Replacing Pillar Post Seal 86 560SL

[droederer]

I will soon be replacing my pillar post seal on my 1986 560SL. Does anyone have a proceedure for this or any suggestions?

[Strife]

I did this, the tricky part is peeling the old seal back and exposing the screws - and then, actually reinstalling them (WITHOUT LOSING THEM) while keeping the new rubber peeled back. I used lots of very sticky duct tape.

I used an old CD, cut in two, and a wooden paint stick as tools to stuff the other side in the channel and to lift the rubber. Expect to do this twice - once to "fit" it, and once to actually complete it. Slight lubrication of the rubber with soap, etc helps.

These IMHO are the most difficult seals to install. And the only ones I haven't done are the taillights!!

[el Miguel]

Strife, I'm replacing the soft top and wonder about the seals above the windows. Not the stiff ones that the windows track to but the ones that contact the soft top. Do you just glue them on or do they fit in the track of the fold down mechanism???
Mike
1984 Euro 500SL

[Strife]

If you mean the vertical ones, they also fit into the metal channels. It is tricky to get them to line up correctly and mate and fold correctly, a little trimming is involved (I used a single edge razor blade, sparingly - it's easier to make something shorter than longer)! This was especially true of the leading edge of the soft (and hard) top where the pillar post meets the top. I did quite a few iterations of folding and fitting before I felt that it was good.