560SL soft top

[Pierre560sl]

I am planing to replace my 560Sl soft top.
I want to do the job myself. Is there anything I should know before starting the job, any special tool or parts required?
Also, I have been shopping on the net for the top and prices vary from 350$
to 560$ for German cloth, is there any difference between products?
Any info/tips welcome.

[Roncallo]

There is a huge difference between an aftermarket top at $400 and an original MB at $1700. I did see a 380SL in my parking lot that had a very impressive aftermarket top. I have been tryinmg to find the owner so I could ask him about it.

John Roncallo

[Pierre560sl]

Thank's John, let me know whos the manufacturer when you finf out.
Pierre.

[GSMITH]

Pierre,
I just had mine replaced. Here is what I found out. $US
I called my local shop and priced the material and labor.
He quoted $900 for a Robbins top and $335 labor.
I found the same top at www.convertibletops.net for $500 and had
the shop do the install. I asked him before I bought the top if he would
do it if I provided the top. He said yes and recommended Robbins for the
quality and fit. So I got the top installed for less than he wanted for the top alone.
I watched the last hour of the install and it looked like a circus contortionist
act. He had a helper and there were 4 arms and legs going in all directions.
It will take a professonal about 8 hrs to do the install.
As far as prices. All tops are not the same. The lower price ones do not
include the cables and may not include the front or rear seals.
Robbins sell 2 different tops one with and one without the cables.
The one I got 2041R came with everything. The only thing my installer had to add
were new elastic bands that I did not find mentioned any where on the web.

See these links for more info.
W107 Soft Top Replacement - DIY?
http://www.robbinsautotopco.com/homepage.html
http://www.worlduph.com/mbtopinstall.htm
http://www.cabrioworld.com/default.asp

Bottom line is you can do it yourself and save some $ and have the
satisfaction that you did it yourself. But if you mess up the material is
not cheap and could cost you a lot. I am a pretty good DIYer but decided
to leave this to a pro and glad I did.

If you do a search on this great site for convertible top install you will find a lot
of pro and con results.

[ericdee]

I used to watch my Dad put on tops on our 450SL when I was a kid, took him all day and a lot of profanity . He just never seemed very happy with the job after words. I'm pretty handy, but after seeing what he went through, I wouldn't do it.

As for tops I would go with an OEM one, I paid $750 for one, about 5yrs back. Nothing like the real deal.

[Strife]

I've contemplated doing this on and off. My top is in excellent shape but doesn't seem to fit that well. What I know about it:

1. Talked to the best shop in town; they told me that EVEN THEIR OWN PEOPLE screw up the first one that they do.

2. I saw a for sale 1980 450, with the best damn top I have ever seen, period. It looked as though it was a metal top that had vinyl sprayed on it. The plastic glass was so taught that you would think it actually was glass - not a wave in it. Talked to the seller, and he had it done at the place mentioned in (1). Some additional advice he had heard from them:

a. ONLY do this job in the summer - see (b).
b. After it is done well you must leave the top UP for a few weeks outside and get it through some cycles of rain/sun. This sets the glue and final stretches/shrinks everything.

[Roncallo]

One other thing I might add. Add this is a reason to DIY. My top was replaced before I bought the car with a cheap aftermarket. The top fram has pitted rust on it, not real bad but if I were replacing the top, I would have removed the fram and had it either painted or powder coated.

John Roncallo

[maheath]

I bought a top from Cabrio World for just under $400. It looks EXACTLY like my original top, except that there wasn't a star embossed in the plastic window. I installed it myself, but not in one day. I took a casual two weeks to do it, probably about 20 hours total. Most of that time was prepping the frame. Actually glueing the new top on was maybe a couple of hours.

I did have to replace the elastic straps. I took a piece of the old elastic to a fabric store and found a nearly identical replacement. I also sprayed a ton of adhesive remover on the frame and razor bladed the old adhesive off. That's what took most of the time. My old adhesive didn't come off very easily.

[iwrock]

I know that I do not have a R107, however I do have an R129, and the top is an issue on both. When we first got the car, they had replaced the headliner, because there were a few spots on it where people had touched it with oily fingers. I talked to the guy we bought it from, and he gave us a business card. Well anyways, the top needed a piece of the headliner reaffixed, as it had started to develop some loose points where it would sag a bit. I called the people that did the headliner, and as it turns out one of the big local Mercedes dealers uses them when they have to replace the soft tops on SL's, Cabrios, etc.

[Pierre560sl]

Thank's to every one, I just order a new top from cabrio world.
I will let you know about my installation experience...
Pierre.

[Walrus]

Originally Posted by Pierre560sl

Thank's to every one, I just order a new top from cabrio world.
I will let you know about my installation experience...
Pierre.

Pierre,

If you DIY, please consider taking pics along the way and document for us! I;m sure the admin/mod of this site, along with a host of users, would be interested in the process as a forum topic in the "wiki"...

Thanks!

[iwrock]

Yes, definitely try to take pictures and create a writeup of the process. vIt would be an awesome reference for those do it yourselfers who would like to tackle the project, but dont have a clue.

[Pierre560sl]

Excellent idea, I will take pictures and document the process.
That's gona be sometime in april...

[Strife]

From what I have read, the 129 top is supposed to be MUCH more difficult to install than the 107.

I once saw an official MB videotape of a 107 top installation on eBay. I really wish that I would have snagged it, it didn't go for that much. Does anyone have it? I would be great to put on DVD, if for no other reason than to preserve it

[droederer]

I successfully did the top on my 560SL. You just need to be a perfectionest, take a lot of time and measure everything. If you have a fax number I can fax you a set of instructions.

Dave
560SL