560sl hatch seal replacement tips

[300maniac]

my hatch seal on 88 560 sl has deteriorated to the point water is leaking into the soft top hatch. I've ordered a replacement seal. Any tips from experienced?

[maheath]

I just did this last week. First thing to do is remove the chrome pieces on either end of the hatch. They sit on top of a tab in the seal. Your old seal may be in bad enough shape that you can remove it without removing the chrome pieces, but they need to be off to install the new seal.

Your soft top needs to be in the compartment to remove the chrome pieces, but don't leave it in there while your removing/installing the seal. I used a bungee cord to keep the back up.

The hardest part of the old seal to remove is the cloth covered sections along either side. I used a medium-sized slotted screwdriver in these areas, making sure I didn't scratch the paint on the outside edge. The rest of the seal came out pretty easily.

Clean out the old adhesive with an adhesive remover, if needed. Check for rust in the track and underneath it. Treat any rust before proceeding.

Most important tip you'll find here... Do a dry fit of the new seal before using adhesive. Line up the narrow section in the middle and work towards either end. If I hadn't done this, I would have put adhesive on the wrong part of the seal. Pay particular attention to the orientation of the seal along the cloth parts.

The adhesive I used was 3M Super Weatherstrip adhesive. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it's yellow. My car is black. You'll also need a plastic shim/scraper/etc. Kleen Strip makes the perfect one. I think it's designed to remove the finish from wood.

The 3M adhesive needs to be applied to both the track and the seal. You'll need a helper to hold the seal while the adhesive dries. Do half of the seal at a time, don't try to do the entire seal at once. You'll need the shim in the cloth areas. Lay the inside of the seal in first and use the shim on the outside edge. Occasionally, you'll need to use the shim on the inside edge to.

After you're finished, you'll need to remove the excess adhesive with an adhesive remover. I let mine dry for a few days before I tried to remove any trace of yellow.

[300maniac]

Thanks for your input. sounds like a bear of a job. Nothing on this car seems easy to fix. Good old german engineering I guess.

Much obliged.