soft top shims

[rmmchl]

I noticed when taking my soft top out for my repaint, the soft- top bracket ( 2 bolts) on the drivers side had 2 shims under the bracket. The shims were made for this. They were shaped the same size as the bracket. The passenger side has no shims. Just the 2 bolts ( and of course the springs)---does anyone know what these do? They are thin, and I can't see the benefit.

[SteveK]

Soft top frames are not perfect and the shims square the whole thing up. You will need them if the top is going to fit back correctly.  (You may need more or less after you take the frame apart and then put it back together.)

[hauser]

The factory shims are NLA.  Anyone needing them will have to fabricate it.

[DavidBrough]

I made the extra shims I needed from some plastic card obtained from a model shop as its very easy to work and comes in various thicknesses and makes setting the correct side window fit quite easy.

[rmmchl]

but why are the shims needed? how do you if and where and how many are needed?

[rmmchl]

excuse the wording of my post.  I didn't proof check it----- I meant to post----- does anyone know why and how are they used---how do you know if they are needed?-how does one know how to determine if they are needed and where they are needed??? and how many are needed???

[Larry & Norma]

Firstly make sure the side windows close and align properly with the hard top on. Remove the hard top and
raise the soft top it will then check window alignment again. Any gaps at the top can be corrected with these shims
either adding or removing, also the soft top can be adjusted fore and aft as the mounting cage nuts are
in grooves.

[rmmchl]

i thought that the gap at the top of the window was a window glass adjustment-not a soft top adjustment???

[Garry]

What Gnuface was saying was that you adjust the glass to the hard top first then remove the hard top and adjust the soft top to the glass through use of shims.  Bit hard to adjust hard top to the glass

[Jaime]

Do you have photos or drawings of the soft top shims?

[Witt]

When I repaired my window mechanism I adjusted them to the hard top as recommended.
After installing the soft top the only way I could get rid of those annoying gaps at the front and top of the windows, was to undo the metal strip holding the rubber weatherstrip in place and lowering it slightly at the front to align with the windows.
After riveting the metal strip back to the soft top frame, everything is working just fine.

CHEERS !
WITT !

[badali]

The shims are 1 mm thick

[rmmchl]

how can a one mm shim make a difference on top/window height???-If you had a quarter inch gap to make up above the window, it would take a stack of those. I just don't think they are relevent. To me, another over engineered german thing. There must have been another reason for them

[Larry & Norma]

It's all about getting the geometry correct and accounting for manufacturing tolerances. Replacing rear wings (fenders) etc can also
change things.

[66andBlue]

Has anyone figured out why there are two different types of shims?
I do not have the one with the tab, only the one with the curved cut out shown in Brad's photos,  in my 280SL.
It cannot be a left - right issue because I can flip it over and it will fit both sides. Is this perhaps a 230SL/280SL difference issue? 

BTW, SLS sells one (1) pair for the absolutely ridiculous price of EUR 38!!!

[badali]

I think you can slide it in by taking out just one bolt and loosening the other.

[glenn]

Has anyone figured out why there are two different types of shims?
I do not have the one with the tab, only the one with the curved cut out shown in Brad's photos,  in my 280SL.
It cannot be a left - right issue because I can flip it over and it will fit both sides. Is this perhaps a 230SL/280SL difference issue? 

BTW, SLS sells one (1) pair for the absolutely ridiculous price of EUR 38!!!

Costs 1 EUR to make.  Sell for 38 EUR.   That 37% adds up.

PPP Perfect Pagoda Percentage.

[66andBlue]

Brad,
but you can do that with both shims
When you move the frame for and aft for adjustments do the shims move with the frame or stay put?
Looks to me that the tab would prevent any movement of the shim. Could that be the intended function?

Glenn,
I would call it Perfect Pagoda Profiteering.

[badali]

I'm not sure.  Just guessing because of the shape.

[Atazman]

Just had my shims out because I'm installing the soft top (following new paint).  My shims all have the tab on them.  All have holes (no slots), so you cannot loosen the bolts and slide shims in or out. 

So my shims move with the bolt.  The nuts are in slots, so they will move back and forth, and side to side a bit to allow some adjustment.  I had 4 shims on one side and 3 on the other; these things were really difficult to align and to get the bolts back in without stripping the threads.  It would appear to me that the tabs on the shims go toward the outside of the vehicle.

[Benz Dr.]

There are a number of things that determine how well this job will go. The first thing is a straight car. I had one that was about 10mm longer on one side of the car than it was on the other. This doesn't sound like much but the door fit was terrible and everything on the soft top wouldn't fit either. This was something that any amount of adjustment would never fix. An unamed body shop did this and it would needed cutting apart to sort out. We did what we could with it but it was a hopeless mess. Not only was the passenger side door gaps wider from end to end it was also wider from top to bottom.

 There is only so much adjustment with the door glass. If the door is hung propery and the frame is square to the car,  you should be able to make everything fit by moving the door glass around. If the top is too low or high you can add or subtract shims to give you a closer fit at the top window seal. Small adjustments can be made by removing the chrome trim and sloting the holes slightly to move up or down. These pieces are held in place by counter sunk machine screws so you won't get much adjustment unless you couter sink the slot as well.

[66andBlue]

Dan,
this topic is about soft top shims!
Do you know why there are two types??

[Benz Dr.]

No.... Why?

 My post was about the shims and other things that affect how well the top fits. Some people really wouldn't be able to tell that their car had structural problems so I thought I would throw that in as a sort of, well.... you know, bone to chew on? 

  Geeze Alfred, I have no idea who I'm posting to, or who reads all of this crap, or if anyone really cares or understands, or if they even read it at all. I can't tell if they're master mechanics, or all thumbs - I really can't tell. Anyone, anywhere can read this. Makes me wonder why I post at ......

And because I don't know who's reading this stuff, I sometimes add a bit of extra info, the bone I was talking about ( ?) just in case someone '' gets it '' or maybe benifits from something that only I might know about. There are others here smarter than me - let them pick up the posting torch and take over when I step out......

Ah....... what was the question, again?

Oh yeah, the shims. Well, I don't know. Never looked at them all that closely. I often remove soft tops so a car can be painted and we tape the shims to the frame or put them in a marked box. I doubt there's any real difference at all but knowing MB there would be a reason. There's always a reason.

 And, I don't a have any idea.