Soft top gap above windows

[jameshoward]

Dirk,

I replaced my softtop over Christmas. As part of the job I refurbished (sort of) my existing top. I have written an article for the Wiki on how to remove the old top and put the new one on. I just haven't sent it to the editor yet as it needs a bit of work and I've been busy.

All that aside, I also chased a kink in the roof join (elbow). I can tell you that it is possible to get it out, but it takes a lot of fiddling. First, the shims are there to allow the softtop to fit properly over the windows on the premise that the windows are adjusted to fit the hard top first (using the various ajsutments within the door on the window mechanism).

The means by which you can close the gap in the 'elbow' is by manipulating the shims. For example, I have found that by placing a large washer (up to 2-3mm thick) under the forward or rear bolt of the roof mechanism, the geometery of the roof is altered and the elbow closed. I have an uneven number of shims under my roof mechanism (I think 3 on the left and 5 on the right together with a large washer on the right to close the gap in the elbow).

A futher factor in attempting to close the gap is the positioning of the roof mechanism in the softtop box: i.e. it can be foward, or to the rear of the car. It also moves from side to side. The forward adjustment also alters the gap.

Finally, it is possible to increase or decrease the tension on the roof by altering the position of the rear bow (loosen the two bolts on each side). Changing the tension changes the position of the roof.

I have spent 2 days faffing around with the roof. I need to spend more time doing it as I am unable to close my roof without first partically hitching the front on then pressing really hard on the back, then latching the front properly. (Any ideas???)

I have, however, closed the gap in the elbow. I have a hardtop and have followed the advice on the forum about adjusting the windows to that. However, since I never use the hardtop, I am minded to set my windows to the softtop and dispense with the shims altogether. In turn, this would allow my new roof to sit very flush against the back of the car and eliminate all the gaps. Moreover, I find it hard to get the softtop box cover closed with the roof in it and I think that by ditching the shims that job would me much easier.

I hope this helps, but I would also be grateful for the views of anyone else.

JH

(And if anyone else suggests going to Gernold at SL Tech, then good luck. I've emailed and called and received no replies whatsoever. So a lot of bloody use they are).

[J. Huber]

quote:Originally posted by jameshoward

...
I have spent 2 days faffing around with the roof. I need to spend more time doing it as I am unable to close my roof without first partically hitching the front on then pressing really hard on the back, then latching the front properly. (Any ideas???)

James, remind me what model you have ... only because, with the 230SL you need to latch the back first, then secure the front. The later cars, I believe, do front then back.

James
63 230SL

[jameshoward]

James,

I have a '66 230. I acknowledge your direction on how to close the top, but since I have fitted my new top, and regardless of which way I approach the problem, I can only latch it the way I have described.

It's a long way from being far from perfect and it annoys the hell out of me. It closed easier with the old (and utterly shot) softtop. I think I can get it to close more easily if I remove the shims but then the windows won't fit the hardtop. It's like a suduko puzzle that is no fun to do (no surprises there) but which no one ever publishes the solution to. I just keep moving from one problem to another. i.e. I manage to close the gap at the join over the window, but then the roof is a bugger to close and takes two people. Maybe I need to stretch the canvas.

James

[psmith]

Hi James, the soft tops do have to stretch if they've been folded up for a while.  There's an article in the Star Technical reprint on how to do it including building a frame!

Mine's  a little tight too so here's what I do:  Open the soft top cover and lift it up and out.  Extend the front part out flat and leaving the rear part up.  Hook the pegs in the holes on the windshield frame and wiggle the latch handles so the pegs catch, but don't crank them down. Now I check the release handle, because mine tends to stick open, keeping it from latching, then lower the rear part and push with two hands right over the latch area.  Once it's latched go back inside and crank down the latch handles in front.  Good Luck.

Pete S.

[Else1969]

James,

thanks for your advice. I spent the weekend playing around with the soft top mechanism with only limited success. By shimming up the back of the frame I managed to reduce the elbow by 5 mm (only 15 mm to go). But to do this I had to pack up the back und by 6 mm. If I kept on going like that then the mounting plate of the frame would be at 30 deg. to the horizontal. I must be missing something. In any case, I've decided to wait until I fit the hard top come winter so as to make sure the windows fit properly to start off with. It was too much like hard work doing the soft top in the weather we've been having lately (between 36 and 40 deg. C......and this is supposed to be our autumn). I will tackle my soft top problem again in a couple of months time.




Dirk
1969 Signal Red 280 SL

[RBYCC]

quote:Originally posted by Else1969

Hey thanks for reviving this topic Tim.
The gap above the window has been annoying and puzzling me for some time not. Everything worked well, except for shearing off one of the #@$$ing eyelet screws. I managed to get the threaded part out, but now have to find a new screw. The old one appears to be chromed brass. I'll have to see what I can get that fits. Hopefully the right size is available in stainless steel.

The only thing I need to fix in that area is the drivers side upper window frame. This kinks down in the middle where the joint is instead of being flat (like the passenger side). I can remember reading that there are some adjustment that can be made to the soft top frame, but after searching for over an hour I can't find that reference. Can someone help.

Also I found that shims had been used where the frame mechanism is mounted to the chassis. Is this normal?

Dirk
1969 Signal Red 280 SL

I had a similar problem with my passenger side gap and found that by bending the joint up it became flat and the gap was gone.
Possible that the frame may be slighlty bent as mine?

ED A.
1971 280SL
1988 300CE TWIN TURBO
1990 C43 AMG
2003 G55 AMG

[Longtooth]

Gee Pete, when mine's been folded down for a considerable period it is also tight as drum head on it's first use again.  But... I just latch it fully down in the front, then slam the back of the top down with one hand.... like slamming a car door with extreme vigor.  Of course this requires that the latch mechanism isn't stuck at all... freely moving with enough tension to enable it to latch without delay. I adjusted my rear latch mechanism long ago so it wouldn't stick in partially open position intermittantly.

I figure it's the canvas that's 'shrunk' so unless the canvas material's very old or embrittled (and mine's not), the fast stretch to it on slamming the rear down is only a tensile stress on the seams (threads sewing the seams together).

The lesson though is as usual, preventive maintenance.... which is to say put the soft-top up overnight (garaged or not) once every couple of weeks ... maybe stretch it (no pun intended) to 4 weeks occasionally.  

BTW, on folding it when putting down, I use a bath towel over the rear window so that when it's folded (inwards) the window plastic doesn't rub on itself.  I also use a shear piece of cotton the width of the softtop and "hang" it along the front panel of the storage area so that the inside of the window plastic doesn't rub over the edge or wear against the inside of the panel surface when it's stored in down position (under driving conditions there's always a very slight vibration in the body... leading to 'wear' by friction between inside of plastic window and the front inside panel of the storage area).  While the towel and shear cotton placements add a an extra minute to the time it takes to put the top down, it's a teensy price to pay to prevent the more costly (time and $$ both) alternative to have the window plastic replaced.... or suffer the cloudy-like friction abraided surface.

Longtooth
67 250SL US #113-043-10-002163
'02 SL500 Sport