo came to my rescue and supplied me with a spare arrow which I was able to install just fine; third time’s the charm!
Finally, to protect the decals long term some clear coat is required – I used Rustoleom which worked just fine. This step is mandatory as without clear coat the decals will get easily damaged, which defeats the purpose of the whole exercise.
... I ought to order those stickers (+ some more) for my R129 interior upgrade project. A big THANK YOU for sharing 
Great work Miko
'79 450SL, '04 CLK200 convertible; former A124, W210, A209.
Joined
·
4,659 Posts
Cheers boys @Aussiemerc @Chicky @RaceDiagnostics @joser85 @Bauk18 !
@Bauk18 don't feel bad, all I did last year was wash the car a few times!
@Chicky you should reach out to Mo, he'll help you out for a reasonable price tag.
@Bauk18 don't feel bad, all I did last year was wash the car a few times!
@Chicky you should reach out to Mo, he'll help you out for a reasonable price tag.
83 280 SL- 5 speed-The PIG
Joined
·
40,059 Posts
Your SL has gotta be nice if this is your big "maintenance item. LOL.
This forum really should be renamed..."Home of First World Problems"
Good job on that stenciling.
'79 450SL, '04 CLK200 convertible; former A124, W210, A209.
Joined
·
4,659 Posts
Hehe, I hear ya Chris - this is an unplanned "surprise and delight" item as I ran into Mo on the forum here, I recall you also took part in the discussion, and I decided to take the plunge.
The plan for Xmas break was to drop the subframe but after my buddy mechanic caught C19 we had to postpone, hopefully I can get back to it in February. Having two small kids and ill wife makes planning big jobs tricky, but we'll get there. 👌😃
The plan for Xmas break was to drop the subframe but after my buddy mechanic caught C19 we had to postpone, hopefully I can get back to it in February. Having two small kids and ill wife makes planning big jobs tricky, but we'll get there. 👌😃
83 280 SL- 5 speed-The PIG
Joined
·
40,059 Posts
None of that matters except your kids and wife. I hope she is doing better.
Wishing you and your family all the best
... not to worry miko1aj, there is a saying "patience is a virtue"
... no point rushing restoration work
'79 450SL, '04 CLK200 convertible; former A124, W210, A209.
Joined
·
4,659 Posts
Thanks lads, appreciated - amen, couldn't agree more! Still one needs distractions and side jobs - however small or big - to not go crazy, at least that's my experience.
@Aussiemerc yes he does, he may not frequent the forum very often so best to reach out in private or via his store Products
@Aussiemerc yes he does, he may not frequent the forum very often so best to reach out in private or via his store Products
Yes, sorry for being absent on this thread. I thought Mikolaj did such a great job and wanted to see/hear more about the results.
I have lots of information and a total of (7) different kits for early and later Mercedes including cruise (LHD + RHD).
So if you have a specific question please ask or PM me and I will be happy to follow-up.
But I must give credit to Mikolaj as I believe this write-up may be the definitive source for anyone looking to restore their interior decals -- well done
Hi Mikolaj,
I just posted a bit more information here and shared my thoughts on your work. BTW you have a beautiful project SL and hope you will be enjoying it as the weather warms up.
-Mo
261 - 280 of 427 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
