Trunk torsion bars

[Miloslav Maun]

Friends,

Please help me undestand the rear luggage compartment spring system.
Before my car went to the paint shop, the trunk lid stayed open.
Now, after all has been put back, the lid just falls on my head. The struts have not been taken out, and I do not believe they rotated 360° because there is not much space to rotate so.
I looked at a photo which was taken before the disassembly and on the left (driver's) side the bars are located as before (at least I think so). Apart of that, one of the bars scratches against the metal when opening the soft top compartment. On the right side they also fit fine.
Is there any trick to install them? Or could they just got tired?
Thanks for any suggestion.

[glennard]

Spring load on the soft top cover lid?

[waltklatt]

Muf,
Do you still have the small white/yellowish plastic clips that hold the bars together?
Maybe the paint baking process of the oven made them brittle and they broke.
Did they paint a heavy paint on the trunk?
Check the soft top cover too, does it stay up, like Glennard asks?
Walter
1967 220SL-diesel

[TheEngineer]

Painting alone would not cause any change, but if the car was put into an oven for the paint to cure, depending on the temperature, it might. I have seen paint jobs where the entire car was stripped of engine, tyres and interior, all plastic parts and baked at elevated temperatures. It's not very common. The torsion bars serve a dual purpose: They hold the trunk lid up, or hold the soft top lid up. Not both at the same time. There is no scraping against body parts. The torsion bars do get tired; I have seen that they loose the temper. When that happens they can be re-heat treated or replaced. You can try to remove them and wind them up past the elastic limit. If they stay that way, they have not lost their temper.

[Miloslav Maun]

Yes, the soft top lid stays open and the tension it needs to close seems adequate (the trunk lid is much heavier so if it had the same load it probably would be too much).
I do not think the car was baked. They probably used a different technology without heat. But anyway, there are no plastic parts near the bars. Should they?
There are just the two struts both anchored on the right side in the in the trunk lid hinge and then in the middle there is a metal anchoring point on the "firewall".  On the left side they sit on the combined hinges of the soft top lid and decklid.

Walt, was it a joke with the paint being too heavy? [:0]

Can the bars be easily removed by one man? Any tips or howtos?



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P.S. On the second photo I have tried a different way of installing the bars on the left side. But this did not work. Now both bars sit on the soft top hinge again, one in the groove, one above it.

[Miloslav Maun]

Please, would you have a photo or diagram how to place the bars? I am still puzzled with this...

[bpossel]

Muf,

Did you ever get your trunk tension bar working correctly?
How did you fix it?

I want to make sure this doesnt happen to me.

  Thanks,
Bob

bpossel  (Memphis, TN.)
'71 280SL  /  '97 E320

[waltklatt]

Hello Muf,
A long time has passed since your posting.
Have you fixed the trunk torsion bar issue?
I have removed the torsion bars from a parts car and installed them into the 280SL I'm restoring now.
Not a big complexity, but a trying one.
Use of some serious muscle is required here.
Thanks,
Walter
1967 220SL-diesel
1970 280SL-undergoing restoration for a friend

[Miloslav Maun]

Walt,

I do not have that pagoda anymore, I sold it. But the problem was fixed somehow. I do not know what exactly my friend mechanic did but the lid stayed up (although not so firmly as with my second pagoda).

[peller]

Anyone know where I can get a new set of torsion bars? Mine were removed by the previous owner.