RHD dashes

[navigator]

Lucky S!

[hagar24]

after TJs discovery, there is now only 1blue RHD dash left worldwide!
mine turned up today well packed. i second other sentiments, it really is like the GAHH/new leather in lighter colour. its very soft though and has some elasticity compared to our old shiny hard dashes!
now to find somewhere to store it for 10 years til i can be arsed putting it in!

Ok, where can I get a black one of these??

[oversize]

Personally I think most MB products cannot withstand extreme heat and even a pristine new dash pad will eventually crack.  More so if it was made over 33 years ago....  I think the skins were far too thin to live very long.  When I get around to it I'll be investigating leather or seude, like what's fitted to today's exotics...

BTW did any of the RHD dashes have speaker cutouts on the ends?

[TJ 450]

You may be able get one through the Classic Center or possibly your local MB Agent.

With regards to the top speaker locations,
Speaker cutouts were LHD specific, but if you look at a removed RHD dash, you can see that there is a cutout in the steel pressing, so they clearly thought about it. I suspect there are clearance issues on the RHS that would make life rather difficult.

Just my opinion... it's not worth it anyway, the sound is shocking in many ways, but "whatever floats your boat" applies here I would say.

Tim

[oversize]

It could be a good spot for mid-range or tweeters....

I'm curious as to why MB hasn't done another run of dashpads if cracking is such a common problem.  If they don't reproduce these we have no hope of them doing less-common bits

[Squiggle Dog]

I'm curious as to why MB hasn't done another run of dashpads if cracking is such a common problem.  If they don't reproduce these we have no hope of them doing less-common bits

Exactly; what happens when the supply of uncracked (used) door and header panels runs out? One of the downfalls of the W116 interior is all of the molded foam/vinyl parts that are not reproduced and can be scarce to find used in good condition.

I suppose the old parts can have the foam patched and reskinned, at a cost of thousands upon thousands of dollars, unless someone with the proper tools and skills does it themself.

[hagar24]

You may be able get one through the Classic Center or possibly your local MB Agent.

With regards to the top speaker locations,
Speaker cutouts were LHD specific, but if you look at a removed RHD dash, you can see that there is a cutout in the steel pressing, so they clearly thought about it. I suspect there are clearance issues on the RHS that would make life rather difficult.

Just my opinion... it's not worth it anyway, the sound is shocking in many ways, but "whatever floats your boat" applies here I would say.

Tim

my car is an english import to Jamaica and my front speakers are under the dash

[ptashek]

I suppose the old parts can have the foam patched and reskinned, at a cost of thousands upon thousands of dollars, unless someone with the proper tools and skills does it themself.

This is a far fetched idea (probably? maybe?), but wouldn't a plaster form made with a used panel and then filled with closed-cell polyurethane foam, and then skinned with vinyl, do the trick? This stuff is rated to last 50+ years when used as insulation material in house construction.

I'd think the problem here might be getting the right vinyl, rather then the foam padding?

[Squiggle Dog]

This is a far fetched idea (probably? maybe?), but wouldn't a plaster form made with a used panel and then filled with closed-cell polyurethane foam, and then skinned with vinyl, do the trick? This stuff is rated to last 50+ years when used as insulation material in house construction.

I'd think the problem here might be getting the right vinyl, rather then the foam padding?

I think that would work. Unfortunately, door panels have plastic frames from which the tabs seem to break off, so that's a downside. The dashboard and header panels have metal bases which are more durable and could be recasted onto.

A good set of parts could be sacrificed in order to make a mold, into which the frames could be inserted and the foam cast onto. From there, if the proper vinyl type/color could be found, it could be stretched over, formed with heat, and bonded to the inner edges with heat pressing.

Of course, if someone were to go to this much effort, they might as well go into the business of recasting parts, which some places do, but at outrageous prices. We are talking maybe $1,600USD for a dashboard, and who knows how much for each door and header panel. It would really add up.

It would be interesting to invest in the equipment to make new W116 interior parts. Molds to make the plastic door panel frames, stamping to make the metal dashboard and header panel frames, molds to place the frames into to add the foam on top, and proper vinyl and tooling to skin the parts. I wonder if any profit margin could be made cost vs. what people are willing to pay/demand.

[ponton]

I can't remember if it was on here or somewhere else, but if I recall correctly Tom Hanson at the Classic Center in California had looked into having dash panels made for the w123 and it ended up being in the 3600 dollar/dash range.

Ian