Re: Non Boxster (in fact, non Porsche) convertible top protection

Guys, over the weekend we stumbled across a 1986 Mercedes-Benz 560SL. It's red (exactly like the car in the movie "Beverly Hills Cop"), in beautiful condition (although not show quality) and appears to be unmolested to my eye (wife was once a concours judge). It's been a driver's car, but the price was too attractive for us not to buy it.

As you know, this model is a hardtop convertible. The cloth top has three plastic window panels (center, left and right quarters). My 987 has a glass window, so I know nothing about the plastic window chop, fold and put-a-towel-in-the-middle routine. In this Benz, the cloth top gets manually dropped and stored under the clamshell and stays there, folded the entire time that the hardtop is on the car atop the clamshell.

Now my question... what do I do to best protect the folded top as it's stored in that position for months at a time? I'm especially concerned about the plastic window panels.

I have found (in the case of the Boxster) it is best to wipe the window with a wet cloth to get off the dust. I pat mine dry and once a year use "Plexus" (available in boat and other stores) to remove scratches and keep conditioned. With the Boxster, the exterior side of the window, which of course is the dusty side, folds upon itself and will rub as you drive. Good. luck, Tom

… never put the soft top down when it's wet.
Make sure it is completely dry otherwise the thread that holds the plastic onto the canvas rots and fails sooner that it should.
Happy MB'ing
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Always like the look of the 1980s era SLs, particularly the 450s. Is it mainly a boulevard cruiser or does it hold its own if pushed?

It's a boulevard cruiser. The engine doesn't idle smoothly but off-idle it pulls like a freight train and is smooth as silk. I'm new to these cars... having never considered buying one before this one fell in our lap. My research and our trusted mechanic tells me that these old R107 Benzs are notorious for vacuum leaks and rough idle. Part of me wonders whether that roughness is inherent in this design... or whether I just don't remember how unrefined cars were 30 years ago. She gets about 11 miles per gallon. We told all of our neighbors that we need them to keep their electric cars because we need all the gas they aren't burning.

It corners pretty well, probably because it's low to the ground, but it's extremely nose-heavy (the hood is about as long as the cabin and trunk combined) and the brakes can't keep-up with the car's acceleration. We drive it smooth and steady and that's where the chassis is most comfortable.

There's a ton of play in the steering. Again, not sure if it's the design or the age of the car, and it also probably is related to the bus-sized steering wheel.

It's beautiful. Everybody waves at us, people in parking lots stop us to ask questions. It's like we are leading our own parade almost anywhere we go. It's hard not to arrive at work smiling when you drive up in this car.

We gotta get the AC repaired. It's an old R12 system, and our trusted mechanic tells us it needs to be converted to the new refrigerant, with new hoses and parts. That's going to be a few thousand dollars, but we can't drive the car in sunny Sacramento without AC. Wife will let me get away with a lot, but she won't do without AC. We bought the car because it was such a deal, so we don't mind investing a few dollars.

I can't wait for the weekend to clean and detail it, as well as remove the hardtop and drive it for the first time topless. I will post a picture here if I can figure-out how to do that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2015 01:12PM by Spanky. (view changes)

Photobucket is a great way to post pix here. Feel sorry for people who have to drive cars that are mere means of transportation. All vehicles should give such joy to drive.

I've owned M-Bs since I bought a 250SL in 1971. The 107 chassis SL is quite a bit heavier than my 113 chassis (3,600 lbs. vs. 3,000 lbs.) and it is apparent when driving the cars. On the plus side, and this is a big plus, it uses the later suspension from the 114/115 chassis "small" sedans which has anti-dive geometry built into the front suspension and semi-trailing arms in the rear. The 560 updates included some tweaks to the rear suspension to reduce squat, which the 107 chassis SL was prone to. While the weight was a penalty against my car the 107s always seem to perform fairly well at MBCA track and autocross events. The 560 was definitely the best version. If the steering has actual play, i.e. a dead spot where no movement of the front wheels takes place when moving the steering wheel, I would have the entire steering linkage checked (tie rods, drag link and the steering box itself). If the box is "loose" it can be adjusted. M-B allowed for 25mm of play at the steering wheel rim IIRC but I always set them for close to zero. Also, have the front subframe mounts checked and the bushings in the rear suspension. Keep in mind that M-B used a lot of rubber in the running gear and all of it ages. It can be a nice handling, fast road car when right. Not a Porsche, but enjoyable in it's own right.

Use a towel to separate the panels.

Porsche gave us a "cloth" to put in the fold.... this is to both prevent scratching from abrasions due to surface-to-surface movement, but this plastic can flow together and stick. This plastic is made of two materials, a highly viscous liquid and a lattice skeleton. When pressed together, the liquid part can flow together and in really bad cases, can become one lump. Of course this takes time etc., but in short, keep the surfaces of the clear plastic from touching each other.

I had 197K miles on my plastic window and it still looked pretty good w/ five months of each year folded under the hardtop.

Peace
Bruce in Philly