W108 headrest info - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Californian SE · #1 02-22-2009, 12:10 AM

hey guys-
im interested now in getting some headrests on the front of the SE - the rear ones can wait a while. has anyone done this? im just not sure how to go about getting the mechanism into the seat itself, what has to come appart.
any info is appreciated
cheers,
luke

Pooka · #2 02-22-2009, 12:37 AM

I cannot tell if you are adding headrests to seats that do not have them or replacing ones that are worn out. If you are replacing them then here are the instructions for that.

There is usually a 'button' in the seatback that releases the headrest. You just sit in the backseat facing the back of the front seat and feel for the button.

Look at where the metal stalks are that hold the headrest. They fit down into a tube (there are two tubes, one for each stalk) and the button you are looking for is on one of the tubes.

You can feel for it through the fabric on the seat back. When you feel it just push it and pull up on the headrest. Gently pull because it might come off and hit the headliner.

To reinstall you just line up the stalks with the holes and push down. Listen for the click and you are finished.

Californian SE · #3 02-22-2009, 04:03 AM

Apologies I didnt make myself clear.
thanks for the info, but sorry I am ADDING headrests to the car, it currently has NONE. No holes for them - no stalks or anything. Im interested in getting all the parts etc. and figuring out how to install the acctual mechanisms - the headrests will be simple enough

JimFreeh · #4 02-22-2009, 08:15 AM

I suspect you will need the seatback frame that has the headrest tubes.
For safety's sake, these tubes need to be anchored correctly.

BTW, a 71 USA car as in your sig line should already have front headrests.

Jim

ja17 · #5 02-22-2009, 09:31 AM

Hello,

Apparently you have a Euro-delivery car. All USA delivery cars at this time had headrests. You can add headrests to your existing seat backs. You can salvage the parts off a donor car. You will have to do a little work but it is not difficult. You will need the two vertical rails, the grommets and the headrests themselves. This topic and procedure has been covered quite often on the "The W113 Pagoda SL Group" check some of the threads http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=6497.0

If you need a source for all the parts email me ja17@att.net

mbgingerbread · #6 02-22-2009, 09:43 AM

The insides of the headrests of my 71 280se feel like they are well past their prime. Would any one reccommend the materials/procedure for renewing them? This could include a replacement kit if available and or something aftermarket using new materials.
Thanks
Turner

ja17 · #7 02-22-2009, 09:57 AM

Hello Turner,

Just tell us the color and someone on this forum may have a good original set available.

mbgingerbread · #8 02-23-2009, 08:04 PM

Hi, Joe
The color is Tan-MB Tex. The headrests are falling apart inside and do not move with any resistance. The rest of the interior is pretty good with the original carpets still hanging in as well as the saets front and rear. This is an area which will be addressed at a later time in the progress of the resto.
It's perfectly alright to suggest a source for some new material unless in your opinion the headrests are not going to benefit from repair. Since I have not looked too closely at them I am unsure how they are put together.
Thanks,
Turner

ja17 · #9 02-23-2009, 08:34 PM

Hello Turner,

These headrests have a one time only zipper built into the bottom. When they are manufactured, the zipper is zipped closed and the little pull tab is left off! No way is left to re-open them.

If you look in the vent holes on the sides you will see a 5mm allen bolt. These will adjust the tension on the swivels of the headrest. You can solve the issue of loose headrests by tightening these 5mm bolts.

To change the stuffing in the headrests you will need to force open the one-time zipper. It will have to be hand stiched closed this time around. Some people just leave them un-zipped since the opening is not visible when the headrest is down and on the bottom.

The easiest and often the cheapest fix is to just find some good used headrests. You can use most any MB headrest up into the mid 80's. After the early 70s the vent holes changed or were deleted altogether, but the headrests will still interchange with your car. A hidden button is built into the seat back so you can completely release the headrests with it's chrome mounting rods. Always get the rods and headrest as complete units.

Just put out a call for used headrests, I am sure you'll find some. You can always re-dye if the color is not correct.

mbgingerbread · #10 02-23-2009, 09:36 PM

Thanks, Joe
I would not have thought to look for 5mm adjuster bolts in order to tighten the headrests. Is there a reccomended stuffing to keep the original configuration looking correct?
I guess Daimler was already gearing up for the mass-production system after producing the hand-built models; having a zipper which isn't user friendly certainly isn't much of a design.
Thanks again..
Turner

tompaah7503 · #11 02-24-2009, 04:35 AM

I have installed headrests to seats that originally were not equipped with such. It's not impossible but takes some patience. You need, from a parts car, the two rails where the headrest goes into, the actual headrests, the plastic bits that sit on top of the seat and two blind rivets per seat. I did take extensive amounts of pictures when I installed them, if you'd like I can post some of them here tonight when I get back home.

Californian SE · #12 02-25-2009, 05:56 AM

If its not to much trouble some pictures would be fantastic! Im glad to hear someone else has done this- the main part im unsure of is what part of the seat needs taking off and how the new brackets for the rails will go on. Weld or do they screw? or even rivet onto the seat?

Thankyou kindly for offering some photos.

Pooka · #13 02-25-2009, 12:32 PM

I see you are in the land of OZ, so this may not be the best solution from a money standpoint but it would sure be the easiest way to go.

When you can find a 108 or 109 in a wrecking yard in the US the seats, I mean the entire seats, cost about $30 out the door. All the US cars came with everything you are looking for, so the best option, besides cost, would be to import some seats from the US.

Someone is bound to know where a set of these seats is in a Pick-N-Pull type of yard. (Pick-N-Pull is a brand name, by the way, not a Yankee way of saying 'Auto Breaker'. Google their web site and you will see what I am talking about.) Perhaps you could just replace the entire seats in your car with headrest equiptd ones.

Shipping on this would be costly so maybe just the seat backs could be sent. There is also the whole left-hand, right-hand drive thing to consider when swapping out these seats. I am thinking of the arm rests and the seat adjustment for reclineing.

Another option is if someone would remove the seat back cover and all the headrest internals and just sent that along with the headrests.

Any thoughts on this? And, while you are at it, you might as well replace the rear seat back with a US one. It would also come with headrests and is very easy to install.

tompaah7503 · #14 02-25-2009, 03:15 PM

Ok here goes with pictures..
I transferred the rail and rests from a worn out blue interior to my "new" red interior.

Take the back cover off the seats. It's fastened with a single screw at bottom (at least where I've seen) and slides downwards. You won't believe it but it does.. It's enough to pull it down an inch and then you can flex it out. It's made of masonite(?) so don't bend too much.

First a general overview, this is what it looks like inside the back cover.
http://homeweb.mah.se/~bitost/mbseat/completed1.jpg
You can see the two rails inside into which the headrest bars slide into.
They are attached with a blind rivet at bottom, drill it out. At top they are just hooked with a pin in a hole, can be tricky to get out but once you understand how it's done the rest comes off easier.

You need to make holes in the top part of your seat, this is kind of nervous job since if you damage the seat it will be damaged at a very visible part and there's no way to repair it nicely. Just take it easy and you'll do fine.
Mount the two rails from your donor seats in place, don't rivet them on yet. Eyeball out the location for the holes by holding the headrest above the seat, line up the headrest bars approximately with the rails inside. Make a mark with a felt-tip pen where you think they are going. Use a long thin needle, I made one out of a welding rod by sharpening it, to feel if your markings are in the right place. Your feeler needle should go straight down in to the rails.
One hole marked
http://homeweb.mah.se/~bitost/mbseat/top1.jpg

Once you have the markings in place you need to make the holes. I accomplished this with a home made hollow punch, I sharpened the edges of a pipe of approximately the same diameter as the hole and the pressed/rotated the pipe until it penetrated the top layer. Just continue with the pipe and you'll penetrate the whole layer of that stuff inside the seat.
http://homeweb.mah.se/~bitost/mbseat/drill1.jpg

Once the holes are there you need to remove the rails again, and mount the plastic pieces. These pieces are press-fitted to a plastic ring beneath the clothing, you should be able to pull them off straight up from your donor seats.
http://homeweb.mah.se/~bitost/mbseat/top2.jpg

When you have the holes ready, plastic pieces assembled it's time to test if the headrest slides in nicely. It did so in my case.
http://homeweb.mah.se/~bitost/mbseat/top3.jpg

On the top of the rails there's a plastic cone, I had to cut away about an inch or so of it, it would not clear the top padding otherwise. No picture of this sorry.

Pull the headrest off and mount the rails. Hook them in their holes on top first and use a blind rivet at bottom to fasten them. You may or may not have to drill out the hole a bit to accommodate your favorite size of rivets
http://homeweb.mah.se/~bitost/mbseat/completed2.jpg
If you have resistance when sliding down the headrests you can use some sort of grease inside the rails, I used a silicon lubricant and it went down considerably easier.

Put back the back cover again and you're done! Since you probably have the seats out this is a perfect time to disassemble, clean and re-grease the sliding rails. You won't believe how much difference that makes if yours was dirty to begin with.

Bonus pictures
Finished, assembled in car
http://homeweb.mah.se/~bitost/mbseat/finished.jpg
Back seat version, note larger holes
http://homeweb.mah.se/~bitost/mbseat/backtop1.jpg
(obiously the hollow punch did not work here, I used a thin-bladed sharp knife)

Pictures also attached below for reference in case my server does not work.

tompaah7503 · #15 02-25-2009, 03:16 PM

Oh, there was a five pic limit.. here comes the rest