Mercedes R107 lower valance powder coating vs painting

Rather than painting the rear valance on our 1975 Mercedes 280SL in signal red, we opted to have it powder coated for a more durable finish and the results were excellent.
The video shows how to reattach the bumper rubber and gives part numbers and sizes for all the nuts and bolts etc.
There are two previous videos on this channel showing the removal of the original rear bumper and the reassembly of the power coated refurbished metal sections.

[@ryank7465]

Hi Mike - thanks for another helpful video. I had been following this series of videos and doing it on my car, and did this part a while back. A couple of notes: (1) I used my original steel valences, and had them resprayed. The fitment on mine wasn’t perfect either, though I made it fit without bashing. I would say the final product had gaps quite similar to yours. (2) The rubber strip expands and contracts with heat. I bought a new one a few months before putting it on, and it had shrunk considerably in storage. I had to use a blowdryer and a friend to stretch it out to get it to fit. Cheers.

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks for your comment. Do you remember what it cost to have your originals repaired/resprayed?
Interesting that yours had panel gaps too....maybe they have been replaced in the past and are not original....
What would we do without the wife's blow dryer in these situations...
Mike

[@ronalddean3630]

Love this video. I would never attempt to do this (no space or skill) but I like knowing how the vehicles are put together. What I like, really like? It's metal and rubber, that actually helps protect the body of the vehicle. Not some cheap bubble shaped plastic that looks horrible when it gets scratched and banged up from careless parallel parking situations. Not to mention the dumb idea of hanging some rubber thing with straps from the trunk over the bumper. What!!

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Not sure I know what you mean by “hanging thing with straps from the trunk”….maybe it is a US thing? Mike

[@michaelsliwinski8044]

Thanks for sharing. Nice work.

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks - it came out much better than expected. Mike

[@kamelbleu]

Still Great this video ... i'am started to make my 560SL ...

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks - good luck with the 560SL rebuild. Mike

[@TheArtOfReSelling1]

great video Mike as usual.

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks for your kind words...cant believe that a year has gone by since I first had that valance powder coated. Mike

[@TheArtOfReSelling1]

@@MikesMercsandothercars im in the process of doing my 1980 450SL and was wondering if you know part #s or sizes for trunk screws that hold the carpeted panels in and the cover for the spare tire. Thanks again

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

@@TheArtOfReSelling1 Hi - I'm pretty sure the bolts that hold down the spare wheel cover are M6 x 16mm...and the same for the metal panel. But....I will head down to the garage and double check. Mike

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

@@TheArtOfReSelling1 Hi - The bolts holding in the back panel and spare wheel well cover are M6 x 16mm. Mike

[@dennisvangemst8714]

If you had it sandblasted, it is probably twisted because of that. It generates a lot of heat. I also have my thinner sheet metal a little twisted after powdercoating.

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Yes, I think sand blasting and oven is not ideal for thinner sheet metal or aluminium...the good news is that it fitted perfectly and looks great. Mike