R107 bulkhead / firewall rust. Has anyine repaired it? Need help pls

[berntd]

Hello

I am trying to repair my '73 450SL but it is getting the better if me.

If anyone has repaired the firewall rust, please let me know how you did it.

I have repairable rust in the plenum chamber and I don't need the bulkhead kit.

I do have rust in the 2 layers of metal in front of it. Just up from the tunnel, the traverse is rusted through and the layer behind it.

The same traverse continues to under the fenders. There is nothing of it left there and I don't even know what to fabricate.

I see no repair panels listed for any of this on any of the supplier sites. Only the bulkhead as a unit and it is NLA.

Surely others have repaired this?

Best regards
Bernt

 

[merc85]

Have you tried these guys?

Parts Store | The SL Shop

 

[berntd]

Have you tried these guys?

Parts Store | The SL Shop

Yes of course.

 

[grober]

Lots of threads with pictures out there on the net on how to repair these. You just have to search for yourself I'm afraid. Charles Morgans w114 project here is a good place to start - different model but similar problems and useful links to other projects. First question- can you weld and fabricate metal sheet- if not --its time to learn --- or leave it to the pros.
You have fallen victim to the siren song of the R107--- lured by a surface impression of an alluring beauty only to find you have purchased a haggard crone. Many a song has been sung in the halls of Mercedes forums of brave men who have fallen victim to her spell in similar fashion .

 

[berntd]

Herw are some pictures of what I am talking about.

Regards
Bernt

 

[grober]

Brief video summary of whats involved- don't think there are any short cuts here!
[YOUTUBE HD]oeMsD0nsdhY[/YOUTUBE HD]

 

[berntd]

Yes, I can weld and fabricate parts but I have trouble with how to go about this as it seems overwhelming.
I need just a bit of input on what to do where to cut etc.

I had already searched for a while before posting here Nothing found so far. The americans suggested to throw it away.

I note that classic car rescue (UK TV), Bernie and Marii, also threw one away because of bulkhead rust :-(

Regards
Bernt

 

[grober]

Herw are some pictures of what I am talking about.

Regards
Bernt

The bulkhead [ excluding the heater plenum chamber] doesn't look too bad save a for a couple of suspect sections- however where it joins the front chassis members takes you straight into what might be termed "ad hoc" fabrication territory a place where only seasoned pros who have ventured there before can safely go and where original structural body components can be impossible to find. With that extent of damage I would suggest you will have to look closely at the financial viability of car itself.

 

[berntd]

Brief video summary of whats involved- don't think there are any short cuts here!
[YOUTUBE HD]oeMsD0nsdhY[/YOUTUBE HD]

Thanks. I have seen this. I was not looking for shortcuts. They do not show how or what they did to repair this apart from their kit, which does not cover the rust in the picture at the beginning. I asked if the kit has instructions or if they can provide steps but they said no.

 

[grober]

Only source I can think of is the niemoeller catalogue https://www.niemoeller.de/en/w107/mercedes-280sl-w107042-m110992/B042/623502/
but as you see from this example there are many parts no longer available- alternatives "if available" might be parts from contemporary models of the time with modification or sections cut from wrecked cars- otherwise you are in fabrication territory- for which there are no guides just the experience of seasoned body pro's - which as you might expect is a jealously guarded secret.

 

[Charles Morgan]

For some reason I can't open the SLS website which might have bodywork for the 107s.

I have numerous photos of my W114 build stages - the firewall needed a complete repair, the inner wings were poor, but the chassis members were fine. When I have the time I'll post the stages of the work done by my fabricator, who has over 30 years of experience and did a great job. However, in a couple of small areas his work was slightly different to original and re-fitting the heater and dash was a lot more work as a result.

Sam (Iceviolet) has just started welding his W114 coupe with many issues similar to yours. W114 coupe rebuild

 

[Druk]

Herw are some pictures of what I am talking about.

Regards
Bernt

The curved shaped really rusty piece in the centre of pic#3 is a major structural member joining the A pillars on both sides to the centre tunnel and the bulkhead, is made from quality steel, and should be repaired to a high standard. It's the right hand end of the same part that's shown in pic 1 where the throttle crank comes through and the rust just below the two brake pipes needs a proper repair as well. ie...not just patched up with tin. You see there where it is seam welded to the tunnel steel. If you remove the battery tray and there is a missing grommet underneath (not all cars have this) then this is where the water got in to start the rust. As yours is the worst ever rusted specimen I've seen of this part I recommend you remove all the carpeting from inside and have a good look at the top of the footwell area as it's likely to be rusted out as well. It's what forms the fourth side to this structural beam.
The rust under the servo is a new one on me but this is just the inner wing area and a simple fabricated patch would suffice here. There is, to my knowledge, no repair patch available for this area.


.

 

[grober]

Found these people in the states who I HAD NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE ??
https://www.kkmfg.com/index.php
E.G.

http://www.kkmfg.com/107 Catalog.pdf

 

[Charles Morgan]

A couple of relevant posts from my W114 coupe restoration showing the what had to be cut out and what had to be fabricated (the air chamber behind the bulkhead needed a complete new base fabricated and welded in).

W114 coupe bulkhead and inner wing work

The result after welding and painting.

 

[alabbasi]

This is a tough job. The biggest challenge in my eyes is that before you get a welder near it , you'll have to remove the engine and the dash, strip any sound deadening and wiring or else you can set the car on fire.

I've only had one car with rust on the bulkhead and it was high enough to where it was behind the glove box (LHD car) but low enough to where you could not really get a welder in place. The rust was not too bad so I ended up cutting and treating the rusty area and making a new piece out of sheet metal which I epoxied into place. I then used rubberized undercoating on both sides to stop it from rusting again.

I was not a proper repair by any means but this 72 350SL which I bought for $2000 was never going to be a show car and I was able to keep it on the road the road instead of getting scrapped.

There are still plenty of rust free 107's in the US which makes it difficult to justify spending the kind of money needed to weld a new section in.

I've thrown away several rust free 107 shells. Ya'll might be better off finding a rust free car in the US and shipping it.

 

[berntd]

Hi everyone,

It is just nice to read through all yiour interesting posts. I don't feel as alone and disheatened. Thank you.
...and please keep it coming.

I have contacted and spoken to every single supplier including SL Shop, SLS, K&K, a place in Denmark etc. All to no avail.

That bulk head cross member... Should I drill it out completely or cut the middle of it away so I can get to the rusted sheet section behind it for repair?

I will post a few more pictures as soon as I can get then off the camera.

Regards
Bernt