Sagging elastic in door pockets

[Douglas]

It seems many of the US-spec cars with original elastic door pockets have tired elastic in them.

Here's a photo posted by someone else of a car up on ebay right now that shows what I mean:

http://www.sl113.org/forums/uploaded/Ed%20Cave/20068231860_Door%20panel%20and%20pocket.jpg

My advice to owners of US-spec cars with the elastic door pockets is not to store things in those pockets, esp. not your owner's manual pouch. This causes it to sag over time.

So has anyone here renewed the elastic in their door pockets? Can you share some tips on that process?

(Owners of Euro-spec SLs needn't worry about this since you have the hard door pockets.)

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

[dreyer635]

I did mine last year when I did the interior of my car. Easy job - take off the door panel and then take of the door pocket by unscrewing 2 screws and some tabs. Get some new elastic from a supermarket or wherever they sell it and replace the old one  by pulling it out and fasting the new like the old one. Put everything back on again. If there are no plastic behind the door panel - put on some new one. I will guess door on the picture don’t have any.

Kjell Dreyer
Norway
69 280 SL manual

[mdsalemi]

"Elastic", of course, is simply rubber encased in some kind of fabric.  Like everything else made of rubber, it doesn't last.  Both natural and synthetic rubbers dry out, crack, out-gas their plasticizers, and otherwise age.  Try stretching a 5-year old rubber band and it'll break.  I just threw out a bag of rubber bands from 2001 as only 1 in 10 still worked.

Use the door pockets as intended; the elastic is going to age anyway.  While I wouldn't overstuff them so the rubber is under tension at all times, I wouldn't avoid using them either.  I keep the owner's manual and a map or two in them; mine are approaching 6 years old now (replaced of course during the restoration) but still work fine.

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[Douglas]

To each his own, Michael. But I'll say this -- my last SL had its original door panels and the elastic was flawless. (It would probably decay if I looked at it too long, but it was unused and perfect.)



Douglas Kim
New York
USA

[mdsalemi]

That photo which raised the issue is a poor quality job--the elastic is only one issue.  The whole panel looks wavy like the leather wasn't stretched right or something--maybe there's an issue with the substrate panel.  This doesn't look like an original gone bad from anything, it looks like a poor quality "restoration".

I don't have an owner's manual pouch, just the manual.  It doesn't fit well in the glovebox; it isn't deep enough.

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[TheEngineer]

I did the same as Kjell: Took the door panel off, got some elastic from my wifeys sewing box and used it to replace the old elastic. One of these days I'll do the passenger side also. BTW: I think this '69 in the above e-Bay auction (item 290021974334) is suspect: I e-mailed the seller to give me an address & phone no. to look at the car and he never replied!

[JPMOSE]

Mine is still perfect too.  Perhaps because the car was always in Portland, OR, where it is cool.

I own the car for hobby purposes only and thus WILL NOT store anything in the pocket.  As far as the owners manual, why would anyone want to keep it in the car anyway?  It is a vintage item that should be stored in a cool dry place.  I'm sure 99% of Pagoda owners could rewrite it by heart anyway!  

Best Regards,

J. P. Mose
1968 250SL
1987 560SL

[mdsalemi]

quote:Originally posted by JPMOSE

Mine is still perfect too.  Perhaps because the car was always in Portland, OR, where it is cool.

I own the car for hobby purposes only and thus WILL NOT store anything in the pocket.  As far as the owners manual, why would anyone want to keep it in the car anyway?  It is a vintage item that should be stored in a cool dry place.  I'm sure 99% of Pagoda owners could rewrite it by heart anyway!  

Best Regards,

J. P. Mose
1968 250SL
1987 560SL

Well, JP--I keep my reprint in the car, the original vintage one at home...

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[Chad]

This seems like a wear and tear item that is pretty easy to refresh as others have said. Probably one of the cheapest things to fix on the entire car. Much easier to restore than say seat cushions and springs. We all sit in the cars from time to time.

1967 230SL (Manual, rustless driver)