Upholstery Padding

[IXLR8]

Hi--

I am planning on using vinyl (Tex) for the dash, the soft top cover, under dash panels, etc.  I have leather for the seats.

Has anyone done their own upholstery in these areas who can give me a tip on padding beneath the Tex?

What type and thickness padding did you use?

I was at the upholstery store today, and the woven headliner material looked intriguing--cloth covered foam about 3/16 " thick.  It looked like it would hold dimension pretty well and not "thin out" when pulled around contours.

Alternatively, the store also had some cloth backed vinyl remnants with about a total thickness of 1/16".

I have also considered closed-cell foam that is used to underlay laminate flooring--it's about 3/16" thick and fairly dense. With it's closed-cell configuration, I figured that I wouldn't have to worry about moisture accretion.

Any experience or suggestions on the above or a better alternative is appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.


Joe

[66andBlue]

Joe,
the original foam padding used by MB was called Moltopren which is a polyurethane foam. For the underdash panels it was 5 mm thick (p/n 000 983 01 98 - but NLA)
but thinner (3 - 4 mm) for the dash and soft top compartment lid.
I bought foam sheets from McMaster-Carr,  3/16 thick for the under dash panels and 1/8" thick for the dash and lid. The latter material was also resistant to higher temperatures (>170 degree F).
Don't "pull" the foam around contours, just glue it down lightly.

[IXLR8]

Thanks, Alfred!

Exactly the information that I needed.

Joe

[66andBlue]

I have just learned that p/n 000 983 01 98 was replaced by p/n 000 983 35 98 9005 which is 10 mm thick and costs about $5/meter from the dealer.
There are also reproduction underdash panels available for $169/set of 3:
http://www.authenticclassics.com/230SL-250-280SL-113Ch-3pc-Underdash-Panel-Set-p/auth-002804-0002.htm