107 Chrome Remove

[LOWMILE]

Any one thinking of saving money doing your own chrome removal think twice. I have just removed every piece of chrome so the paint shop could give me a better price. I should have let them quote me dismantlement fees included. I have a friend who paints for a local Benz dealer so i saved some money taking the chrome off with his kind advice. My time is worth more than what a paint shop would have charged, but I do have a better sense of how well these 107's are put togather. If any one is in need of advice of how to remove a piece of trim, ask away, I learned the hard way, one piece at a time. I would be happy to show pictures, or advice. I feel that I owe at least that to this wonderful site. Very intelligent mechanics here! My 107 is a 1972 350SL with 23000 miles paint code 467h sand beige metallic clearcoat. It looks kinda buttery warm gold. I have picked up all new weather strip rocker chrome and side mouldings, I feel like a kid on Christmas eve waiting to open a big present with a shiny new car inside!

Sounds like you had a bitter sweet experience. I am planning the exact same thing for this summer on my 380 SL. Give me those do's and don'ts that you learned from experience. Also if you can I am sure that there are many others that would love to see a picture of your car before and after if you have. Enjoy the new package.

Regarding the side moldings only (the strip that separates the red from the white in my paint scheme below):

1. Are all three pieces (on each side) "pry off" or do some have a threaded nut or similar that must be removed prior to prying?

2. I've heard that the mounting clips are frequently broken in the removal process - are they all the same, or different kinds/shapes in different locations?

3. If you were to replace all the mounting clips, how many would you need?

Thanks,

Having recently painted my car I can tell you that the side strips are held on by a threaded bolt at each location. You have to remove the nut for each and then pop off the rest. Each piece has only one threaded bolt and nut. Once you have those off just pull back on the strips and they come right off. All that you remove is the nut. The threaded piece is part of the rubber strip.
Larry '86 560 sl

[LOWMILE]

Watch it "Doc" the bolt threads on our older 350SLs have some 14 years on Larrys 86' 560! The threads can be soaked in penetrate oil for a week and still snap, they are located inside wheel eyebrow lip, 99 out of 100 snap, unless they are brand new or "mint" Your best option is just figure on replacing these mouldings. Judging your pictures and money spent on your 350 whats another 2 or 3 hundred! Start with the small piece on front fender for practice they are easy! Also i should tell you that before you just start prying them off (after you snap one small bolt per trim) be careful at the other end is a "plastic slide" on every piece. On door moulding look on the door trim just under the weatherstrip on our 350's there is a screw to remove, then you take the palm of your hand and bump the trim towards the front fender. In order to pop the plastic nibs about the size of a pencil eraser (pictures to follow) I like to use a thin paint spackle knife in combination with some plastic bondo applicators Pull out with your hand first add plastic bondo applicator second so as not to mar paint and third pry with spackle knife as close to the plastic nib as possible and presto!
On the rocker chrome there is a phillips screw on the front fender side and another bolt attached to a rocker clip at the other that will also snap in half unless it is really new! When you put this trim back on you should almost always use new 'berries" (red plastic clip holders)
Hope you have more luck than I Doc my pieces were shot in every way.

[LOWMILE]

Here you have the slide plastic clip

[LOWMILE]

It is not that hard. One item that I had to call my buddy in the Benz paint shop (he loves cuban cigars) was the aluminum grill on the fresh air intake. You know the one on the cowl...he said first open hood then take an awl and "poke" the center of each trim keeper dead center...push that part in it looks like a rivet, well because it is a plastic rivet of German sorts, and then take your small pocket knife or thin bladed screw driver wiggle in behind each one (there are three on driver and three on passenger side) Then just pry them off. Then you take your favorite trim removal tool (mine is a bondo applicator or two and a couple of thin bladed spackle knifes). Work the windshield bottom chrome trim up from the cowl, only a little... quarter inch or less then you can wiggle the grill out from under hood/cowl. My aluminum grill under that painted grill is getting a good high polish waiting for car to get out of the paint booth. Good luck on your 380 Rayson any trim questions on 107 feel free to contact me. The Dealer told me that I will be putting chrome back on in two weeks unless there is a hail storm! I can't wait

[SL Lover]

How do we go about removing the chrome window sills on the doors? Please advise. I am looking to have my car repainted and would like to remove all the chrome parts before painting.

Also, how do we go about removing the chrome door handles? I noticed there are two screws underneath the weatherstrip. Once the 2 screws are removed, then what? Thanks

[ScottinSoCal]

Originally Posted by SL Lover

Also, how do we go about removing the chrome door handles? I noticed there are two screws underneath the weatherstrip. Once the 2 screws are removed, then what? Thanks

I can't answer the first one, but this one I've done.

Once those two screws are out, just push the handle forward (to the front of the car) and it should pop out. You have to twist and turn it a little to get everything disengaged and the actuator out of the hole in the door skin, but that's all it SHOULD be.

There's also a chance that some bright boy at some time in the past decided to tighten the third screw holding the door handle on. If that happened, your door handle won't push forward. You'll have to remove the inside door panel and loosen that screw again. When you reinstall the door handle, dont' tighten that inside screw all the way down. It's not supposed to be.

[LOWMILE]

HELLO FORUM
Been on 113 forum and not here in a while. Good handle removal info from Scott.
The sills are always junk once removed... they are very thin and bend easy.
When you get your new ones inspect them for damage before you pay. They are often shipped already bent up!
Remove carpet to see the screws necessary to remove sills. Get a hammer and a sharp phillips driver. The screws are often rusty or stuck with undercoating carpet glue etc. sometimes it is quicker to just grind them off and re-drill. Oh and you are almost always sure to wreck your carpet doing this job unless you take your time.
Good luck.
Ernie