This car is the starting point of a multi-generation automotive legend, to which 500,000 cars can trace their genes. It is the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLS and, like most of its ‘children’ — every sporting Merc that has followed — chassis 8427198118/1 is a stupendous drive…
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Prototype – Vintage Project Part II
Vintage Project, Part II 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Prototype By Scott Grundfor Body Check Restoration begins with an analysis of the car, obviously easiest if it runs and is in one piece. By simply walking around a car looking at various parts, you may be able
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Choosing the Right Car by Scott Grundfor
There are three principals in a restoration: car, restorer and client. As a client, you’ve spent time choosing the right car, waiting a long time to restore your favorite car, and the restorer’s work represents a significant investment. Here are some suggestions to help you
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How to Fix Paint Chips on Cars by Scott Grundfor
TIP: How to fix paint chips on cars A friend in the auto detailing business suggested a way to fix paint chips on cars quickly and economically. We tried it, and we could see that unless you knew exactly where the chip was, you
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Getting the Old Paint Off Cars By Scott Grundfor
Get the old paint off! Getting the old paint off cars is a skill. My friend Steve and I were sitting on the front porch one summer day in 1962 when Terry Brooks drove by in his ’51 Chevy fastback. I was astounded. When he’d
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Preparing to Paint a Car By Scott Grundfor
Priming and Block Sanding Having looked at various paint removal methods in the last issue, by now we’ve stripped the old finish to bare metal—or we have an original finish where the paint is adhering with no failure problems such as cracking, chalking, or
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Applying Paint To Cars By Scott Grundfor
Applying Paint To Cars Final Cleaning The first step, before we spray the color coats, is to again thoroughly clean the surface. Contaminants can hinder adhesion and create other problems later. Wax and grease remover will again be used, with plenty of clean rags, to
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The Zero Mile Gullwing By Dennis Adler & Scott Grundfor
“The Star” Magazine, January/February 1997 Every so often something truly amazing comes along in the automotive world. In 1954 it was the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, a sports car so strikingly advanced that it became the symbol of Mercedes’ postwar renaissance. Among countless Americans moved by the
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1954 300SL Prototype By Scott Grundfor
The 1954 300SL Prototype is an icon, and the year 1955 was magical for Daimler-Benz, never to be equaled by any other marque. Their teams won four championships: the Formula One championship with Fangio driving, the World Sports Car Championship with Moss, Fangio, and Kling; an
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The Italian Mercedes-Benz, Part 2 By Dennis Adler
The first of two Pinin Farina concept cars, known affectionately as the Italian Mercedes-Benz, built in 1955 and 1956 on the 300-series chassis was featured in our January/February issue. The body design of that 300b-based 1955 Coupe was far more complicated than this second version,
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