Painting the SDL...suggestions.....
 

Now that 95% of it is in perfect working order, I ahve decided to take advantage of this cool weather and prep it for painting.

I realize that removing most of the chrome is imperative and will remove as much as I can.

I do have a problem with the rear windshield.

The best way to paint the car would be to remove it to insure a quality job. However, the things is 17 years old and no one wants to guarantee they can remove it w/o it breaking. If I don't remove it, masking that black gasket is a bear of a job to do right. comsidering the small space.

So:

I can mask it as best I can than touch up after with the paint.

Paint the gasket the same color as the car.

or take an expensive chance and remove the windshield.

Thoughts?

If your car is 95%, why not get the paint done right?

If the rear window de-laminating, even a bit and it breaks, it might be the excuse you needed to get a new one... ;)

Best Regards,
Jim

You can't mask the rubber in place and it not show as a repaint when finished..
See if you can raise the edge of the rubber enough to get something like the ' cord' used to hold screen wire in a window..... or the small cording used to make the welt on upholstery...
then carefully place this all around under the edge of the rubber..
Then just mask the rubber...
and spray the car including the area exposed by the rubber being held up at the edge...
This is not easy, not fun, not anything pleasant...
Particularly if you are prepping it properly because your sanding and primering will also have to be done into this cavity.
That makes cleaning those things out of the cavity very hard ... and necessary because then when you paint you don't want any of that junk blown out on your wet paint...
Not fun.. but one way to make sure you don't break an old glass...
Remember , never touch the car with sandpaper which does not have a sanding block behind it... at the very least a spot applying squeegee.... the black rubber kind...

I say remove it and get the best paint job possible. Obviously you plan on keeping the car a long long time so you don't want to skimp on it. If the window breaks you can replace it for a very small part of the price of getting a good repaint.

I am in the middle of the same project. I have striped all paint to bare metal. I removed all the aluminum trim EXCEPT the front windshield. To remove the backlight, I removed the hatrack, ( rear parcel shelf in American). Then I cut the inside lip across the top and down both sides. I couldn't reach the bottom. Then I carefulley wiggled the glass to breal the bond. DO NOT pull it up and out until it is free--glass only bends a very little. I was very tense, but it came out in one piece! Obviously, I will use a new gasket--nonly because I it, but because it was leaking.
The trim around the door windows was not difficult, just tedious.
Its easier to remove than mask, but there is a LOT of stuff to reinstall.
I also removed the sliding steel roof and its weatherstrips.
After scrubbing with a scotch brite pad using " The Must for Rust" (a phosphoric acid treatment to remove microscopic rust and prevent futrue rust). 2K Primer in a week or two

Don't paint the seal. It will peel eventually looking worse than anything.

If your front or rear window seals are fairly new and the rubber is still pliable, the seal can be "roped up" (like leathermang said they stuff a rope under the rubber) to allow paint to be applied underneath, then put back down with spendid results.
Next week I am having my front cowling and hood repainted (new hood that is, after kids jumped up on it to steal the hood star :mad: ) Insurance claim, anybody want to guess what that will cost for a W123 ? >$2K !!!!!!!!!!!!!

If however the seals need replacement any time soon you are probably better off removing the window to have the paint applied. Oh and avoid any aftermarket window seals, use a OE seal and you and/or the window installers will be much happier !

Old painters trick I learned in Germany....

Do the best job you can at taping the rubber. Once this is done, take a very thin coat of grease or other lube on the remaining exposed rubber....make it thin enough that spray will not spread it, but thick enough that it's really there.

Once you paint the car and let it dry, you can go over the rubber with a cleaner and the grease/lube should come right off leaving good looking rubber beneath and a clean paint line.

Personally, I think it's easier to take the glass out, but......

Just wanted to emphasize this point. If there is dust in here the paint sprayer will blow it out and it will become part of your paint job.

The advice to cut-out the window rubber is also very good. Someone at the body shop will probably reinstall the window with a new rubber gasket for a very fair price.

i agree with greg +i have seen your car - mask it.

I can mask it as best I can than touch up after with the paint. yes

Paint the gasket the same color as the car. no

or take an expensive chance and remove the windshield. def. not


:cool:

i wish the kids would jump on my hood for 2K .. heh
j/k hope is turns out well//
:)

Doing it Right!
 

Plantman, You should take out the windsheild and let a professional take the window out and put it back in. The paint job is an expensive job. If you want to do it right then go all out. If you don't and the results make you unhappy, then where do you stand? There are professionals that do this every day. Even a Paint and Body shop do it.

It looks like I will probably be taking it out. If it doesn't come out right, I will be pissed. Although I will try to see how much room the "roping" provides. If I can get to all of the area under the seal, that will work for me.

I remember we used to install windshields that way.

There was one suggestion that made no sense to me, the one about using the grease......I haven't painted cars in awhile, but I remember any type of oils used in enamel paint jobs would result in a tremendous amount of fish eye which is a no-no.

I do not know if this applies to base coat clear coat finishes though. As I said, it's been awhile.

I will be doing all of the prepping myself at my warehouse, then having the flatbed take it to my cousins shop for the paint job. Kinda hard to drive when it's pretty much stripped! :)

Thanks for all the tips.

Several people on this board have found hidden rust in the channel when replacing their rear window. Since you're painting anyway, now is the time to find it. MTUPower seems to be really familiar with the junkyards in south FLorida. Maybe contact him about sourcing a spare window.

As Rick mentioned... there is a good chance you will find rust... and maybe a LOT of rust under the rear glass..
There is even a Technical Service Bulletin concerning that... and I think a metal item available for a weld in fix....
Check with Alldata.com to find the tsb/number/ name... then go to your MB and request the hard copy... or something like that...

There are so many variables in the logistics of trying to get a paint job done...hard to really give good advice....

If you are working under cover in the prep and going to haul it to the paint shop you are in much better shape than most.

The main problem is that any differences in thickness of the primer or spot putty cause the primer to swell more there EACH TIME PRIMER IS APPLIED.. and this could typically be ten times on any particular spot on the car... I am talking about trying to get a perfect paint job cheap... What counts is the amount of time... at least days.... between when the primer is applied....and the first of the wet sanding happens...

This is because in the heavier areas or spots the primer will have taken up more of the primer carrier.... typically lacquer thinner... but perhaps reducer....depending on the system you are useing.... so if you put your sandpaper with block behind it to that area too fast.. when the paint lets go of the carrier it will be a low spot....

Time and elbow grease are the most important factors once you get the extra stuff off the car and start with the actual paint application..

And remember that primer is hygroscopic... meaning it ATTRACTS MOISTURE.... you can not let it get wet... and ideally it should be in a warm dry room as soon as you start the paint spraying process... including the primer coats.... if it gets wet or fails to stay dry... then the metal starts rusting UNDER the primer.....even if you can not see it...

What does a good paint job usually run? Using good quality paint at a good shop? $3k?
I am paying very close attention to this thread because if I do keep my SDL she will be getting new paint before her 20th birthday. I would strip everthing off, Plantman how many times are you going to paint it? Just pull the rear window out and find a used one if that one breaks. Besides the gasket is getting old, also if your front windshield is pitted now would be a good time to replace that too.