230SL seats restoration

[Classic garage]

Dear,
Fist of all, this forum is the most valuable in internet for pagoda lovers and would like the thank for all members for provided information. We are trying to make correct full restoration of 230SL, 1965. The car was imported from USA years ago and we are not sure was previously restored or not. The question now is about the seats. We found some belts around seat springs (you can see on the pictures) and wondering is it something original or someone made not proper correction of seat springs hardness. Thanks in advance and for sure we will have more questions in the future.    Ivan, BG-6500 Svilengrad, Bulgaria   

[Classic garage]

Of course the seats are not first restoration part ;-), you can see the car before starting and firs complete ready part. More pictures will follow ...

[Sead]

Here mine original 230SL untouched seats...

[114015]

Dear Ivan,
From the pics you show, your car appears to be a good restoration candidate - very worthwhile...

2nd
from your pics
it appears also as if you car was built between serial nos. 007641 and 012466.
Clearly seat-type 2 .... (i wrote an article on the seat differences a while ago - was published in PagodaWorld).

As to the fabric belts and also the foam from your seat cushion(s), these are clearly not original but aftermarket. Sead's seats are correct here.
Surely this was done once in the past in order to "stiffen" the seating comfort of your seats.

Best recommendation I can provide to you is to replace these kind of Nosag springs.
They're gone after 5 1/2 decades.

https://www.google.com/search?safe=strict&q=Nosag+Federn&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXypD8tNbkAhUlsKQKHb8VAKMQsAR6BAgIEAE&biw=1000&bih=646


Good luck!

Achim

[pj]

Perfect timing for this topic, as we just picked up the remnants of our seats & cushions from the upholstery shop, where the seats have been rebuilt with new leather and modern foam padding. We noticed the paper labels on the underside, as shown in your photo #5560. I will grab some photos of ours soon. The name on the seats surely must be their manufacturer. Do we know anything about the manufacturer? We have a date stamped on ours, too -- presumably the date the seat was manufactured, right?

[114015]

Emil Hauenschild in Hamburg, Germany.
This company no longer exists.

They only made the rubber horse hair paddings, and that's the date the paddings were manufactured., not the complete seats
Later cars' paddings were made by Fehrer in Kitzingen....,
this company is still alive.

The complete final assembly of the seats was done at the (MB) factory AFAIK..., not at a supplier's location; pretty confident on this.


Achim
(pagodaseatcollector)

[mbzse]

.../...The complete final assembly of the seats was done at the (MB) factory AFAIK..., not at a supplier's location; pretty confident on this

You are correct, Achim
Attached are a couple of photos from the Mercedes Factory Upholstery department "Sattlerei" in 1968

[zoegrlh]

Your originial seat frame on the seat bottom lower frame at back of frame, you will also have grease pencil initials of the MB person that built the seat.  The paper tag that is between the spring and the cushion, on both backs and bottoms, will have company and address of seat pad manufacturer the part number of pad preprinted, and a date stamped when pads were manufactured.
Bob
Williamsburg, Va.

[mdsalemi]

The complete final assembly of the seats was done at the (MB) factory AFAIK..., not at a supplier's location; pretty confident on this.

My how things have changed. Today, if MB is like any other, the entire seat assembly is supplied by a seat supplier (such as Lear https://www.lear.com but who knows who does MB seats...). It's shipped in a JIT manner, and probably warehoused at the assembly plant, in containers or trailers in the parking lot. There is no inventory cost for the manufacturer, as they are pulled as needed and invoiced as such. The supplier absorbs the cost of inventory.

https://www.redviking.com/case-studies/manufacturing-execution-systems-case-studies/assembly-line-sequencing-kitting/

https://www.complog.com/services/warehousing-management/warehouse-management-core-processes/value-added-services/parts-sequencing

https://www.royal4.com/wms-for-auto-parts-manufacturing/

It's all part of a "thing" and an educational discipline called supply chain management...

[mbzse]

The "477" written wich crayon on the underside of the seat frame in one of your pictures Ivan, are the last digits of the Production No of the car that the seat came from. Nice detail

[Lotus211]

Hi, I have an early 1963 230SL and the seats were refurbished by Heritage Upholstery in the USA.

There are a number of subtle differences between the early 230 and later versions.
These are explained here. worth a look.
https://vimeo.com/360159388, or go onto www.heritagetrim.com then click on to pagoda.