Main.TrailIndexPage | Wheels and Tires | WheelsTires.Hubcap
Hubcaps
This component is part of Wheels and Tires. We also have good instructions on how to paint your hubcaps.
Definition
On the wheels with steel rims, a Hubcap (German: Radzierblende) is mounted. There are two major kinds of hubcaps:
- split, or earlier style hubcaps used on the 230SL and 250SL. It consists of a trim ring and a small hub cap
Two-piece hub cap
- one-piece later style hubcaps used on the 250 SL and 280 SL.
One-piece hubcap
The change from the earlier to the later style hubcap took place around May 1967 on the 250SL Fahrgestell Endnummer 002525 Manual and 002468 auto (see Production Months).
The earlier style (small) hubcaps press into the Rims using either pins or small noses, depending on Rim type. It separates into an outer ring and a small hubcap.
Exploded two-piece hubcap
The outer ring is attached using retaining clips similar to, but not the same as, the later clips shown below. The spring clip Part # is 113 401 0628.(6 on each ring).
Outer ring
Center inside
As a result of these the Rims used on the 280SL miss pins or noses for the small style hub caps. They are attached using clips, see picture of the later retaining clips below, Part # 123 401 0128 (4 used per cap).
Inside of one piece hubcap
Clips
Early 230 Clips
Colours
The wheel centers (hub caps) are not made by Mercedes-Benz but bought in from subcontractors. The wheels in the early sixties were painted with a grey-green basic coat of semi-matte paint from the manufacturer (Südrad). At the Mercedes-Benz factory, the wheels were sprayed with the body colour of the car, from the outside. The rear side thus remained grey-green, with spray "fuzz" behind the openings in the wheel metal. Sometime in 1966 the colour on the wheel centers was changed to black (also semi-matte) from factory, like it still is today. The body colour of the car was sprayed on from the outside, like before. Then, in 1968, the hub caps were changed to cover the whole wheel side. There was thus a "rationalisation" which allowed the wheel centers bought in to remain black (= lowered production cost). The inside of the wheel chrome rings and little chrome hub centers were painted with a sand or pale grey shade, just like the inside of the bumpers. We usually use DB 158 paint to represent this when restoring a vehicle. After 1968, large wheel centers were not chrome anymore, just pressed metal, so no paint on their inside.
Wheel centres are painted the same as the body of the car. On a W113 (or if a coupé or sedan that has two colours/shades) the colour number is marked "UT" on the data card. The outside centres of the hub caps (around the embossed star) is painted the same colour as the W113 H/T (or roof on a coupé or sedan that has two colours/shades) and the shade (colour number) is marked "OT" on the data card. If the W113 car has H/T colour is same as body colour (like on my 250SL) the colour marking in the data card (and on the little plate near the hood catch in the engine compartment) is repeated twice "568/568". If your car has black H/T (colour No 040) the hub cap centres are supposed to be black 040 too (they were at delivery ex factory).
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