Mercedes R107 SL seat removal and restoration
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- This is a short video showing how to remove the seats in a Mercedes 107SL. The video also details how to remove the height adjustment mechanism (if you have one), and more importantly, how to put back the tension spring in this mechanism should you need to do so.
Well I just finished my 6 month winter project.
1. Reupholstered seats (outsourced)
2. Removing all carpet.
3. Rust repair.
3. Replacing all my floor insulation/sound deadening.
4. Installing new carpet set
5. Replacing dash wood trim
6. Bluetooth radio upgrade (outsourced).
7. Door seals replaced. Not the “A” pillars yet😮
8. Door threshold rubbers replaced.
9. Replaced center console switches.
Just in time for some Spring driving.
I think I spent more time watching your videos than watching Netflix!
Thanks again for your content.
Dan
Wow! That sounds like quite a project. The money you have saved by doing the work yourself, should pay for the Netflix subscription! Mike
Hi. Would you mind sharing where you got your R107 parts? Specifically, new carpet set, dash trim, door seals & threshold covers and center console switches. I have a 1973 450SL and looking for good, reliable, and reasonable parts source. Thanks!
Upholstery and new seat pads were from World Upholstery and Trim
Carpet Set from GAHH
Threshold from Buds Benz
BurlWood 8 piece dash strip from Performance Products in Titusville. I bought an earlier set from Pelican Parts, and they were thin and garbage.
A few console switches from Autohaus. I tried to get all new Mercedes parts but some are no longer available.
A lot of the more obscure parts I got from my local Mercedes dealership.
I made a sad little UA-cam video showing this project called 560SL/R107 interior replacement.
Excellent, clear video. Thank you
Greetings from America, Thank you again Mike , for another awesome video . You really provided us R107 enthusiasts an indepthed , informative video of the disassembly / assembly of the seats. I am also very impressed with the rust remover that you used. Those seat components looked brand new after they were dipped .
I have a question.
How do you take off and install the seat back panel ? I took out the screw on the bottom that's in the center of the panel but can't remove the panel.
Thank you again for another awesome video.
Hello - thanks for your positive comments - they are much appreciated. Once you have undone the lower screw the seat backs are only held on by three upper clips and in theory should slide out the bottom. However......my experience was that these clips really grip the hardboard tightly and over the years make a slight indentation which makes it hard to pull the back straight out.Have a you seen the video below which shows how I got them out?
ua-cam.com/video/f_R68v_GQMY/v-deo.html
If possible (eg without breaking the hardboard) squeeze the hardboard together to make it narrower and lift it out from the side channels sufficiently to be able to wiggle the seat back from side to side at the top where it clips in. If you get impatient and break the hardboard where it clips in (as most people do!) its not the end of the day as it is relatively simply to cut another piece. Good luck. Mike
Absolutely saved my bacon on this. The ‘2p piece spring technique’ worked like a dream, it would have been impossible to return it any other way. Once again, invaluable advice from Mike and hope to see some more videos as they’re so helpful for doing your own restoration...... THANK YOU !!!!
Thanks form your kind comments - glad the video helped. Mike
Where can I find that rust remover??
Hi - those crystals are made by Bilt Hamber:
bilthamber.com/product/deox-c/
Mike
Hey Mike, will Rust-oleum rust inhibitor work in lue of the Eastwood rust incapsulater? Also, would Rust-Oleum black semi-gloss protective enamel work for the black paint pieces? Thank you and I hope your day is well.
Thanks for your comment. I have never used the Rust-Oleum products BUT as I understand it, a rust inhibitor is not the same as a rust encapsulator. The latter can be used over lightly rusted areas AND act as an undercoat. It effectively seals in any existing rust and stops it spreading. Mike
@@MikesMercsandothercars You're the man!
HI Mick ! Can you give me the name of the rust remover please ? Where did you get it ? Thank you and Happy New Year
Oxalic Acid Powder
@@ashrafshanaq4340 Is this it? www.amazon.com/OXALIC-Crystals-Cleaning-Removal-Remover/dp/B0145TH0HM/ref=asc_df_B0145TH0HM/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198101335621&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14166571246371959058&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028903&hvtargid=pla-438262058287&psc=1
Mike how would you replace the black seat adjuster on the bottom side on tge chairs?
my son on leaving the back of my SL kicked the chrome plate of and the turning disc has broken off?
it looks a minefield 😟😟😟
Kids! Have a look at my seat trimming video for the red 1983 280SL. The front of the seat adjuster is a flat disc which you prise off with a watch makers screw driver……revealing a metal locking mechanism which you tap round to the unlock position with a flat blade screwdriver…..then you can remove the round turning knob. I may have a spare on my gold parts car. Mike
@@MikesMercsandothercars - Hi Mike, thank you, when i bought my SL the round black disc never turned, it was only after bringing it home i discovered it was glued on 😂😂😂
I would like them to actually work one day. If you have a spare, i will buy it from you
@@grantdavis8950 OK - I'll have a look when I get back from holiday. Mike
Hi Mike, just wanted to say thx for your video. I took it up on myself to freshen up underneath my seats. Your procedure was spot on!! Pain in the ass for the tension spring but your process with coins were excellent in re installing it. Again keep up the great work on the R107. Stay safe!
Hi Tom - thanks for your kind words.
I can’t for the life of me get the seat adjustment springs unhooked after removing all those 10mil bolts, did you use a tensioner tool?
Hi - sorry to read you are having a problem. I assume you mean the big height adjustment spring? Have you taken the seat out of the car yet? On that 1985 280SL, undoing the 4 bolts which hold the rear bar in place should enable you to unhook that spring…..putting it back in is usually the tricky part. Mike
Awesome hack to reinstall the seat height spring. It kicked my rear when I did it. Well done!
Thanks for your comment.....good to know there’s still a use for loose change
Brand of rust remover? Can't find.
Thanks for your comment. I started off using Evoprust (which is great but expensive) and switched to Bilt Hamber D Ox C crystals: Might be difficult to get hold of depending where you live. Mike
www.bilthamber.com/corrosion-protection-and-rust-treatments
Is this is Oxalic Acid Powder?
where did you get the 4kg bag of that Deox C - only can find 5kg jerry cans for 73€
They have changed the packaging and now do 5kg in a plastic container. Mike
@@MikesMercsandothercars and also raised the price then!
@@p__jay Yes...I guess the price of most things have gone up. What are you trying to derust? Remember that the 5KG is mixed in a 19:1 ratio and will produce 100 litres of rust remover...which is re-useable.
In my last video I used a product by HD Chemicals - they also do a rust remover. I havent tried it but it might work out better value.
Mike
Hi Mike, Can you please help, I removed the 6 bolts and the seat belt bolt and whilst the front of the seat rocks up and down when I try to remove it, the seat is solid towards the rear inner side. No matter how much force I use I cannot get the seat to budge, do you have any solutions please?
Hi - sorry to hear you are having a problem removing the seat in your car. Can you tell me make model and year? Does it have seat height adjustment?
Do (or did) the seats slide back and forth smoothly?
Once bolts are removed seat and rails should lift straight up. Assuming the seat rails have not been welded or bonded in, you could try tapping the end of each rail towards the dash with a wooden drift.
Mike
Hi Mike, thanks for your reply. My car is a 1989 300SL with the seat height adjustment. I have eased a screwdriver down the side of each seat rail which allows me to move the seat back and forth as well as being able to rock the seat up and down, but it seems something is still attached which is preventing it from being lifted upwards. According to your video the seat height adjuster doesn’t seem attached to the seat but I am wondering if my one is because other than that I can’t see what else could be preventing the removal. Hope this helps and thanks again for your help. Best wishes, Bill
@@silkybill Yes - you will need to detach your seta from the height adjustment bar. If you are struggling to do this, you can just undo the bolts which hold the bar in place. Just bear in mind that the bar is under tension and the bar will want to twist.kink when you undo the last bolt. You can maybe wedge a bit of wood in there before undoing the bolts. Good luck. Mike
Thanks Mike, really appreciate your help and advice but after struggling for a while I decided to bolt everything back up and will try another day. The purpose of removing the seats was to give the carpets a proper shampooing and hoovering but it will have to wait.
Love watching and listening to your videos, keep up the good work.
Best wishes, Bill
@@silkybill Living to fight another day is always a good strategy. Mike
Hi Mike, I am in US and have a 280 SL which is consider a gray market for US. I followed you instruction for removing the front set but it rocks and feels like something holding it which I can not see. What have I missed and can you give me some help please? Thanks
Hello - As far as I am aware, there shouldn't be anything other than the 4 bolts holding the seat in. Do you have the same problem on both sides? It could be that your chassis is slightly belt on one side which is preventing the seat coming out easily. Try sliding the seat all the way back and all the way forwards to see if that makes a difference. When you undo the back bolts and take out the plate, can you lift the back of the seat up towards the sky? If so you might be able to see where it is catching. Mike
Mike, I have, not only the forward and backward control handle, I also have a handle on the side that moves the seat up and down.
It seems that the assembly that controls the up and down is attached to the body and the seat pivots on the area. I did not remove that screw since I was not sure. Does this give you more information? Thanks
@@Parviz0374 Hello - If you look at the black metal rail attached to the side of the seat right at the beginning of the video, you will see there is a black metal piece with a hole in it just below the forward tilt mechanism. From memory, the silver bar (shown at 0.56 and 6.06) which controls the up and down mechanism latches into this hole. There is no screw or bolt...just some wiggling to get it free. Good luck. Mike
@@MikesMercsandothercars
Mike,
Do you have a video on how to replace both front and rear shocks?
I have done this on other cars but not on my 1982, 280 SL.
I am not sure if there is anything special or different on this car. Thanks
Hello - yes I have done videos on replacing the front and rear shocks. The fronts are relatively simple - just a few bolts and you might have to move the water header tank to one side to access one side. To access the rear shocks, you need to take out a few bits of trim. Once you have done that, it is just a few bolts. No special tools required. For rear shocks see ua-cam.com/video/0yb-q4qu6vw/v-deo.html
For front shocks see ua-cam.com/video/svQJG8r2AFw/v-deo.html
Thanks Mike but you missed out the trickiest bit! That is taking the seat off the seat adjuster mechanism.....could you kindly offer some guidance to how you did that bit?
Thanks for your comment. Can you let me know what model and year your car is? It has been a while since I did this, but from memory after you remove the four bolts, the seat is just attached to the height adjuster via the fitting shown at 5.57 in the video. The seat just slides and lifts up out of this fitting from the part of the fitting attached to the seat that is closest to the dash. Don't know if that helps - but worst case scenario just undo the nut and bolt that holds the spring to the car and take the whole fitting out in one go...once it is out you will be able to see exactly how it comes off.. Just be careful when you undo that spring bolt! Mike
Cool channel! You could use a Playlist for your R107 so people could binge watch them all in a row. 😆🤙
Thanks For your comment. You are right I do need playlists. Mike
Thank you for your videos!!
Thanks for your comment. I'm glad that the videos have proved useful. Mike
This is going to be so helpful for me in figuring out why my driver side seat has crooked back and doesn't slide. Thanks.
Thanks for your comment. The seat not sliding could be related to a seized sliding mechanism or locked teeth And not necessarily to do with the crooked back. The crooked back could have something to do with the seat tilt mechanism? Let me know how you go. Mike
@@MikesMercsandothercars Ok, so I got the seat out, I checked the sliders cleaned and greased them with white lith. Outside of the car it seemed like it functioned properly, it feels like when it's in the car and weight is on it, the lever does not release enough and the teeth are still engaged.
@@frostshock13 Hmmm...at some stage (soon I hope) I will be removing the seats from our gold parts car abnd transplanting them in the red project car. That will give me a better opportunity to assess what might be wrong with your mechanism. Incidentally, I have the same problem in my classic Fiat 500...but that is due to the runners on the seat being ever so slightly bent. In the Fiat (which is less well made than the merc) this can happen when heavy people rock back in the seat or fling them selves into the car with full force. Mike
@@MikesMercsandothercars Ok, I will keep a look out for it, while taking it out now isn't bad. I didn't realize it was like locked into the height adjuster. It's not something I want to do a bunch of times with the same results lol. Thanks champion.
Mike. Very helpful video in figuring out why my seat gets stuck. Also The back rest of drivers seat keeps reclining while I drive. Any ideas what I could do to fix it ? Thanks.
Fantastic
Thanks for your comment - much appreciated. Mike
GOOD VIDEO! I AM CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY YOU DID NOT TREAT THE FLOOR AND SURROUNDING AREA WITH RUST TREATMENT AND PAINT AS YOU DID THE SEAT HARDWARE????
Hi - thanks for your comment. At a later stage, I did actually respray the floor pans with Eastwood rust encapsulator. Same process on the car I am currently doing...but I don't think I filmed this. Mike