Opened hood yesterday and the hood pad started coming apart.
 

Do I really need this?
I noticed an article on the replacement procedure. I guess hood has to come off.
What does it do, noise cancellation?

Noise and heat abatement. You don't NEED it but it certainly helps muffle the M110's volume level and if you have the M130 it prolongs the paint life above the intake manifold area.

Look at a vid changing a R129 hood pad. The hood will stand straight up when latches are released. Most MB will do this but I don't know what year it was started.

If there are not any catches, perhaps removing one bolt will allow the hood to stand up. Just be sure to tie it in the up position. ( rope from front of hood to rear bumper )

No need to remove the hood. Put it up in the 90 degree position and you can do it that way easily. You can reference this procedure here, although this is for my W124, you'll get the idea:

1993 400E

Some things to prepare for:

Get some junk sheets or something to cover both the engine compartment and the windshield area, as both will get the remains of the old pad all over them. This makes for a really easy cleanup.

Scrape as much of the old pad off the inside of the hood. Most of it will come off using a plastic body putty scraper, which will prevent you from scratching through the paint.

Soak a rag or shop towel in 3M Adhesive Remover (08089) to remove as much of the remaining crud as possible. It won't all come off - don't fret over this! You want to make sure anything that's loose comes off, and that the surface that is left is as clean of any residual pad and glue as possible.

Mask off the edges of the hood with blue 3M masking/painter's tape. Another thing I do is buy a big roll of butcher paper at Costco or Sam's Club, as it comes in handy for things like this. Once everything is masked and covered, you're ready to spray the glue.

Take some pieces of the butcher paper and lay them out in an area larger than the hood pad. Place it with the hood side up and spray it with several coats of 3M spray adhesive - DO NOT CUT CORNERS HERE!

The 3M adhesive has a 30 minute or hold time, so you're not rushed.

Go to the hood and start spraying it, being careful to make sure you get all the curved surfaces, such as the edges of the hood reinforcement(s). Let it take up for 10-15 minutes.

The next part I like to do with a helper, but I've done it by myself.

Hold the hood pad up to the hood and line up the bottom edge, that is, the edge closest to the firewall. Get it tacked in place and check the position. Once you're satisfied that it's in position, start pressing it into place from the bottom up. You can tug and pull on it gently to line things up along the edges of the hood if necessary.

Once the pad is in place, get a rubber or wooden roller, also known as a "brayer", and roll the p*ss out of the hood pad, paying close attention to areas where there are curves or angles. You can use your hands or fingers to apply pressure in these areas as well.

After this, leave it up for an hour or two, longer if possible.

Pull all your masking and covers off, congratulate yourself on a job well done, and have a cold beverage.

Dan

Thank you very, very much guys. Your input is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

No ninety degree position on a stroke/8 but other than that the instructions from LWB250 are spot on.

I advise against the aftermarket foam insulation with the foil surface. The foil has a tendency to separate from the foam after some time.

Thanks - I wasn't sure if going back that far they had the 90 degree position...

Absolutely on the aftermarket pads. The best quality ones are simply black foam, and the material is designed for the sort of temperatures that are present under the hood. I don't have one of these cars right now, but I would certainly see if the OE pad is still available (please don't laugh at me for suggesting it - I'm not current on what might still be available from MB.)

Dan

(Tomas7, hope its okay to ask a related question)

For anyone who has done this on a w114/w115 or older car where the hood cannot go straight up, does it ever make sense to remove the hood? I recall some trick about drilling an alignment hole at each hinge before taking anything apart. I suppose if your paint is in good condition, perhaps working on the hood while removed is not recommended. Any thoughts on what is easiest and has the greatest likelihood of success?

It's easier, or at least less work, to replace the pad in place. It does make it more awkward dealing with the hood at an angle but it is less frustrating than trying to get the hood aligned properly.

One tip for you, get a couple of strong magnets to hold the pad in place while the adhesive sets or use a couple of thin flexible strips of wood curved in a bow.

Average number of head "boinks" on the verplunkt grill while doing the job is seventeen.:D:P

I haven't tackled the pad yet. I have taken the hood off of an 01 S8 I used to own and it was a pain aligning the hood. I can see where placing weighted objects on the removed hood would help in the glueing/drying process.
I'm already looking at which comforter I'm gonna ruin if I do take the hood off.
Mike D does have some ingenious ideas though.
Thanks guys!

I've put a hood pad on my W108 since it never had one when I bought the car. It's an easy job but best to do this with a helper.

I didn't remove the hood at all, just opened it all the way like you normally would. I used 3M Yellow Super Trim Adhesive spray on the hood pad and underside of the hood (make sure you cover the engine and tops of the fenders to avoid any drips coming down from the adhesive on the underside of the hood). Once you've sprayed the adhesive on both, you and your helper grab the left and right side of the hood pad an align it as best as you can to the underside of the hood and press against it firmly all over to make sure the pad and hood have full contact evenly. Let it dry and you're done.

I've noticed engine noise is a little quieter and the heat from the engine and the sun combined on the hood will help prevent your paint from getting damaged in the long run.

Hope this helps!

From what I recall, hood pads were only used on 108/109 V8 engine cars. 111 3.5 coupes also had hood pads.

Oddly though, 600's didn't have hood pads that I've ever seen.

US built cars use large head "Christmas tree" fasteners to hold hood pads on. The inner structure of the hood has a few holes for the fasteners.

Does your car have inner structure that you can drill? ( using drill stop or very short bit to prevent denting the hood. )

Another source for hood padding would be car restoration supply houses, they may have material in bulk.

My 6-cyl 108 has a (deteriorating) one.

The 123 is the first car I am aware of with the straight up hood set-up. Perhaps the 107 was first?

The 110 had a hood pad if you wished to spend a ton of cash. it was held in place with a set of thin metal rods that ran from the front of the hood to the back, sort of at an angle. I think there were four of these rods. Think of a big 'W' sort of arrangement.

This was something the dealers pushed on those buying a diesel for the first time to reduce the clatter. This was around 1963.

See if you can find this wire contraception on line somewhere. It would be easy enough to make one out of some long dowel rods, rods that would hold the pad in place while the glue dried.