Restoring lower trim and wheelarches

G

grozier

Active member
On any Westy that's seen much sun, the lower gray trim and the special US-only wheel arches tend to fade. The bumpers are more robust, but also fade.

The oxidation on the lower trim can be fixed temporarily with various salves and/or polishing, and semi-permanently with clear coat. A better alternative for that area, and especially the plastic trim, is the official color, which I believe to be ... drum roll please ... Mercedes-Benz Argentitgrau 7354. This is the period color for all plastic trim on commercial vehicles of our vintage. I bought a few cans of it (and some plastic adhesion promoter for the wheel arches) from http://www.123lack.de/farben-und-la...spraydosen-mercedes-benz-7354-lack-spruehdose (no affiliation) and things came out well. I can't find this on US websites, but a good paint shop, the M-B dealer, or perhaps Freightliner can provide some.

Hope this helps,

Ted
 
D

discus

GA Westy
I used 2 component Bedliner on mine. Even on the cracked plastic pieces.


If you want to restore the original look, you can use SEM texture coating and SEN bumper coating. They come in all shades so you can find a good match. Body shops use SEM.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
CaptnALinTiverton

CaptnALinTiverton

xT1N Westfalia
{I posted twice to Ted on the Yahoo forum about bottom paint code thread but looked like it didn't work so I'm reposting here}.

So Ted,

I know that the question was color of bottom panels, but did you mean that the color code for the Westy (other than bottom panel) was 744 ( Dodge color?)? I found a good, inexpensive source in the US but their drop-down list, like many others on the web, does not list Sprinter under M-B, just under Dodge. I saw in the pdf manual that the M-B code may be 7708 but the following is the answer to my inquiry from the company's CSR.

"7708 is Silver Gray and is not a metallic color also, it is not the same as 774 Brilliant Silver."
{Now I just notice that she's talking about 774, not the 744 I asked about. I will check with her on that}.

Mona
Customer Service Ext 102
504-818-2334
1-888-710-5192
Mon-Fri 8:00 - 5:00 CST
www.automotivetouchup.com



AL
 
CaptnALinTiverton

CaptnALinTiverton

xT1N Westfalia
That was a typo; she meant 744. Anyway she sent me a photo of the two colors side by side and it's obvious from that the 744 brilliant silver metallic is our exterior color (except for you owners with the different colored vans). The 708 appears to be close to the gray lower trim tape so I'll get a little touch-up for that and see how that matches.

I like this company and their prices. We'll see how the paint is when it arrives.


AL
 
CaptnALinTiverton

CaptnALinTiverton

xT1N Westfalia
Just to clear it up, the pdf manual that the M-B code 7708 is in is the "2005_sprinter_service_manual" which is for the general Sprinters, not the Westfalia Sprinter which in most cases has the brilliant silver metallic base coat with clear coat on top.


AL
 
CaptnALinTiverton

CaptnALinTiverton

xT1N Westfalia
CaptnALinTiverton said:
{I posted twice to Ted on the Yahoo forum about bottom paint code thread but looked like it didn't work so I'm reposting here}.

So Ted,

I know that the question was color of bottom panels, but did you mean that the color code for the Westy (other than bottom panel) was 744 ( Dodge color?)? I found a good, inexpensive source in the US but their drop-down list, like many others on the web, does not list Sprinter under M-B, just under Dodge. I saw in the pdf manual that the M-B code may be 7708 but the following is the answer to my inquiry from the company's CSR.

"7708 is Silver Gray and is not a metallic color also, it is not the same as 774 Brilliant Silver."
{Now I just notice that she's talking about 774, not the 744 I asked about. I will check with her on that}.

Mona
Customer Service Ext 102
504-818-2334
1-888-710-5192
Mon-Fri 8:00 - 5:00 CST
www.automotivetouchup.com



AL
Click to expand...
CaptnALinTiverton said:
That was a typo; she meant 744. Anyway she sent me a photo of the two colors side by side and it's obvious from that the 744 brilliant silver metallic is our exterior color (except for you owners with the different colored vans). The 708 appears to be close to the gray lower trim tape so I'll get a little touch-up for that and see how that matches.

I like this company and their prices. We'll see how the paint is when it arrives.


AL
Click to expand...
Well I didn't get good results on my touch-up job. The base color didn't match 100%, that is to my eyes, and the clear coat did not stick well, peeled during following cold and rain. I must say that I can't blame the products because it is nearly impossible to get right weather conditions required (humidity and temperature) in New England seasons other than summer. Also I couldn't lightly sand areas where I wanted over-spray and was just hoping for adherence. Besides I could never get the top coat as thick as the OEM job without getting runs.

I've learned my lesson on this one; I'll have to go to the pros in the future. Now I know they are right when they say there is no such thing as touch-up; the whole body part has to be done.

AL
 
C

CornishJamesCook

New member
discus said:
I used 2 component Bedliner on mine. Even on the cracked plastic pieces.


If you want to restore the original look, you can use SEM texture coating and SEN bumper coating. They come in all shades so you can find a good match. Body shops use SEM.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
 
C

Camp

Sprinter Westfalia
CornishJamesCook said:
Hi,
Are these 15" alloys you are running,what size/brand are your tyres,were any other mods needed to fit??
thanks Russ
Click to expand...
Those are the optional 16" OEM alloy wheels available on the NAFTA T1N Dodge Sprinter. It appears to be a rare option on passenger and cargo vans, but all later build Airstream Sprinter Westfalias were equipped with them. They came from the factory with a blank center cap, but the neat thing is that there are many OEM Mercedes caps that fit.

The Mopar part number is 05140692AA. Ordered one as a spare, so can confirm it matches the ones that came on the van.

www.summitracing.com

Mopar Replacement 05140692AA

Find Mopar Replacement 05140692AA and get Free Shipping on Orders Over $99 at Summit Racing!
www.summitracing.com www.summitracing.com

The NAFTA 140" and 158" T1N Sprinters do have modified rear wheel wells with plastic fender flares, so unsure if they'll fit your van (guessing you're in Europe due to the username).
 
C

CornishJamesCook

New member
Thanks for that info. Yes I'm in the UK, home is the county of Cornwall.
I have a 1998 312d sprinter.
Mine has the original but optional extra of the 15" Mercedes Benz alloys.

I'm looking into putting at tyres onto the alloys as yours, but want to know the largest tyre size I can fit without modication to arch or suspension..

I have had the van 8 months after many years of older Westy ownership, and other Vw based campers.

So far, I have fitted replacement Heki rooflights, made lighting improvements.Fitted reversing camera.

My next job is painting the lower body and bumpers.

Thanks for your advice
Stay safe.

IMG_20200426_133200.jpgRuss
 
O

OldWest

2004 T1N Westfalia
The standard steel wheels on the earlier Airstream Westfalias were also 16 inches. The Dodge Sprinter chassis for the Airstream Westfalia had a factory lift so 16" wheels would fit.

Standard tire size was 225/75/16.

The lift consisted of spacer bars at the front, different curved leaf springs in the rear, and different struts and shocks. The speedometer and odometer also were adjusted.

Koni Strut ALERT II for 15" 2500 Sprinters

Here's a reprint of Michaels question on Sprintervan yahoo group site regarding Koni shock "bottoming". Koni has superceded 2500 front struts with 3500 front struts, here's a possible clearance problem: Dok A, You have said that there are differences in the front and rear suspensions between...
sprinter-source.com sprinter-source.com
 
Last edited:
Riptide

Riptide

Active member
Man, I LOVE that CD. ALways wanted one, and regret not buying one when I had the chance at a nice one...
 
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