Trim Removal Question - 68 280 SL

[FRITZ68]

We have the removable top off the car for painting and would like to have the two lower side trim pieces replated.  These are the pieces that are just below the side glass on each side.  We turned the top upside down on a quilt and there are about 3 -5 screws that hold each piece in place from the bottom.  We removed the screws, but without doing any damage and without removing the side window, were unable to remove these pieces.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  I am attaching pictures.  We are doing a complete repaint of the car at this time and these are the only parts that are scuffed and really need plating, so we need to remove them.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

Thanks, Fritz

[Larry & Norma]

From memory mine came off just with removing the screws. Maybe
some one has glued yours as well?

[Garry]

I agree with Larry,  Mine also came off after undoing the three screws.  Maybe someone has put some silicon behind.

Garry

[chumps]

I am having the same problem. I tried to take those pieces off  yesterday. I removed the three screws and the pieces would not budge. I do not believe they have ever been off before. I will continue to follow this thread. Chumps 

[66andBlue]

This piece will NOT just "fall off" after the three screws were removed because the other end is hooked over a ridge on the window frame. Any attempts to pry it off by lifting the side with the screw holes up will only damage the piece beyond repair. You may have lots of putty behind the piece and this must be softened first with a solvent - spraying in some WD40 from both ends works quite well but it takes time, perhaps a few days. Once you can slide the piece left and right a bit (~2 cm) then you can press down (top upside down) on one end and lift if off the lip.  If the piece has never been removed you can expect that the "spring action" is still quite strong and it takes some pressure to get it off.  Also it helps to have the vertical trim piece in front and the curved one around the window removed first because depending on how they were mounted they may prevent it from sliding left and right.
I seem to remember that Gernold's article (see technical manual) explains the procedure quite well.

[Garry]

I have just tried it on the trim of my 230SL which has not been off before and it did literally fall off after removal of the screws. One end has a slight turn as seen in photo 4

It did have what appears to have been some sort of putty behind that was no longer holding it.
Here are some ohotos of the item and where it was attached to.

[Garry]

Here are four more photos with the trim back on with new screws replacing the rusty ones.

The piece sits over the forward window trim and that forward trim probably could not be removed without the lower trim removed.

it tucks in behind the rear window/gutter trim and that is where there is the smallest of returns in the trim that actually does not hook but more sits around the covering trim.  This may be the area that is giving you some problem if the putty is still holding the piece on. Taking the rear trim off may help to get in under the small return.
To quote the tech manual

"Then take off the lower trip molding (13) by removing the three sheet metal screws on the bottom then prying the narrow lip over the ridge used to position the glass seal. Don't pry from the bottom up; this will only bend and eventually destroy the molding."

As Alfred also said, be careful not to pry from the bottom thus bending the piece.

[66andBlue]

To quote the tech manual
"Then take off the lower trip molding (13) by removing the three sheet metal screws on the bottom then prying the narrow lip over the ridge used to position the glass seal. Don't pry from the bottom up; this will only bend and eventually destroy the molding."
As Alfred also said, be careful not to pry from the bottom thus bending the piece.

Garry,
the total length of the piece needs to be hooked over the ridge not just the end portion.  On my 280SL the PO's mechanic hadn't done it either and when I removed the 3 screws the piece came right of. That was not the case with the 230SL hard top which was untouched until I had it painted.
Also one of the vertical trim pieces needs to be clipped on first before it is screwed on. I hope the photo below makes it clear where the lips are on these pieces.

[Garry]

I thought you were referring to some hook on the ends of the trim.
 Quote"  the other end is hooked over a ridge on the window frame" unquote and agree with you that the moulding sits into the window seal, but it is less than a mm and should not be the cause for it to hang up when removing from an old seal. Mine just naturally sat in the seal as I took it off and on earlier today. Maybe they should run a very small flat head screwdriver between the window seal and the trim to break any seal/sticking that may have occurred from polish etc because other than that the item is just sitting there. Unless as originally said, there is some putty sticking it to the H/T

[FRITZ68]

  I  have many cars and participate in many forums, but this is the most-responsive group of them all!   Thanks so much for the ideas.  I know that one end of the piece is hooked behind another trim section, so know not to force it, but tomorrow we will try some lubricant and follow all of the ideas posted and maybe get these two pieces off to the platers, as the rest of the chrome is perfect and we don't want to cut corners at this point.

Thanks again,
Fritz

See our car collection at www.tpcarcollection.com  (Located in Canfield, Ohio in NE Ohio).  Museum is open every Sat from 10 AM to 3 PM (free admission).  Forum members can get in any afternoon - just ask for Fred.  I am semi-retired but come to work from Monday through Thursday and will be glad to show you around.  We have a nice selection of over 30 cars, but only two Mercedes - this 1968 280SL and a very nice 1962 Model 220SEb (2 dr. HT).  Attached picture shows an aerial view of ouf facility where we manufacture Made in USA products for antique car restoration (sandblasting cabinets, vacuums, dust collectors and HVLP paint spray systems).  Our car museum buildings are to the left of the entrance in the left foreground.  Stop in if you are ever in the area.

[66andBlue]

Fritz,
are you planning to remove the trim with the quarter windows still installed?

[FRITZ68]

Quote: 
Are you planning to remove the trim with the quarter windows still installed?  : End of Quote.

I was hoping to do so, as we hadn't planned on removing the windows if at all possible.  It looked so easy when we had the top upside down.  (In theory, remove the screws and pull off the pieces).  However, both pieces seem to be very tight and we didn't want to damage them.  Neither side would budge.   From the previous posts, no one said anything about removing the glass.  Lots of information was posted and I printed all of this. and plan to take a closer look tomorrow.  Is it possible to remove the peices without removing the quarter glass?

Thanks,  Fritz

[Garry]

Hi Fritz.

Not being able to understand why Alfred and I had such differing opinions on how our respective chrome fittings sat on the rear quarter window on the Hard Top,  I decided to strip the chrome off my car today and have a closer look at it.

I pulled off the other side from the earlier one I had removed and it again came off easily and slipped out of the rubber.  There was quite a bit of putty there so I stripped it away.  After stripping away the putty I realised that there was a metal strip under a rubber flap and putty.
My chrome has been sitting hard up against the rubber flap for so long that it has forced it upwards and as such had formed its own groove/flap to fit over the chrome but the chrome is not over the metal strip. You can see in the photo that there is a metal strip under the rubber flap that is now visible after taking away the putty.

Now I can see that the chrome should fit over the metal strip and under the rubber flap. To correct in my car now that the rubber has been so reformed, I would need to strip the windows out to do it, fit the chrome first then the windows with their rubber so that the rubber flap would fit over the chrome.

Alfred and I have also had an email exchange off line and I agree that it will be extremely difficult to fit the chrome back after the window is installed if you are able to remove it using the method described in Alfred's earlier post.

Garry

[Larry & Norma]

That's interesting as I remember thinking that the trim seemed a little
insecure when I removed it. Come warmer weather I will check
that out and try and fit it correctly.
Just one more item on the list!
Happy New Year to All