108 Arm Rests

[68_280SE]

Hello all. I just bought a 1968 280SE. It's a wonderful car and I don't know how I am going to resist from driving it all the time. It doesn't have front arm rests like other 108's I have seen. My question is would it be easy to find used arm rests and install them? The car is black with a bamboo MB-TEX interior.

Thanks,
John

[Gregg Bambo Jr.]

If you will notice, the front seats already have a threaded mounting hole for an arm rest. You can mount either a single large or two small arm rest between the front seats. Almost any foriegn car salvage yard will have at least one MBZ sitting around with an arm reast. Just get out a screw driver and remove it, it is that easy. It will probably be worn or weathered and you might have to have it recovered for about $30. I bought a large red one for $5 and that is what it cost me to have it recovered to match my interior.

[68_280SE]

Thanks Greg. I will check around at some salvage places.

John

[Tony H]

If it's a later car the arm rests (2) attach to the seat hinge with longer screws and replace the chrome hinge cover. If your car is a column shift you would use the long arm rests(easy to rind) If your car is a console shift you would need the short arm rests (difficult to find)
If you like I can email you pictures of each.
Tony

[68_280SE]

The car is a console shift. The shifter and coin tray are like the ones found on the earlier 250S

John

[300SDog]

And there's also a bench seat pad that fits the console tray perfectly for seating 3 across. In fact with the bench seat pad in place and the armrest down, it will rest high enough to be able to ballance your elbow at level to reach the steering wheel. Otherwise these armrests are notorious for sagging too low to be worthwile. I think one large bulbous armrest is better than the two skinny ones for all intents and purposes. And if your 108 has early massive upholstery that was never equipped with headrests, like the 280SE in the California freebie thread - then better yet!! The armrest and console pad will litterally make a bench seat out of it.

And dont be picky about colors either, vinyl spray paint can match the arm rest combo to your existing bamboo interior. I once picked up a center console bench seat pad for a 1965 220Sb that was blue and sprayed it red with good long-lasting results.

[68_280SE]

I just took at look at the pictures of the freebie cali 280SE. My car interior is like. The same seats and floor shifter. No headrests or places to install them either. Mine does have a plastic package\coin tray between the front seats. Somebody mentioned that there are shorter and longer versions of arm rests and that the shorter ones would have to be used with a console mounter transmission shifter.

John

[300SDog]

I doubt the large bulbous armrest would actually collide with the shifter, but you're right the shorter version single armrest would be correct. And the floor shifter could make the console pad difficult. Check out these pics of armrests and console pad on column shift 280SE: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1967-Mercedes-Benz-280-SE-WOW-MustSee-SL-300-500_W0QQitemZ4628633828QQcategoryZ6329QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And by all means drive the car everyday! I'm amazed by people who keep 108's off the road. Properly maintained these are lifetime vehicles that never wear out. Have you noticed 16 kingpin suspension grease points? Keep em lubed and the car will ride like its on rails forever.

[kpb]

hey dog, i have been hitting those greasepoints twice a year but, IIRC, i was counting like 13 or 14. and, are they all really for the kingpins, only? holy crap

[300SDog]

Kip, the really secret ones are on the rear axle swing arm knuckles and driveshaft u-joints too, where you have to rotate the driveshaft to bring em in sight. Typically the nipple gets sheered off the axle fitting.

[Tristar1959]

Might PM "alabbasi" - I think he knows his way around both ATL boneyards and older Benz's. I also may have a center armrest in blue, from a W108 280SE I cannibalized decades ago; heck, I may have equipped seatbacks, as well. If so, you could have them very reasonably - shipping shouldn't be too bad from Va to Ga. If you're interested, I'll dig around.

Also, anyone please PM or email me with what one considers "short" or "long", in armrests...

Otherwise, as for headrests, I once added them to 68 W115 front (and rear) seats which lacked them, by taking the tubes and rests out of a 70 W114 - the tubes were relatively easy to attach to the frames; the only problem I recall was with the plastic grommets which surround the sliding tube exit holes.

Stan

[Tristar1959]

Unearthed the seats from that 280SE -
Unlike the single in the cabriolet and my 250SE/C, there are two armrests, one each from driver and pax sides - total length almost 17 inches, 14.5 inches from front to rotation pin, protrude approx 9 inches forward of lower portion of seat back when lowered - curved and flush with seat backs when raised - and what appears to be an insert pad for a console center seat bottom (similar to a swinging rear seat armrest or a coupe rear seat insert, but shorter). The width of each is 4 inches, the depth at fattest part, 6.5 inches. The armrests themselves and pad look a lot like the ones linked in Dog's post #8, except that there's a corner moulding on the seat backs, which I don't see in those pics - actually, the "later" version mentioned above is likely correct - the plate has an arc in the bottom, so just like a hinge cover.

[EDIT - the cornermouldings and hinge-cover mount shape as well as the blue color look like those in the "FREE MBZ-Fallbrook, CA"]

They rotate on a pin in a chrome hinge piece which also has two large bolts 2.75 inches apart which mount into the backs, within an "inset" into the plastic corner moulding/shroud; The pin and two bolts form a triangle, pointing forward. If the hinge is different, you could change out the backs mechanisms (including headrest slides), cover with your skins and back, and go from there.
Chrome is slightly pitted, but serviceable. Pax armrest has a 1/4" cut in the underside.
Headrest mounts and headrests intact.
Probably easiest way to send would be both backs(including hinges)/rests/mounts/headrests, if desired. Not sure how the seats proper are, inside, and have not yet cleaned and inspected the covers out in the sunlight. The bottoms got wet and are probably trashed, inside, although the covers aren't bad.
Whatever portions are wanted, however, are dark blue MB-Tex - and would have to be dyed/painted to match. On the other hand, you might look for a long time to match your bamboo.
Let me know if you're seriously interested, and I'll clean them up better and thoroughly inspect them. Or let me know you're not, and I'll put them back in the overhead...

PM me, either way, please

Stan Braisted
Achilles, Va

[Tristar1959]

Regrets,

In the harsh glare of daylight, the chrome on the driver's side armrest hinge is very bad, and not all that good on the pax's. Also, what I thought was the butt insert turns out to in fact be the rear seat armrest - could probably be made into an insert -

Anyone know the spacing between seats for the insert - vs the rear armrest?
It is "sprung", so could possibly be used - might even fit okay without having to add "feet" to locate it on the tranny tunnel. I don't have a 108/109 to check, anymore - just 111s and 112's.

Tony H (post #4) has it right, about mounting - the armrest mount would replace the usual upper hinge cover which pops into the 2nd and 4th holes' spring clips; the top and third holes usually have screws into the back of the backrest frame - the hinge lines up with those same holes - just needs longer screws.

Doubt it would be worth rechroming the mounts, although that's a possibility, as would be sanding and painting them to match the upholstery.

Guess you shouldn't leave pieces-parts lying around garages for 15+ years without wrapping them in moisture-proof bags...

Stan