Working on w123 coupe rear interior panel and trim - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JHZR2 · #1 03-11-2012, 11:02 AM

Hi,

Ive put off completing the rear regulator repair on my 82 300CD. Frankly Im a bit scared that it will all be a failure, but need to get the car back together to find out.

My issue is with the actual palomino-colored interior skin in the rear (and the chrome/plastic trim part that attaches to it). Specifically, this panel:

It seems to me that the correct way to remove these panels is to remove the seatbelt, and pull it through the hole, leaving the front and back sides to the panel together. The back side (which is just a chrome strip and a plastic trapezoid to hide the seatbelt pilliar) seems crimped onto the panel. On my car, one side is perfect, the other has always been completely off of the actual palomino panel.

The chrome strip crimps to the panel, and also friction fits onto the black metal piece that has clips which hold it and the window scraper. This part:

So, how do I best approach getting it all back together properly? I do have an issue with the vinyl coming off the panel in the section by the seatbelt, so Ill need to heat/stretch/stick it on, but then it is a matter of how do I get that chrome piece on, and then everything back together into that trim channel with the clips? Not an easy feat.

Any recommendations on how to attack this without damaging anything? Would really love to have my coupe back together, and I still have to do the other side (which is all together and connected, so need to be sure it is done right).

Thanks!

chasinthesun · #2 03-11-2012, 11:21 AM

You have the back seat out?I remember doing this job ,i have an old piece sitting in the trunk ,ill look at it and retrace how I came up with install.

JHZR2 · #3 03-11-2012, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chasinthesun

You have the back seat out?I remember doing this job ,i have an old piece sitting in the trunk ,ill look at it and retrace how I came up with install.

Yes, backseat and shelf is out.

The d/s had the chrome strip off when I bought the car - want to fix it. The other side will need full, proper removal without damage, so I can work on the regulator.

Yak · #4 03-11-2012, 11:34 AM

I had the exact same problem. One side was intact and one side the chrome strip separated from the vinyl-wrapped card.

One the intact side, I removed the seatbelt. I then carefully popped the compression spring clip that fastened the stamped metal to the chrome strip. I was VERY careful to not dislodge the chrome from the vinyl.

I do not believe it is possible, short of some Rube Goldberg contraption or a large press, to reattach via crimping the long chrome strip to the vinyl-wrapped card if it has already pulled away. I think the warping/pulling forces on the card pull away from the vinyl. You can re-crimp the chrome, but it will adhere to the vinyl while the vinyl doesn't stick to the underlying card, and the whole thing separates again.

In your case, I think you need to disconnect the wiper+chrome strip from the stamped metal piece. I think I left two of the three clamping pieces on the stamped piece (as visible in your third pic) and the third clap on the chrome piece. I then reattached the stamped piece to the car.

You can then try (hopefully with better luck than me) to re-attach the vinyl to the card securely, then re-clamp the chrome onto the vinyl. Once the wiper+chrome+card combination is re-assembled, you'll slide that back down onto the stamped piece that you bolted into the car already. You'll have to try to re-align the spring clamp clips.

I don't recall the exact combination of which of the three clips went where on my reinstall. I think I put two on one part and one on the other; but I may also have moved all three of the them onto the chrome strip after some trial-and-error since that's how it seems the factory would have had it in order to install it in the first place.

All three clips on the chrome strip is sort of reinforced by their absence from the pic just above step 7 in my DIY. PeachPartsWiki: Rear Quarter Window Lube

That's not a guarantee I didn't put them back there, it just means they weren't there when I took the picture. I do remember trying a few combinations of clips on one part or the other before getting it back together; I just don't remember which one worked best.

JHZR2 · #5 03-11-2012, 11:55 AM

Thanks!

How did you deal with what seems to be an inability to reconnect the chrome to the card?

Im tempted to shave down the card thickness as much as needed to get it to fit on (without the vinyl in there), and use some adhesive in the track. Ugggh.

Yak · #6 03-11-2012, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHZR2

Thanks!

How did you deal with what seems to be an inability to reconnect the chrome to the card?

Im tempted to shave down the card thickness as much as needed to get it to fit on (without the vinyl in there), and use some adhesive in the track. Ugggh.

I didn't ever get it all back together fully. I did successfully get a portion of the chrome strip to stay in place on the card by first opening it up bit so it didn't tear the vinyl when I put it over the vinyl+card and then recompressing with wide jaw vise grip tool I have (~2" blades). I could never get it to stay where the vinyl had pulled away - the areas tha you describe as "shrinking" on your card. The trapezoid plastic part just stayed disconnected (glue wouldn't hold) and I had an unsightly 1/4 gap or so on that side. That was my passenger side, so I didn't see it too much.

I think the cards warp with weather and age. Maybe some sort of U-shaped bracket with the bottom of the U on the plastic trapezoid and the uprights connect to the card around the seat belt slot could help hold it together. That's awkwardly described, but I hope you can see what I mean.

Phillytwotank · #7 03-12-2012, 10:27 AM

I've also experienced the trials or restoring this area of my coupe. That spot really takes a beating from wind with the back windows down, the seatbelt, the Sun. So, deterioration of the vinyl, plastic and rubber there is not uncommon I'm sure.

The "clipping together theory" is just like all the other chrome and weather stripping clips on the car. Its got those "S" shaped clips that clip up and down at the same time. So, you kinda gotta kinda pinch 'em together with some soft jaws.

Short answer on the reassembly question is.. the inner/horizontal window strip clips the the horizontal plasti-chrome piece ---> those two together clip to that black metal piece that bolts to the inside of the body there ----> the text covered "interior card" claps over the area and the top edge of it should mate up to a groove in the plasti-chrome but its prolly gonna be tuff to get it in there looking factory new. That car is also screwed into the body at one spot. Be very careful with the rear pillar covers. The plastic clips can be very brittle.

I'm going to recover the card panel in mine to try and refresh that area there. Hopefully able to get a good fit with the vinyl at the top around the seat belt hole and along the top.

Have Fun!

Renntag · #8 04-01-2012, 12:47 PM

Can anyone comment on points to be concerned with removing interior pieces to gain access to rear window lifts on a 123 300CD? We are about to tear into it and do not wish to damage any parts.

We found this DIY:
PeachPartsWiki: Rear Quarter Window Lube

It does not address specific removal concerns. It references "Factory Service manual" that many of us do not have.