Rust protect a Mercedes-Benz Ponton
Philipson Bil AB's version
For a long time I've been searching for an instruction, preferably from Mercedes, on how to protect the car from new rust attacks. By "accident" I finally found the following material on an MB-market i Rimforsa 2015. It shows how to rust protect your Ponton and it's official. At least it is published by an authorized re-seller, Philipson. So who were they? The brief history goes: Philipsons (formerly Philipson Automobile AB) was a Swedish car importer. Under the leadership of Gunnar Philipson 1931, the company became Sweden's first general agent for Daimler-Benz, and has largely been associated with the import and resale of Mercedes cars. Mercedes-Benz Sweden AB was formed in 1994 when the current Daimler-Benz AG decided to take over all the Swedish import business for Mercedes-Benz from Philipson Bil AB. At that time I was very active within the Mercedes clubs in Sweden, among other things being president of MHS' Mercedes-Benz Register and later also Mercedes-Benz Gruppen Sverige (one of the two clubs that merged into today's Mercedes-Benz Klubben Sverige). Philipson supported the clubs in very nice way and I still have fond memories of my contacts there.
Click the picture to download Swedish original in PDF-format. English and German translations can be found below!
Translation of the Swedish instruction into English
And here comes a quickly cleaned up “google translate”-version of these instructions. You will for sure find errors in the text. It can be noted that the original text was a bit “old style” Swedish so the automatic translation had some difficulties. Feel free to send me corrections. Click here to download the English translation.
Übersetzung des Textes ins Deutsche
Diese Broschüre wurde auch von Christoph Voigts, einem Mitglied des VDH mercedesclubs.de’s Forum, ins Deutsche übersetzt. Die Übersetzung ist in der Forumsektion des Clubs verfügbar unter Hohlraumschutzplan für Ponton. Er hat auch seine eigenen Erfahrungen mit dem Rostschutz eines Pontons dokumentiert, Sie können es hier finden; Hohlraum-Rostschutz am Beispiel eines MB 220SE 'Ponton' von 1959.
Wenn Sie dort sind, nehmen Sie die Gelegenheit, Mitglied zu werden und profitieren Sie gleichzeitig von mehreren anderen Vorteilen! Einfach mercedesclubs.de besuchen und weiterlesen!
Example of rust protection of a MB 220SE 1959
Christoph Voigts, who has been kind to translate the Philipson material to German, also documented his experiences of protecting his 220SE Ponton -59. You can download the English version here and the accompanying pictures here.
"Dinitrol treatment according to the ML Method"
On Facebook the following turned up, Dinitrol's "ML Method". It shows how Dinitrol protects both Pontons and Fintails from rust. Note, in these drawings you can see which holes they recommend to plug and which they recommend to have open.
It's still in Swedish, I haven't had time to translate it. Sorry for that but it'll come!
Click the picture to download Swedish version in PDF-format
Translation of the symbols in the Dinitrol ML Method document
Some comments from my own work
Based on these instructions, but also on common sense when I worked with repairs or - above all - assembly with or around closed areas of the chassis etc, I sprayed Dinitrol ML into all cavities where ever I could. There are many. All this work is "proved" by photos like the one below.
Example of my, during the restoration, continous rust protection, here the A-pillar
Spraying Dinitrol ML into all the beams and cavities in the C-pillar, with the light grey cloth dome in place, was scary and had to be done meticulously. I actually first took pictures with a endoscope camera in order to familiarize myself with the construction before I started.
Endoscope picture during rust protection in C-pillar in order not to damage the cloth dome
Final touch
When the car was assembled and on the road, Rostskyddsmetoder in Stockholm did the final work; re-doing all the cavities with Dinitrol ML, washing the underbody and then covering it with Dinitrol's wax 4941/car. The owner of the company is owner of several Mercedes classics and have had a Ponton himself so he knows what he's doing. The work is to be checked/renewed every 5 years or after 15000 km.
