Mercedes 129 titivation

[r129sl]

Stegel said:

My AS samples have still to arrive, but those colours look nothing like they did on their website! Thanks for the kind offer, but my 95 SL’s interior is the same colour as yours so it looks like Comtec for me too - just placed an order but they’re currently out of stock so it will be delayed, not that it matters. Apologies for the AS diversion!

Let me see how much I have left. I think I bought 70cm x 140cm. I'll be surprised if I use half of that, even allowing for cocking it up first time round and doing everything twice.

f1ten said:

Off topic: but for the pre face-lift cars to maintain correct period status... There is no better wheel than the 3 piece split rim! Yes they are almost impossible to replace.




Will be trying to tackle some bits and bobs on my 93 car like probably respraying the hard top (I did the loom and asr and throttle bodies in 2017!)

I love these wheels. They were available on the facelift: they feature in the 1996 brochure. What I do not know for sure is whether they will fit over the big brakes on a post-06/98 car like mine. I have seen them on one such car (someone who used to post on another forum under the name sp!ke had them) but if they fit it must be very tight. I would love a set.



I often toy with the idea of custom split rims. I like the deep dish Euro look, I am afraid. I love some of the custom splits that are doing the rounds on Instagram these days, maybe a set based on the 16", 15 hole Evo wheel:



The other wheels I like are Rotiform. I see they do an AMG-style wheel:

[bolidemichael]

r129sl said:

I often toy with the idea of custom split rims. I like the deep dish Euro look, I am afraid. I love some of the custom splits that are doing the rounds on Instagram these days, maybe a set based on the 16", 15 hole Evo wheel:

I do like these, squire.

[tobinen]

Agreed. Pricey I bet

[mwstewart]

r129sl said:

The other wheels I like are Rotiform. I see they do an AMG-style wheel:

These are very nice: the modernist form suits the 129.

[alabbasi]

I have those on my 107. I am thinking of switching them over to my C126 which has a set of Lorinser LO's on it

[f1ten]

I do like these but for me they suit a w126 better. The r129 suits more the lorinser, brabus 3 spoke and the aero 11 and then the latter 18inch 2 pice split rim 5 spoke.

I've seen a face-lift with the aero 11 but for me they don't work as th face-lift car suits the 18 inch rims more.

bolidemichael said:

I do like these, squire.

[Clifford Chambers]

Mines been a daily for the last 7yrs.

Next winter I'll get a hack and it'll not be used, we'll be attending to cosmetics instead. Mechanically strong as ever.

[r129sl]

OK, so I have done one side and it wasn't too tricky.

I cut the backs off the plastic rivets and removed the upper speaker cover. I think I will refit this using M3 screws with large washers.






I pulled the old cloth off the covers and set up my work station in the dining room. It's the obvious place to mess around with a litre of very strong glue, a sharp knife and car parts. I put the glue on the edges of the bits and left them for 30 minutes.




Then I cut the new cloth about an inch larger all round than the old. It was pretty difficult. We have no scissors in the house despite the fact that every fking time I go to the fking supermarket I buy three new pairs of fking scissors. I just put the covers in the middle of the new cloth then pulled it tight over the edges. The glue was really good, very sticky: I don't think it'll come loose.




My edges weren't very neat because all 600 fking pairs of fking scissors that I have bought in the last year have dematerialised and I had to use my knife. Even the knife which cuts my hands if I so much as look it in the tool kit didn't really cut the cloth. But no one can see the back side.




I wasn't very happy with this edge, not enough wrap around, so I started again. The corners of this piece I found quite difficult. I know it's a mess behind. You might think I should have gone to get some more scissors (again) but I think the excess cloth made it much easier to work with. Anyway, it's a bit like stuffing all the crap in the kitchen cupboards when you have guests coming round (remember that? remember?): no one knows it's there. A bit like my dinner guests that the neighbours don't know about.








After all that mess and struggle, it looks OK. Actually, I think it looks amazing and I am hoping my wife will notice and say something nice. Hoping. Not expecting.










I need to do the other door now but despite my boundless enthusiasm for auto upholstery I can't be chewed tonight. Hopefully the garage at the Station will have some little screws for fixing the upper cover back to the door card. Then I will take the other door card off which will remind me how to put this one back on.

Edited by r129sl on Saturday 30th January 20:34

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Looks brill.

I also like the vaguely optimistic pessimism about daily life. Separately, one of the advantages of living alone is that I know where my fking scissors are.

[bolidemichael]

All very interesting and really commendable work, but I came here for more piano action. Feeling deflated.

[r129sl]

bolidemichael said:

Feeling deflated.

Join the club.

[mwstewart]

Very amusing That's a good result.

[r129sl]

A solution to refining the upper grilles. I had to redo one of them because the screw went through to the other side.

[bolidemichael]

The 'dining-table' workshop also offers a great opportunity to deep clean the door panel with a soft brush. The finish on the grilles looks excellent, btw, albeit out of context with the original fabric finish.

[DS129]

Excellent work r129sl, seriously impressed

[r129sl]

Thanks, chaps. I took the car out of the garage and drove it a mile up the road and back. It's a lovely machine, still very fast and makes a nice noise. It also wears its 290,000miles well I think (though I need to clean those carpets):

Edited by r129sl on Monday 1st February 20:28

[Krikkit]

Fantastic work despite the scissor deficit, congrats.

[ferrisbueller]

bolidemichael said:

All very interesting and really commendable work, but I came here for more piano action. Feeling deflated.

Savour the chair instead.

[Stegel]

That looks fantastic and faithful to the original. Keep up the good work with this thread (and the others!).

[r129sl]

A bit more chair action for yer. This driver's seat back arrived from the US of A this morning. Obvs their cars are LHD so the right hand seat will be a lot less worn and so it proves. It is not perfect but it is a million miles better than mine and a million times cheaper than a new one. On the subject of millions, I am a million years behind with my work at the moment (that's why I am posting this) so there is no prospect of doing anything with it before the weekend, but the intention is a very thorough clean and then a feed up with whatever nourishing potions I have in the garage.