Windshield seal replacement

[psfred]

My brother and I finally got around to putting the windows back in his 300D. Once we figured out what we were doing (long story), it went pretty fast.

Trouble spots:

Getting the trim into the lock slot on the new gasket can be a pain. We pried the trim out of the old gasket on the car, a mistake, since we then had to straighten it back out to get it to stay in. The corners are the worst, we had to use a hooked screwdriver (orignially made from a cheap screwdriver to work on brakes) to get the rubber up onto the trim. The rest of it was easy once the correct contour was established.

We used two wraps of #10 electrical wire in the body flange slot for installation, and Tire Shine to lub the gasket. Once we got the wire in the correct slot, things went fast -- on the front gasket, the correct slot is hidden and we were attempting to get the wrong portion of the gasket over the flange.

The wire fits nicely in and stays put if you have the correct location......

For installation, all it takes is getting the window set correctly so that the flange and gasket match up all round -- most difficult part is getting the position correct side-to-side. From there, pulling the wire out while another person presses the gasket and window inward will roll the lip over the flange like magic.

The corners will again give the most trouble -- more pressure is necessary to get the lip to come over, but too much and the wire won't come out.

Back window also required punching holes for the defrost wires on the W115.114, don't know if this is necessary for other models (it's not for W108 or W115.110 chassis gaskets). Front window required some help with the hooked screwdriver in a couple of places where the lip didn't roll over nicely, but that wasn't a big problem.

The outer lip had to be rolled out from under the edge, too, it didn't flip properly by itself. Any blunt tool will work there.

After gettting the gasket in, we tapped the lock trim down with a soft mallet to seat it. This was necessary, probably due the temperature of the gasket. It might settle in by itself, but tapping worked.

Next time I take a window out I'm going to try to pry the gasket lip over the flange rather than pry the trim out and cut the gasket -- will save considerable bother re-installing it!

Peter

[engatwork]

Thanks for the write up Peter. From what I have read/seen the chrome trim is removed after the old one is out and is put in prior to putting the new seal in. It is easy to bend and hard to get perfectly straight after it gets bent.

[leathermang]

Fred , What ? No during the process pictures ? You are slipping....

[psfred]

Leatherman:

No digital camera! Not enough light (or time) for a film camera.

Next time, next time. I've got at least one more set to do (the 280 SE when I paint it, hopefully this spring).

Peter

[leathermang]

OH FRED, My most sincere empathy, my digital camera has been the best tool for saving time I have.... When trying to find replacements for tractor or implements (often old/generic) I put a pic on photoisland.com and call the likely suspect parts dealer... and give them the url... saved me $150 on just one item last year....And for investigating places hard to reach like plumbing or under the house, or under the car or under the dashboard..also for putting stuff back like it is supposed to be.. great record of it coming apart... I grab the camera and take a shot.... not like film for usefullness ... WAY Better....
Just thought I would try to help you justify getting one....