'Stormcloud' Exhaust rubber buffer install

[Alec300SD]

Today I did a what I thought was going to be a quick, easy job on 'Stormcloud' , my 1979 W116 300SD.
I had a very hard time trying to install the rearmost of two missing exhaust rubber buffer pads
(123 987 09 40) that prevent the rear muffler from striking the chassis.

I removed all four exhaust hangers for the rear muffler, and lowered the exhaust to the ground..
The buffer brackets are on the chassis, and are located between the two ears of front and reat exhaust hanger brackets.

Simply pushing the pointed end, at the top of the pad, onto the hole in the rearmost bracket didn't work.
The soft rubber is too pliable, and resists efforts to push the mushroomed end all the way through the mounting hole by hand.
There is no room to grab the pointed end with pliers.

I resorted to using a floor jack and a block of wood to seat the rearmost buffer.
I couldn't use the floor jack to seat the front rubber buffer as the lowered exhaust was in the way.

I discovered that pushing up on an Allen key inserted into the hole at the bottom of the buffer lets you seat the rubber buffer into the hole of the bracket.
The second rubber buffer seated right away with this method.


Hopefully this tip will help others in the future.


The rubber buffers.



The rearmost buffer in place.



Installing the front buffer with an Allen key

[jay_bob]

That is why that hole is in there, guarantee that’s how they seated the originals in the factory.

SuperLube is your friend here also.