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Mercedes 380--450--560 SLs

437 messages,  Last post on Aug 26, 2009 at 8:45 AM

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What is this discussion about? Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, Convertible

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#53 of 437 by speedshift Oct 25, 2000 (4:36 am)
So how would you feel about Cragars and a small block?
#54 of 437 by dgraves1 Oct 25, 2000 (7:03 am)
Is Cragar still around? I had Cragar S/Ss on my '70 Z/28 and thought they were the greatest looking wheel on earth. It seemed like Cragar was king of the hill back then. I haven't heard of them in years.
#55 of 437 wheels by sddlw Oct 25, 2000 (2:56 pm)
Mr Shiftright, I agree about the performance/luxury aspect. Actually I think I misstated the original wheel size. They are 14". And I think we will stick to the smaller wheels, larger sidewalls for comfort. I don't know about the chrome though. There are actually quite a few old SLs around So Cal with chrome wheels. I think they look pretty good with all of the other chrome accents on the car. My wife is realy hoping to get chrome. (Which is probably reason enough.) What is it you don't like about them?
#56 of 437 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 25, 2000 (5:27 pm)
I don't feel they are appropriate for a German car of this type. Chrome wheels belong on a Camaro or a Harley or a street rod. They de-value the car in my opinion, "tart it up" and make it look cheap, like you outfitted it at Grand Auto. But aside from the subjective taste issue, I can list some more "solid" reasons-- chrome is a terrible for heat dissipation, is expensive, and is maintenance-intensive.
#57 of 437 a lightbulb moment by speedshift Oct 25, 2000 (6:11 pm)
What we have here is more than the eternal purist vs. customizer debate. It's an example of the SoCal vs. Bay Area difference in style.
#58 of 437 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 26, 2000 (12:03 am)
Sort of, but it's also a value question. As an appraiser, I take off value for something like this, as it is "non-stock" and also gives the car what is called in the business the "boy racer" look. I don't mean that as an criticism, only stating that your decision has a monetary consequence. Of course, we are not talking about a rare Ferrari, so maybe no big deal.
#59 of 437 by sddlw Oct 26, 2000 (3:05 pm)
Well, if this was a collectable car, and we were trying to restore it to original and show condition, I'd say saying with OEM wheels would definately be the right thing to do. I have heard that even today, MBZ dealers are having the wheels chromed rather than getting factory chrome, so I guess that might imply the W107s never had stock chrome. .... But I just don't see that as being that big a deal on this 380SL. As you pointed out, it ain't no rare Ferrari. Besides, if a purest wanted the car down the road, how hard would it be to find stock wheels? The car already has tons of chrome, and my wife REALLY wants them.
#60 of 437 by dgraves1 Oct 26, 2000 (4:25 pm)
Considering earlier posts regarding spouse happiness, I'd say chrome it is!
#61 of 437 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 26, 2000 (7:25 pm)
What can I say? I think they look terrible, but they're better than wire wheels on the car, I'd admit to that. Chrome is an "accent", like jewelry...too much is too much and it looks like too much. Less is more with chrome, especially on a German car. The idea is to highlight, but not emphasis the wheels over the rest of the car. It will look like ALL WHEEL with a body attached, I think. This is why some very nice older German cars have "beauty rims"...these are just chrome inserts into the steel hub...you may have seen these on older Porsche 356s and Karmann Ghias, etc. This gives the wheel some "flash" but not overkill. The stock rims are quite nice actually. If you've never seen powdercoating you really should check it out.
#62 of 437 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Nov 19, 2000 (10:34 pm)
Probably the valve guides themselves are worn. For a more accurate idea of engine condition, you should have a cylinder leakdown test done; otherwise, compression tests can fool you...you can have good compression rings but bad oil rings, and that won't show on a regular compression test. Old Volvo engines are symptomatic of this latter type of problem.

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