6.9 sunroof frame and floor pan

[szyki]

Hi,
By the careful inspection of my recently bought US-version of 6.9, I noticed rust in the floor pans in front.
Looks like this:


left side floor pan is not that bad. rust didn't go through yet.
right side is in much worse condition.

is it possible to get these pieces of the body to replace them, instead of welding some small pieces of metal?

knowing the condition of front parts of the floor pan, I decided to continue searching for source of this rust in upper parts of my cars.
This way, I dismantled the headliner and took the whole sunroof frame off the car.

Looks like this:


two out of four short metal endings that go into the rubber pipes broke when I was dismantling the frame. They were that serious rusted through.

You have to put a bit of more power to move the moving part of the roof, so I'm not surprised any more that the engine dodn't have enought power to move it.

Seeing the condition of of the frame, what do you suggest me to do?
Try to fix this one or maybe better to obtain another one?
Brand new frame is a cost of 1300 euro and I'm not sure, if its aviable any more...

I'm a bit afraid that if I try to fix this frame, it'll start leaking in some time again. The roof works as any other body part so the frame needs to be strong to carry all the stresses.

thanks,

[TJ 450]

I would suggest looking for a good W126 sunroof frame to replace it like Nathan has done... it would be much better than a repair.

The floor pan doesn't look too bad, I would just treat the rust that hasn't penetrated and possibly have any holes repaired by welding in small sections of sheet metal.

Seeing as you've gone this far, there's bound to be rust in the firewall, so you should check that. The places where the rust starts in the firewall are in the corners next to the hinges for the bonnet (hood)... then it progresses lower down under the wheel arch. The problem is the seam where the two panels join and that there is no provision for drainage, even under normal conditions, so the water eventually gets into the seam! If you peel back the thick soundproofing against the firewall inside the car, you should be able to see any rust holes.

I have learnt that MBs of this era can only be parked on absolutely level surfaces if they are to get wet.

Tim

[alabbasi]

The floor looks like surface rust. I would clean it up with a wire brush and POR-15 it. New floors are not available from the dealership for US cars so you will have to make a floor pan.

This is a common area for rust (drivers side floor pan) and could be caused by drain tubes from the evaporator being blocked or a bad windshield rubber and in some cases a rust hole further up the firewall.