mounting firewall pad 230 sl

[merrill]

I finally received a new firewall pad from K&K the  other day.

this is the 2 pc unit.

Before I mount the pad I thought it may be a good idea to mount the 2 pc unit to a substrate then mount the whole thing to the car.

why?
1. I can ensure both pcs are aligned
2. If needed I assume I may be able to remove and re use the pad in the future

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a substrate? I was thinking of a heavy plastic or maybe a vinyl?

Matt
Austin Tx
66 230 sl - "white"
78 300 D - Blue
98 C230

[Bob G]

Not sure what you are trying to do. when I replaced my firewall pads I had an upholster who removed some of the backing so the pad would be firmly glued down. I did not have to remove the AC condensor or  hoses. Everthing fits nice even the edges.

Bob Geco

[66andBlue]

quote:Originally posted by merrill

1. I can ensure both pcs are aligned

Matt,
I glued the pad on directly using the "Gel Formula" DAP/Weldwood contact cement because it doesn't drip and you have about an hour time to adjust the piece that you want to glue, so alignment is not a problem. I have also used it to glue down the carpets and upholstery. IMO it works great and it is heat resistant.

quote:
2. If needed I assume I may be able to remove and re use the pad in the future

If you still want to glue it on a substrate that can be removed without too much pain use Dynamat-Extreme. You'll get additional sound and heat protection.

Alfred
1966 blue 230SL automatic

[Chad]

I'm thinking I read a post from Dan Caron possibly some time back about mounting it by using wax paper or some other substitute under the pad and rolling this off the pad onto the firewall to ensure it goes on straight the first time.  I could be wrong, but maybe a search using some keywords will reveal this information.

The dynamat option if you use a substrate to sandwich between firewall pad and firewall seems okay, as long as it is pretty thin and doesn't make things stand out too much.  It's your car do what looks right to you, just use something made for the engine environment or you will be replacing/readhering the firewall pad in not too long.

1967 230SL

[Bob G MN]

Matt,
Did the new pad from K&K have the diamond pattern or was it something else.  I've heard the original diamond pattern was NLA.
Bob

[Benz Dr.]

Start with the small piece first so you can get it aligned properly. I glue the dash and the pad and let it dry a bit. When the contact cement is dry to the thouch I put it on the dash using a piece of waxed paper to move it around. When you have it postioned just pull the paper out of the way.
On the later cars we make every effort to save the old pad by carefull removal before painting the engine bay. We glue it back together and then it gets painted before placing it back on the dash. In most cases you can save them and they look pretty good when you're done.

Dan Caron's
 SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
 slbarn.mbz.org
  1 877 661 6061