Call me crazy, but i'm gonna take a shot at doing mine myself.

Okay, so they quote 10 hours, does that mean they work 10 hours? Surely a lot of that time would be spent waiting for adhesives to cure etc, or whatever it is.

Sounds like a bloody rip off, UNLESS, they commit to do 10 full hours on your top, without doing any other work in between.

jeez, I must be cranky today.

 

Call me crazy, but i'm gonna take a shot at doing mine myself.

It's perfectly DIY-able, but there are steps that will be damned near impossible without an assistant. Doesn't have to be a trained assistant (doesn't have to be a trained installer) but it does have to be someone with an extra pair of hands.

My sister and I changed the top on her car over a weekend. It wasn't any big deal, it's all pretty self-explanatory, there are just a few tricks that might make it easier. I learned them when I watched the guy replace mine. And when we finished with my sister's, she got a better install than the "professional" did with mine. Even the wrinkles behind the door glass smoothed out within a couple of weeks, and she's got a beautiful soft top. I wish mine looked as good.

 

Today?

 

Ouch. Do I come across as cranky?

LOL, maybe I speak my mind more online than normally. Most people would say I'm too laid back, relaxed and stress free.

Hmmm. Oh well, so long as I don't offend anyone.

 

I paid very close to that 2 years ago to have my ragtop replaced. So, from my perspective you're in the ballpark.

I know some of you have done this yourself and had good results, but that's not the kind of job for me.

 

I have heard a similar price before, and if you do the math I suppose the quoted hours will correspond.
However, I learned a few things about estimates in my many years as a project manager. A bottoms-up task-by-task labour estimate will always produce a total much higher than a top-down job estimate. Reality usually lies in between.
Your upholsterer's guide provides the generous bottoms-up times. Put a clock on him and I am certain he will actually spend much less time on the job. Barring disaster, that's true of any shop using standard times for estimates.

Times are lean. Maybe you can bargain him down.

 

Good points, all.
Unfortunately, times are not lean for him.
He is busier than a one armed paper hanger.

My problem with this whole scenario is that I am THE DIY guy.
It kills me to pay someone to do something I am confident I can do.
It's a time thing. If I take the time, then I am dropping the ball some where else.
Nobette figures that I paid good money for a premium top, and I want a good job (not rushed) why not let an experienced guy do it.
It's a pride issue.....that, and I hate parting with money for labour.

 

You bought a high quality top, IIRC.

You want a high quality installation for aforementioned.

You're pressed for time.

It's chunk of money, but if you get a tech that Knows His Shit(tm), you will have the satisfaction of KNOWING it's done right.

SWMBO has given permission.

You've never done this before.

Sometimes, you gotta just bite the bullet.....

If you had more time, I would suggest watching an experienced tech do a job like this, then do it yourself.

Sometimes, wisdom is knowing your limitations.

Just a few random thoughts, YMMV.

Whatever you decide, the best of luck to you.

Scott

 

Basically, your comments are what I am looking for....to help me feel better about my decision.
Thanks

 

Wow. I purchased my top from an online source and found someone local to install it for $350. Dude did a great job, too. However, I was extremely lucky. My guy is a furniture upholstery guy who used to install these tops in the 80's. Found him buy letting my fingers do the walking and calling tons of people for quotes. I picked him, not only because he was inexpensive, but I liked his personality over the phone. He just sounded genuine. Told me he would not do my CLK because he was not skilled enough, but had installed tons of those older SL's.

Again, I got lucky.

 

Wow. I purchased my top from an online source and found someone local to install it for $350.

Everything is cheaper in the U.S.
Damn it.

 

Nobby, why didn't you say you were seeking affirmation?
When you feel good, we feel good.
And you will feel (and look) wonderful with a brand new tan top on your ride.

 

I would take it to the guy... Pay to have it done. But - I would hover around and watch him do it... maybe even document it with pictures, if allowed. That way when it came time to do it again - I'd know how to do it myself... But that's me.


You're pretty savvy... maybe you can get someone to "audit" the installation for you and take pictures under the premise that you are documenting all of your "restoration" works..

Think of the $$$ you've saved doing other things yourself. Go for it.

Drive happy!

P.S. I'd like to see the photo steps, but for knowledge - my top is new.

 

The solution to my top problems is only driving the SL with the top down.

My top is actually only a few years old and would be almost perfect had it not been slashed. The PO stitched the rips to make it servicable. I priced a top & installation last fall at just under $1000, but never followed through to check what I'd be getting. I might get around to it some day.

I can see buying a top and installing it myself. I can also see contracting with someone to supply the top and install it. However, though it seems the common thing to do, I've always wondered at the logic of buying a top and then having someone else install it. It seems like you'd have a perpetual argument between the supplier and the installer if it wasn't perfect. It seems common to read about an installer saying "I did my best, but the top wasn't cut right" or the supplier saying "the top was perfect, but the installer did a poor job"

Alan

 

Alan..
when you want to install your top(provided you want to DIY)... let me know..i'm not that far away.. maybe we can work something out...
i may need mine done in the future and it would /could be a learning experience for both of us...
Don

 

I've got a better idea, Don. When you do yours, let me know and we'll both learn on it. :thumbsup:

Seriously, thanks for the offer, but I don't really have much desire to change mine now. Kinda that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality I was reminded of recently.

However, if you get the urge, let me know & I'll give it my best shot to get up there & help.

 

will do

 

I'm about to do mine. I just need a few more parts. Attached is my parts list. I still need to get window seals and the two pads. I will have to get 3/4" elastic band at a fabric store as they are no longer available from MB.

 

The fabric store around here had stuff that was as far as I could tell an absolute exact match. However, it was very difficult to gauge how tight it should be, because the old stuff was stretched and rotten, and I made mine a bit too "taut". It makes folding the top to put it away a little more difficult than it should be.

Making sure that the nylon straps were really tight when the top frame was mounted tight to the car wound up to be critical. I had to move the nylon straps "forward" just a bit (maybe 1/8 towards the front, 1/16" in the back) and made new screwholes in the nylon to accommodate this. Maybe I should have bought new nylon, but it seemed OK.

I see you are getting new cables. I deeply regret reusing the old ones.

 

My $0.02: The top place around here said that the apprentices ALWAYS screw up their first top, so they buy two of them ahead of time. I've done it and I was almost entirely satisfied with the results (I did a better job than a professional had done my another car, before I bought it); but I may have gotten lucky. I can see a lot of opportunities for mistakes, not all of which are correctable.

 

Thanks for the advice, all.

 

Well what's the decision DIY or shop guy?

 

I just reviewed the PDF instructions. See attached

My take on this is getting the front and back installed correctly and everything else will fall into place with common sense. One area I was warned about is the back. It is important to install the back such that the edge remains sloped downward. This means wrap it tight so that the edge wants to fold under. Otherwise it will stick up like a ducks ass. The PDF doesn't talk about the nylon or elastic adjustments.

My approach on the nylon will be tight enough so that I have to use the tools to bring frame down the last bit. Elastic will be tight enough to get the initially get the mid bar moving in the right direction.

I guess I'm going to be the Ginni Pig.

 

My take on this is getting the front and back installed correctly and everything else will fall into place with common sense.

That's what it says, but that isn't what I did. We started with the bows and worked our way out. We measured side-to-side to make sure the cloth flaps were positioned right, and to know where they should ride on the bows.

One area I was warned about is the back. It is important to install the back such that the edge remains sloped downward. This means wrap it tight so that the edge wants to fold under. Otherwise it will stick up like a ducks ass.

That part is easy. The seam for the welting around the back goes right on the lip. The tough part is making sure you lay it right the first time, because there's no forgiveness with the adhesive. We measured, marked the exact middle of the rear bow, lined that up with the top, then my sister held the cloth from the inside of the car, I lined up the cloth on the outside of the car, and we worked from the center out to the sides.

The hardest part was the front bow, because there's nothing to tell you where it should lay. I knew the canvas should be slightly stretched, so we wrapped it around the front bow without any adhesive, marked it with chalk along the front edge, then brought the top mechanism up, so the canvas was relaxed and glued it with the chalk line about 1/4" inside the bow, still working from the center out to the sides. We knew we couldn't manually stretch it as far as it had to go, so this was a cheat. It was very hard to shut the top the first time, and we used a bucket of water and sponges to soak the canvas, so it relaxed a little. Top up, locked in place, let it dry for a day, and she wet it down with the sponges three more times over the next couple of weeks, without ever taking the top down. By the end, the top was nice and taught, all the wrinkles had disappeared
and it looks fantastic. As I said earlier, much better than my top. All the material is lined up perfectly with the bows, the back stays down and flush against the body, and there's no vibration in the canvas at freeway speeds.

 

It's already a done deal!!
Nobster doesn't have the time to do it b4 the GTG. He's already said it.
The decision is actually: do I DIY when I get the time, which will be at some point AFTER the GTG, or do I pay this guy to do it now and feel ashamed that I paid someone to do it but have a nice new top to show everyone at the GTG? This is the REAL quandry facing our brother from the great white north, am I right, Nobster??

 

I dont know. I think its more like:

Let me take a look at Roncallo's at the GTG. If he F's it all up I will pay someone. That's what I would do if I could.

 

If I remember correctly, there is 24 hours in a day. 7 days in a week.
I work 7 days a week, at the moment ...about 75 hours.
In my SPARE time, I am finishing my basement, hanging with the kidz and sneaking in some yumm de da yumm yumm with the kidz mum.
I sleep some where in there.
I want my top done but I am 47 years old and beyond getting sucked in by you bullies.

 

You need to decide on your priorities. Top on, or yumm de da yumm yumm.

 

I did mine - '93 380SL - not a piece of cake, but certainly not the hardest thing I've done. Flaps could be a little looser on the sides, but info I got from this board got me through the project. Gave me the confidence to do the steering coupler, control arm bushings, subframe bushings, etc. She's like a dog, if you show fear, she might bite. I know you've done more than I will ever consider.

 

Well, I've decided to get it done as the available time frame for this guy is Monday.
And I am double booked until September.

 

YDDYY or the soft top?

 

No shame in farming it out, Nobby. Like contracting out my seats, I thought having them engrave "He did everything himself" on my gravestone wasn't worth the effort.

 

Twist Of Fate

Fate.....sometimes works with you and sometimes against.
I don't know where this falls.

My upholsterer guy I was getting to do my soft top called and told me he had wrenched his back and neck doing a soft top on an old Galaxie 500.
Great. He said he'd call around for a replacement guy.
Great.
I get to job #2 today and it seems the parts stream has dried up, temporarily. After giving my painter and 2 technicians work there was nothing left for me.
So. I have three days off until I start back at job #1.
See where I am going with this?
Wednesday morning bright and surly.
Lots of pics.

 

Fate.....sometimes works with you and sometimes against.
I don't know where this falls.

My upholsterer guy I was getting to do my soft top called and told me he had wrenched his back and neck doing a soft top on an old Galaxie 500.
Great. He said he'd call around for a replacement guy.
Great.
I get to job #2 today and it seems the parts stream has dried up, temporarily. After giving my painter and 2 technicians work there was nothing left for me.
So. I have three days off until I start back at job #1.
See where I am going with this?
Wednesday morning bright and surly.
Lots of pics.

Yayy- go Nobby!!
Deep down I knew you were going to DIY, I just KNEW it! Now if I could just figure out those Megalotto numbers...:thumbsup:

 

DAMN.....
i to far away to get there in time to watch and fetch or help in any way...
good luck and may the upholstery gods be with you....

 

Me too. 1,142 miles. I could have made the beer runs. I am very good at that.

 

Even better, Rowdie, you can make the runs & not have to share. :beerchugr:

Good luck, Nobby.:thumbsup:

 

That is what I thought. No beer while doing something so complex.

I am also very good at sitting in a lawn chair, supervising, and saying encouraging things. Like the screw driver is over there. No I haven't seen the wrench. You could use more glue and a pair of vise grips. You need another set of hands? let me call someone.

 

Do they have 911 in Canada? And will the ambulance drive you to NY so that you can be properly treated?

 

Betcha it ends up the best looking top ever seen.