Brake fluid canister (a.k.a. compensation tank)
This section is under construction. And so is the can...
Engine compartment Mercedes-Benz 219, © Daimler AG (note the brake fluid canister above, is the cap unpainted or ATE-blue?!)
The can was glass beaded, polished and finished with white cad for rust protection. At that time, 2003, I planned to putty the rust pits on top of the can with tin and then paint everything semi-gloss black. In the pictures below you can see the rust pits "puttied" and after a first, rough grinding. While contemplating if I was going to be able to get the can and its cap in a good condition, I started to investigate how the final result ought to look like. That is, if, and in such a case how, the can and cap should be painted. It started with some opinions from other restorers and pictures in the workshop manual that had the canister painted in different ways! I'm not fully done with the documentation of the research yet but it has been an "interesting" journey and for you, who are like me, find this important :) it may come one or two surprises. There are actually several ways to paint a brake fluid canister in the "correct" way. Stay tuned!
In the meantime I bought a new can, cap, filter etc from Karasch for a decent price. I thought it was not worth restoring the old one.
However, I re-used the old one, painting it all semi gloss black as one of the painting alternatives are. The new one is painted according to another alternative, leaving the top unpainted. With the top unpainted you don't need to be so careful with the brake fluid dripping over the canister's opening. The old cap I painted black. "Unfortunately", when I ordered the new canister from Karasch I also asked them if they had any NOS ATE-blue caps to sell as well. "Unfortunately" I got a new canister but only a NOS ATE-blue cap, no new unpainted cap (which is one of the painting alternatives). I pointed this mistake out and they sent me another NOS ATE-blue cap..... So now two ATE-blue caps, NOS, and one black painted but no unpainted. If I buy a new unpainted canister I will have all the possible alternatives I've found. As said above, I'll come back with a write up :-)!
The canisters are painted with a 2K semi-gloss black paint over a primer and thereafter covered with a 2k semi-gloss clear lacquer in order to withstand the brake fluid better.
