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Glasurit and Dr. Herbert (see Links page) were the two companies that supplied paint to Daimler-Benz at the time the Pontons were being made. The codes for these manufacturers are the letters G and H. For example, if your car has a paint (Lackierung) code of "DB 40 G", that means the (Daimler-Benz) color is black (040), and Glasurit was the original paint supplier.
Mercedes-Benz
Standard Appointment
180 - 180D - 190 - 219 - 220S cabriolet / coupé - 300
Mercedes-Benz
Special one and two-tone special paint finish
with standard upholstery
180 - 180D - 190 - 219 - 220S
Job Aid (.pdf) is a compilation of research from many sources. The colors selected are based upon the 190SL Newsletter, (all years), various technical sessions, research into original 190s, and various discussions with knowledgeable vendors and members. Your comments, suggestions, and additions/changes are always appreciated. The intent here is not to set a standard, but rather, share with the reader our experiences. Color at your own risk. I have organized the material as a table, using the Mercedes-Benz Type 190SL – Spare Parts List, Edition D as my point of reference for the item number and description. If the part was mentioned in a Newsletter article, I included that page number for a cross-reference.
Bruce L. AdamsJob Aid added December 10, 2009
Refer to the Ponton Literature page for books on Mercedes-Benz 190SL Restoration and Ownership by Bruce Adams. They include information about the colors of most assemblies and sub-assemblies on the W121 190SL. Many of the colors also apply to the Ponton sedans, coupés and cabriolets.
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The color of the paint originally used on the inside of the Mercedes-Benz Ponton hubcaps matched the paint used on the inside of the bumpers. It is a light cream color (see photo above, and the paint chart below) known as DB 158 "White Gray." An automotive paint store will be able to mix small amounts of DB 158 for the purpose of painting these areas on the car. Note that (as of this writing) there are very close approximations available. The brand "Rustoleum" has a color called "Almond", which is a close match. The brand "Krylon" also has a close match.
MB Ponton Underbody and Wheel Colors.pdf
This is a NOS bumper guard for a 1958 Type 180a sedan. The inside is painted DB 158 White Gray color code. Note the date stamp. [12]
All four-cylinder Ponton sedans, the 190SL, the 300SL, and the Type 219 Ponton sedan got small wheel covers/hubcaps, and the outside of the wheels were body color in gloss. The Types 220a, 220S, and 220SE of all Ponton body styles got full wheel covers with the outside of wheels in black gloss paint regardless of the body color. [6]
Original style hubcap masks are no longer available from Mercedes-Benz.
How to Paint Mercedes-Benz Hubcaps (I / brief) [7]
Here are some tips for masking off the hubcap stars, and outer rings, in preparation for paint. Start with a clean hubcap. Artist supply and paint specialty stores sell thin, flexible masking tape. For masking the star itself, the width of the tape should be about 3 mm. A wider, flexible tape (for following contours) is recommended to mask off the larger outside edge of the cap. Automotive paint stores will mix enough of your specific color to put in spray cans for small jobs like this. Results may not be absolutely perfect, but the hubcaps will look quite presentable. The job of masking off the stars and using a small, precise hobbyist "Exacto" knife to trim the excess tape becomes tedious after the first hubcap. Once you have the materials (tape, knife, paint) the whole process takes about 1.0 to 1.5 hours. The secret is to remove the tape while the paint is still wet.
How to Paint Mercedes-Benz Hubcaps (II / detailed) [8]
Many Mercedes-Benz drivers, or at least the ones here in Holland, seem to be reluctant to take on the task of repainting hubcaps that don't look good anymore. Often you can see them driving around with the paint stripped off completely or scratched and dented on an otherwise good looking car. And its such an easy job to do!
I'm restoring a 1963 W112 300SE Heckflosse sedan, the successor of your wonderful Pontons, but as they have basically the same hubcaps this shouldn't be a problem.
After a pointless search for factory made masks which apparently used to exist according to sources older and wiser than I am, I decided to give it a go in the make-shift way I described below, knowing that if it failed I would have to drive around in those dreaded "naked" hubs...b-r-r-r.
Obviously, you start with stripping off the old paint which is extremely easy using paint stripper from an ordinary hardware store. I smeared it on in a thick layer and then packed it in plastic foil leaving it to rest for the night. After that, it was easy to strip the paint off using an old fashioned razor blade. Be careful when using this. The chrome is very hard but will scratch if you're not careful.
On the stripped hubs you can make a paint mask using ordinary paper tape from a paint store. Stick it on covering a wide area around the bits that need to be blank. Take your time sticking it on well, especially in all those little corners which form the star in the middle.
After that, you take a sharp hobby knife (I used a surgeon's scalpel with a straight blade because it's a bit sharper). With that, you cut along the edges of the bits you want to keep blank. Even if you do this carefully, it will not go absolutely straight in every place but don't worry; afterwards it will be hard to notice those bits (especially because few people will inspect their hubs from ten centimeter's distance once they are fixed on the car).
Then, you gently take of all the tape still covering the bits you want to paint and presto, you're ready to spray them.
At any paint store they will sell you a primer that will stick to chrome. I sprayed it on in three thin layers, sanding each layer lightly with 800 grain paper. the sanding is really necessary after each layer of paint unless you do it in a dust free environment. You'd be amazed at the amount of tiny stuff that sticks on there even in a clean room. Another trick is to use a large cardboard box to cover them after spraying but that won't prevent those little dust thingies to still find their way to your wonderful paint job in rather large numbers.
After the priming comes the paint which I sprayed on in four to five thin layers giving them a day to rest before sanding them and covering them with the next coat of paint. Because all original factory paints are so well documented by Mercedes, most paint stores will be able to mix you a spray-can of the right colour for your car. Spray it on in a moderately warm room (20 degrees Celsius or so), this will help the paint spread nicely and evenly over the surface.
Make sure you try to keep sticking the tape back in place. As the glue on the tape tends to dissolve in any form of moisture the paint will also do this leaving the edges of your mask curling up. I haven't been able to completely prevent this but if you have a close look at a factory set of hubs; neither have the boys in Stuttgart.
Last stage in this repair is taking off the tape. Don't wait with this until the paint has dried too much because this will make it harder to get the tape off.
The real puritan will now use his sharp knife to take of those little bits that still got underneath the tape here and there, but otherwise you will be in the possession of a set of really nice looking hubcaps!
Then start dreading the day when you chip a sidewalk when parking.
A 13" hubcap from a Mercedes-Benz Type W180 220S Ponton sedan with DB125 Pearl Gray paint [10]
The information below was taken from a Martin Senour paint chip sheet. "These color chips are for identification purposes. They may not be exact matches for the actual colors as they appear on the cars." The paint was available in Acrylic, Lacquer or Enamel.
Example
DB50 = Daimler-Benz color code number
WHITE = color name
58-61 = years the color was usedClick the color charts to view the codes more legibly. Note that the larger color charts have a significantly different color balance than the smaller ones. The smaller charts are believed to be closer to original.
| DB50 White 58-61 |
DB112 Gray 58-61 |
DB116 Medium Gray 58-61 |
DB124 Arabian Gray 59-63-5 |
DB125 Pearl Gray 58-61 |
| DB135 Gray Poly 59-61 |
DB140 Light Gray 59-63-5 |
DB157 Gray Beige 58-61 |
DB158 White Gray 58-65 |
DB162 Blue Gray 58-65 |
| DB164 Dark Gray 58-65 |
DB166 Blue Gray 58-62 |
DB169 Stone Gray Light 58-60 |
DB171 Stone Gray 58-60 |
DB172 Dark Gray Poly 58-65 |
| DB178 Medium Gray Poly 62-65 |
DB180 Silver Poly 58-60 |
DB181 Beige Gray 63-5 |
DB186 Cement Gray 59-65 |
DB190 Graphite Gray 58-65 |
| DB209 Dark Green 58-60 |
DB213 Mother of Pearl Green 59-65 |
DB218 Light Green 58-60 |
DB221 Dark Green 58-60 |
DB226 Moss Green 58-63-5 |
| DB227 Olive Green 58-65 |
DB229 Medium Green 58-60 |
DB259 Forest Green 58-60 |
DB266 Green 58-60 |
DB268 Blue Green 59-65 |
| DB270 Blue Green 58-65 |
DB274 Light Green Poly 58-60 |
DB278 Tundra Green 58-60 |
DB280 Green Poly 59-61 |
DB304 Horizon Blue 59-65 |
| DB317 Gray Blue 1961 |
DB320 Blue 58-60 |
DB332 Dark Blue 63-5 |
DB334 Light Blue 58-63-5 |
DB335 Mercedes Blue 58-65 |
| DB339 Blue Light 59-61 |
DB350 Medium Blue 58-65 |
DB353 Light Blue Poly 58-60 |
DB355 Blue 58-60 |
DB356 Light Blue 58-60 |
| DB380 Dolphin Blue 59-61 |
DB387 Blue Poly 62-5 |
DB396 Blue Poly #1 61-2 |
DB396 Blue Poly #2 63-5 |
DB408 Havana Brown 58-65 |
| DB409 Dark Brown 58-65 |
DB412 beige 58-65 |
DB420 Sand 58-65 |
DB423 Dark Brown 58-65 |
DB439 Cream 58-65 |
| DB441 Light Fawn 58-65 |
DB442 Medium Brown 58-61 |
DB453 Light Beige 63-5 |
DB460 Dark Red-Brown 61-5 |
DB461 Dark Bronze Poly 62-3-5 |
| DB462 Tunis Beige Poly 62-5 |
DB463 Copper Poly 62-5 |
DB506 Reddish Brown 58-61 |
DB516 Medium Red 58-63-65 |
DB519 Red 58-65 |
| DB526 Mercedes Red 58-60 |
DB534 Fire Engine Red 58-60 |
DB538 Red 58-61 |
DB543 Strawberry Red Poly 58-60 |
DB554 Cherry Red 62-65 |
| DB567 Glazing Maroon Poly 62-5 |
DB568 Signal Red 63-5 |
DB571 Red Poly 62-5 |
DB573 Dark Bordeaux Red 63-5 |
DB608 Ivory 62-5 |
| DB615 Ivory 62-5 |
DB620 Ivory 62-5 |
DB629 Cream 62-5 |
DB630 Yellow 62-5 |
DB658 Light Ebony 59-65 |
| DB670 Ivory 63-5 |
DB716 Gray Beige 59-65 |
DB717 Papyrus White 61-5 |
DB824 Sea Green 59-65 |
DB834 Moss Green Poly 62-5 |
[1] Courtesy: Jeff Miller / Spring 2002
[1a] Courtesy: Chris Macha / December 24, 2005
[2] Courtesy: Jeff Miller / January 24, 2015
[3] Courtesy: Helu Hansen / © Mercedes-Benz IG / June 12, 2002
[4] Courtesy: Len Sokoloff / August 30, 2001
[5] Courtesy: Jeff Miller / August 7, 2002
[6] Courtesy: Doug Broome / March 22, 2005
[7] Courtesy: Jeff Miller / May 3, 2003
[8] Courtesy: Jeroen van Kesteren / jeroen@ap6.nl / Holland / October 3, 2003
[9] Courtesy: Ray Ilich / August 15, 1997
[10] Courtesy: Alex / France / December 12, 2006
[11] Courtesy: Erwin Hanke and Lenna Winther-Saxe / June 6, 2010
[12] Courtesy: Prithvi Tagore / 1958 180a / Calcutta, India / October 23, 2015