W126 Hood Pad R&R - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

stephenson · #1 12-31-2006, 05:12 PM

Replaced hood pad this week ... am attaching photos.

Pretty straightforward - I used many tips and hints from others in this great forum - hopefully the lessons I learned can be used by others - a small payback for all the help this forum has provided me over the years ... what did we ever do without digital cameras?

So, after watching the original pad deteriorate for the last three years, I ordered a pad from Phil. New one had the metallic protector over the turbo area - original one did not. Went to local auto parts store I use that has very knowledgeable counter folks - and they tried to sell me the universal 3M adhesive - wrong stuff! I asked them to reference their 3M book and there was the correct stuff - ordered and picked up next day - there may be "Black" available, but all they could get was the "Yellow" version. Got one can of the adhesive and one of the remover. Plenty of remover, but just barely enough of the adhesive - I could have used more, I felt, but didn't want to commit to another expensive can.

I considered doing the job with the hood on the car - glad I didn't!

Process and lessons learned:
1. Take "before" photos for reference
2. Note the hood pins have paint tear outs so they can and should be matched for their respective sides; mark them with a pencil (top and bottom of each side is different length)
3. Remove the passenger side windshield reservoir hose and plug with small hose that is plugged (the plastic cover for the hose entry into the hood was badly deteriorated and fragile - damage it on removal - may leave it off)
4. Remove the driver side wire by detaching it from plug after removing the cover with plugs attached from the hood - note position of the wire clips
5. Raise hood to the vertical position
6. Remove pin clips - note one on each side is painted body color and one is black
7. Carefully tap pins to loosen from inside and to prep for removing
8. Get at least one other person to help hold hood up on each side and while holding push out the pins
9. Scrape with a body filler tool to avoid scratches - remove as much of the old adhesive as possible to make the remover more effective
10. Use multiple applications of the remover as it evaporates quickly
""NOTE"" - VENTILATE!!!!!
11. Use a plastic pan scrubber for working the remover phase and then wipe down each time with a towel
12. Mark center point on front and rear of hood with a pencil - note the pad comes with a "v" cutout for the center; mark back of pad, but not for the back so you will need to mark the rear of the pad
13. Application of adhesive is straightforward - instructions say two parallel passes followed by one cross pass - both hood and the pad; I had just enough to do this with a tiny bit remaining in case I needed to "fix" a spot on the edge
14. Get at least one other person to help place the pad; we held outside edges up while aligning front and rear marks then pressed it into place trying to follow contours of the hood and aligning the fore and aft stress bracing with the partial cutouts in the hood pad
15. Use as many gravity assistance devices as needed to ensure pad is held down effectively - I left mine like this overnight - one could, in theory bend the hood with excessive weight so be careful ... many small weights work better than a smaller number of heavier weights, I think.
16. Hood re installation the reverse of removal - no gotchas that I could tell

Total time, not including drying is about three hours - could probably do in two now, but allow an afternoon. With the hood flat it was very easy and predictable job - not sure this would be true on the car - I prefer less anxious approach!

stephenson · #2 12-31-2006, 05:26 PM

This is the second installment of photos.

stephenson · #3 12-31-2006, 05:29 PM

This is the third installment of photos.

stephenson · #4 12-31-2006, 05:30 PM

Fourth installment of photos.

stephenson · #5 12-31-2006, 05:32 PM

Fifth and final installment of photos.

whunter · #6 12-31-2006, 07:32 PM

Added to my links forum.

Hood Pad
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/141824-hood-pad-diy-links.html#post1061578

GARRY560 · #7 01-07-2007, 06:46 PM

I did the same job on my 1986 W126 560sec with the hood still on the car.
It can be done pretty easily if you be sure to use the 3M supertrim spray adhesive - It has incredible hold even after a few minutes. Like the other members point out, just carefully cover your car to catch old gunk and new overspray, remove old glue, and go for it! I was able to manage by myself in three hours from start to ready-to-drive.

whunter · #8 01-07-2007, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephenson

Replaced hood pad this week ... am attaching photos.

W126 Hood Pad R&R
Has been added to the Wiki page HERE.
The pictures may need to be moved around.

Please PM any changes to webmaster.

Have a great day.

eastthop · #9 07-25-2007, 01:51 AM

Did you have to do any rust removal or redo any primer, or did you even get down to bare metal?

blueeagle289 · #10 07-25-2007, 07:34 AM

With the old pad removed, which is not that difficult normally, I simply spray on the adhesive as mentioned -- starting from one side of the pad. Once that side is attached and solid (in a few minutes), you can progressively spray the hood and pad and gradually smooth it over to the other side of the hood. I personally think the overly elaborate procedure outlined here is really unnecessary .... have done three hood pads on a 230S, 420SEL and 450SEL as I described in this reply -- with no difficulty at all. The only admonition is that you use the super adhesive available from 3M, not a general adhesive.
Also, removing old adhesive from the previous pad is not really necessary either; it actually provides a good base for the new stuff. My opinion and experience.

Ben Carter

eastthop · #11 07-25-2007, 08:46 AM

I'm still a little new at the auto restoration piece. I'm still in the transition from working on wood, to workig on metal. In taking out the residue, I was of the impression it would be like the necessity to remove old hide glue residue from furniture joints. We've used the random orbit sander, and have gotten down to bare metal. We'll have to put some primer on the bare metal for protection.

865sp300e · #12 07-25-2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GARRY560

I did the same job on my 1986 W126 560sec with the hood still on the car.
It can be done pretty easily if you be sure to use the 3M supertrim spray adhesive - It has incredible hold even after a few minutes. Like the other members point out, just carefully cover your car to catch old gunk and new overspray, remove old glue, and go for it! I was able to manage by myself in three hours from start to ready-to-drive.

Thats the way I replaced mine about ten years ago, I put the hood in the vertical position and covered the car with painters tarps. I was lucky there was not much residue left behind after removing the old pad. I used a plastic scraper to remove the majority of old residue. I had a helper to assist with installing the new pad to position it properly. The whole process took me about an hour.