WHAT ARE THESE POTENTIOMETERS USED FOR?

[Rtigges55]

Can anyone tell me what these little brown bakelite boxes with a knob on them are used for? One on each side of my 1965 230SL in the engine bay.

[rwmastel]

Interesting.  Where do the wires lead from/to?

Also, you can use the +Attachments button to upload images directly to your post so people don't have to download PDF files.

And, welcome to the Group.  First post! 

[BobH]

These are fuse boxes, the one near the voltage regulator is for the radio and electric aerial, see towards the bottom of this link

https://www.sl113.org/wiki/Electrical/Radio

The other i think had various uses, possibly fog lights, if you search fuses, you'll find a few possibilities

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=17189.0

Bear in mind the use could vary depending on the car

[Rtigges55]

Thanks for the reply and advice, I see what I did wrong when attaching the files....they got converted to pdf when resizing. I did search for simailar topics in the forum but did not see anything close. I see from another reply that they are fuses.....I did not want to turn the knob on the face because I thought there was a pot inside where I might alter a previous setting. The fuse theory makes sense since there are wires entering on one side and then exiting on the other.

[Pawel66]

They look like nice original fuse boxes.

On the one for the radio, as per the original radio set up like you have, a handful of info here: https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=27466.msg197177#msg197177

The other one could be for several accessories, most common were front fog lights. You would need to check what you may have.

Those knobs are just knurled nuts to unscrew and remove the lid, just like those in the main fuse box.

Mercedes logic for fuses for accessories was easy access, that is why you may sometimes have wires going from under dash to the fuse box in engine bay and back under dash. I do not know, however, what is it in your case for the box near brake booster.

[Rtigges55]

Thanks for the info. I'm new to this car and older european tech so those boxes were very foreign looking to me. I just dragged it out of a barn where it has been sitting for 15 years and worked my way up from brakes, fuel, and now electrical after getting it running. Still a long way to go before it's ready for a weekend on the Blueridge Parkway near where I have it garaged, but it's been fun driving on some little 10 mile jaunts on the country roads. I can hardly get the smile off my face when behind the wheel, this car is really fun to drive and has a unique blend of performance and comfort considering the year it was born.

[Pawel66]

Pictures please!

There is a chapter New Members Introductions.