The Dreaded Soft Top Curl - a C&S fix

[George Davis]

C&S = cheap and sleazy

Recent discussion of the dreaded curl, along with some severe curling on my soft top, prompted me to seek a fix that doesn't involve replacing or regluing the top.  This is what I came up with.  With apologies to puristas...

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The pics should be fairly self explanatory.  I sewed three 12 inch long (30 cm) pieces of fabric twill tape (1/2 inch (12 mm) wide) to the underside of the curled edge, using a curved sewing needle and nylon upholstery thread.  The stitches go through the small loose edge of the top fabric that you'll see there.  Not real easy to sew there, but it can be done, and only stabbed myself once .  A neat trick my wife showed me was to fold over the end of the twill tape twice, this gives you a stronger hold on it and prevents fraying.

The twill tape was then held inside the top with the masking tape you see in the second pic, and the top closed, leaving the tapes inside.  Hold the curled edge down with a weight or have an assistant hold it down.  Inside the car, a plastic spring loaded drawstring catch is slipped over each tape.  Snug up each of the drawstring catches until they are wedged between the rear top frame and the top case lid.  This, amazingly enough, holds the curl down.  The twill tape is on the underside of the curl, so not visible from outside.

If you do this, you will want to put something between the drawstring catches and the case lid to protect the paint.  A piece of cloth would probably work, or something similar.  That clear plastic stuff that is used to prevent chips in paint and/or headlight lenses might be good, if you want something semi-permanent.

If you put your top up and down a lot, this method might be a bit of nuisance to do every time, and I don't think it is possible to pull the curl down from inside, it needs to be held down outside somehow.

Then go drink a 7-Up, the Uncurla!  Sorry, sorry...


George Davis
'69 280 SL Euro manual

[Cees Klumper]

There´s a much simpler method I´m afraid.

When you put the soft top down in the well, make sure you fold the corners underneath the frame, rather than allowing them to be folded upwards, as they would otherwise automatically do (a design flaw which actually causes the corners to fold / they just sit there folded up in the well sometimes for months at a time, no wonder they stay that way when the top goes up).

My car had perenially curled up corners, until I came across this tip of folding them down when lowering the top. After one night, the corners remained nice and flat when I put up the top.

Folding them down into the well can be a bit difficult to do. Richard Madison fabricated a ´shoe tree´ out of a plastic water jug if I recall correctly, to make it easy. I just use my hands.

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[J. Huber]

Nice one George (although you obviously have too much time on your hands...)  

My cure is much simpler -- keep the top down!


James
63 230SL

[TheEngineer]

I have done for a long time what Cees says: Just reach in and fold the edges down. You may have to lift the top slightly while you do that. I also use a sheet of cardboard to make the edges of the top slide past the rubber seal strip.

[thelews]

Well, I did the suggested fold-the-corners down method and obviously it would work.  However, today, when I parked the car, the top bonnet looked like it was raised in the middle.  In fact, I could push down on it at the seal.  I opened the bonnet, raised the top and untucked the corners to lay as they naturally would on stowage.  The top then settled into the well further and the bonnet closed with a tight seal all the way around, as it should and always has.   With the corners tucked under, the top sits too high and puts too much pressure on the bonnet away from the latches.  I'll stick with the curled corners after a summer of sitting in the well and flatten them another way come fall.  Have to be careful when deviating from factory design.

[floatinghat]

Whatever happened to George Davis?

[Peter van Es]

Last seen here august 31st 2007.

[Witt]

Well, I did the suggested fold-the-corners down method and obviously it would work.  However, today, when I parked the car, the top bonnet looked like it was raised in the middle.  In fact, I could push down on it at the seal.  I opened the bonnet, raised the top and untucked the corners to lay as they naturally would on stowage.  The top then settled into the well further and the bonnet closed with a tight seal all the way around, as it should and always has.   With the corners tucked under, the top sits too high and puts too much pressure on the bonnet away from the latches.  I'll stick with the curled corners after a summer of sitting in the well and flatten them another way come fall.  Have to be careful when deviating from factory design.

......I usually also remove the two locking pins that fasten the ST to the top of the windshield entirely to prevent the ST from being compressed to much. I am always afraid that those pins will poke through the ST-cover......paranoid?

CHEERS !
WITT !

[JamesL]

Whatever happened to George Davis?

He was Innocent, OK

(one for the older brits)