SL300 hardtop removal

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Russell45

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I am a new member having just purchased an SL300, 1987 and would be grateful for any advice on the following. Drove it home with hardtop fixed in position but now cannot get hardtop off. The lug at the rear ( next to the boot ) comes up about an inch then will travel no further. The other 4 lugs ( windscreen and behind the seats ) are all OK. Have tried to jiggle the top but no go. Checked the levers for the release of soft top and hard top are working and are in the correct positions but no joy. Is this a problem any else has experienced?

Russell45
 

Jay1

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had this problem with a sl300 i recently worked on and found that I had to carefully use a screwdriver to push the lug over on the boot catch as it wasnt fully releasing the catch as it wasnt aligned properly...
 

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Hello Russel and welcome.


In the tool kit there is a strange spanner,,a flat blade with a hex stud attached,,,,open the boot and remove the vertical cover near the hinge/lock and engage the tool into the release lock and undo the lock, then it will come off.

this can be adjusted later,,,the other thing that happens is , and we had one last week, the hard top get stood on a floor and the locking pegs can get bent, this can make them stick.


I do have the set up instructions for dealing with this
 

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had this problem with a sl300 i recently worked on and found that I had to carefully use a screwdriver to push the lug over on the boot catch as it wasnt fully releasing the catch as it wasnt aligned properly...

I see that you posted..thank you :D:D
 

Jay1

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Hello Russel and welcome.


In the tool kit there is a strange spanner,,a flat blade with a hex stud attached,,,,open the boot and remove the vertical cover near the hinge/lock and engage the tool into the release lock and undo the lock, then it will come off.

this can be adjusted later,,,the other thing that happens is , and we had one last week, the hard top get stood on a floor and the locking pegs can get bent, this can make them stick.


I do have the set up instructions for dealing with this

thanks Malcolm for that bit of information as have another sl300 booked in shortly so Im sure this info will come in handy:)
 

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You can look down the hole and see if the peg is bent, it should not be touching the sides of the tapered hole. if the pin is not bent,,then slacken the bolts holding the pin and you can centralize it
 
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Russell45

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SL300 Hardtop

Thanks for all your help. Once the rain stops here in Manchester ( probably in 2015 ) I will get the car out of the garage and try your tips. What a nice bunch you are in the MBO forum.

Russell45:)
 

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What you can try is a hard lift or shake it a little, but do take of any bounce,,by that if it does come free take care that it does not come down again.

Locking and unlocking the roof can also do it,,just have this feeling the that locking peg is bent a little.

Thank you for the complements :D:D
 

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Thanks for all your help. Once the rain stops here in Manchester ( probably in 2015 ) I will get the car out of the garage and try your tips. What a nice bunch you are in the MBO forum.

Russell45:)

I lived in Denton for two years when I was a student at Manchester Polytechnic (remember them?).

My landlady used to say that if you could see the hills,it was going to rain and if you couldn't,it was raining:)

regards,
Nick.
 

ncooper

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...and ,if I may,a small question about SLs?

When you go over medium to severe bumps in the road,is it normal for the front wings to shudder slightly?
Or is mine coming apart at the seams?

Don't mean to hijack the thread,sorry.

Regards,
Nick
 

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Without the hard top off a little bit of scuttle shake will take place, but never bad on the ones that I have driven and owned
 

ncooper

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Thanks Malcolm,I didn't notice anything until I took the hardtop off and one of the roads I travel to work along has some serious bumps in it,so I figure it's normal?
This is the first car I have owned that didn't have a roof:)

Regards,
Nick.
 

Myros

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you can see the wings wobble a bit on the bumpy bits

they are just a three sided box really, and not as stressed as the curvier, thinner wings on other models. You can see the bonnet resonate slightly in the airflow at speed, on the aluminium ones anyway.
The scuttle shake on the 107s was world-beatingly good at the time, and is nowhere as bad as say a vw beetle of the same era.
I've been to Denton a lot, and never seen your landlady.
 

ncooper

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I've been to Denton a lot, and never seen your landlady.


Do let me know if you do,she was way over 70 years old in 1972.

Regards,
Nick.;)
 

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