Headrests for 280SL

[richlaw1]

does anyone know when Mercedes started installing the headrests standard on the 280sl.  some sites say '68 and some say '69.  I think it was mid-year '69.  I have a '69 production #1613 does not have the headrests.  I would like to add them.  Is the rest of the seat the same and I can just add the headrests or do I have to go out and buy used '70 or '71 seats and re-upolster them to match the interior?  Does anyone know where to get the headrests?  I saw some guy on ebay wants $475 plus shipping for a pair with the posts and that seems a little steep.  Someone else is selling 2 complete '70 seats for $900.  My seats are in pretty good condition, so I'd prefer to just add the headrests if I can.

[Larry & Norma]

You can add them to your existing seats, the mounting points for the runners are there.
You just need the headrests and runners, i bought from e-bay but had to re-upholster
the headrests to match.

[richlaw1]

how much did you pay and was it difficult to install?

[jaymanek]

I have some headrests for mine that I need to fit.

I dont have the runners and from the dealer, the runners alone are £130 each...
I wont need to adjust them so im thinking of fixing them somehow without runners? Anyone know if this is possible?
I may be retrimming my interior in the winter so will ask my upholsterer to devise something...

[hands_aus]

please do a search, this has been discussed previously.

Also the head rests were similar to those in some sedans of the era.

[dakman29]

Here's a link to a current ebay auction for headrests with rails.  I have no connection to the auction but have purchased items from the seller with good results.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MERCEDES-108-111-113-250-280-300-SL-SE-SEL-HEADRESTS-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a52acae9fQQitemZ250495151775QQptZVintageQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[scoot]

Here's a link to a current ebay auction for headrests with rails.  I have no connection to the auction but have purchased items from the seller with good results.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MERCEDES-108-111-113-250-280-300-SL-SE-SEL-HEADRESTS-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a52acae9fQQitemZ250495151775QQptZVintageQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

That is an insanely low price for the items.  And the seller has a good reputation, and I have no connection to the seller or auction.

[49er]

does anyone know when Mercedes started installing the headrests standard on the 280sl.  some sites say '68 and some say '69.  I think it was mid-year '69.  I have a '69 production #1613 does not have the headrests. 

My 1969 280SL (113 044-10-3820) was delivered in Sept 1968 with no head restraints.  An allowance of $71 was on the invoice.

John

[mbzse]

does anyone know when Mercedes started installing the headrests standard on the 280sl.../..

It never was "standard" for the W113, it remained an option (SA573)
The option was available in 1969
However, it may be possible that MBNA at one time decided that all W113 (or indeed, all M-B) sold in the US should have that option 573 installed(?)
/Hans in Sweden

.

[114015]

It never was "standard" for the W113, it remained an option (SA573)
The option was available in 1969
However, it may be possible that MBNA at one time decided that all W113 (or indeed, all M-B) sold in the US should have that option 573 installed(?)

Are you really sure about that, Hans??

I rather believe (was somehow told here ... forgot when that was) that all US delivery cars had to have  headrests and belts from a specific time point on (1968/69). Don't have that VIN but I ... believe .... to remember this just became law in the US rather than being an optional decision just by MBNA.
What can the other US based owners chime in here?

Achim

[49er]

When I ordered my car in May of 1968, the salesman told me it would be a 69 model and would probably have headrests, a US mandate that was being implemented. I never really cared for the look of the headrests and was happy to see they were not on my car when I took delivery. Not sure when MB started installing them on all US deliveries?

John

[mdsalemi]

Standard No. 202 - Head Restraints - Passenger Cars, Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles, Trucks and Buses with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 4,536 kg (10,000 lbs.) or less (Effective 1-1-69)
This standard specifies requirements for head restraints to reduce the frequency and severity of neck injuries in rear-end and other collisions.

That's NHTSA standard 202, and as you can see, effective January 1, 1969 for all cars sold in the USA.  Doesn't apply to model year, it applies to time of manufacture, hence 49er's lack thereof for a car built in 1968.

My car was built to US spec in the 3rd week of January of 1969 and has headrests.  Achim is right as usual!!

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/fmvss/index.html#SN202

[49er]

Thanks for that information Michael. I was always puzzled as to why the car came without the head rests. Now I know.

John

[mdsalemi]

What is interesting John, is that two sources of information "we" usually go to are wrong on the subject.

There is a lot of reference to works by the late Frank Mallory--not the Frank Mallory who posts today (that's his son I believe).  Frank states in a comprehensive chronology of production changes for the W113 that headrests appeared on US cars at start of production in 1968.  We know that to be false.  My guess is that was a typo that was never corrected.

Then there is the [in]famous Meredith book on SLs, and that has a comprehensive list of changes (appendix in the back), and specifically mentions a lot of DOT and safety related additions to US cars.  I've read that over and over and unless I've missed it, I can't find any reference to headrests.

If you dig deep and research you'll see that an astounding number of people suffer whiplash neck injuries each year.  Even with headrests in our cars, if your head isn't resting on the headrest when driving (or pretty close to it) it probably isn't worth a darn.  I'm forever lifting mine up and tilting forward to make it somewhat useful.