From starfishsailor at mail.com  Wed Nov 12 06:50:05 2008
From: starfishsailor at mail.com (Jody Techlin)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:50:05 -0500
Subject: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question
Message-ID: <20081112115005.B3B0511581F@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>

Hello all,
I am very pleased to say I have purchased a 1996 SL320 with 27,000 on the clock.  I had the vehicle fully inspected at Mercedes of Sarasota prior to purchase and all checked out very nicely. My question is in respect to top storage, I am sure it's been asked before but please indulge the newbie.  I have seen in both the Performance Products and Adsit catalogs advertisementgs for the top hoist. I know the top is not to be stored using the hoist long term - but that said I would like to know if any of you choose to leave the top suspended for four or five months at a time or not.  My garage is all concrete block as are many Florida garages and if I could feel safe simply hoisting the top out of the way for a few months at a time it would surely save floor space.  Your thoughts please?
Thanks and warm regards,
Jody
1996 SL320 27,000k (Emerald Green with Parchment)
1989 190E 2.6 116,000k


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From deneals at sbcglobal.net  Wed Nov 12 09:50:41 2008
From: deneals at sbcglobal.net (Deneal Schilmeister (MacbookPro) SBC)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:50:41 -0600
Subject: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question
In-Reply-To: <20081112115005.B3B0511581F@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>
Message-ID: <C5404961.6C93%deneals@sbcglobal.net>

On 11/12/08 5:50 AM, "Jody Techlin" <starfishsailor at mail.com> wrote:

>  I know the top is not to be stored using the hoist long term - but that said
> I would like to know if any of you choose to leave the top suspended for four
> or five months at a time or not.  My garage is all concrete block as are many
> Florida garages and if I could feel safe simply hoisting the top out of the
> way for a few months at a time it would surely save floor space.  Your
> thoughts please?

I cannot answer this question as I have never used a top hoist.  Being in St
Louis, I keep the hard to off in summer and replace it in the winter.  I
just get a neighbor or friend to help take the top on or off.  Two can
easily handle it.  The R129 hardtop is made of aluminum.

However, I have used a storage cart on wheels, which stores the top
vertically and takes up minimal floor space. The floor area used is about 15
inches deep and 46 inches wide.

I lived in Sarasota for a few years, so I know garage floor space is at a
premium!

Good luck!

-- 
Deneal Schilmeister
1997 SL500  136k
http://homepage.mac.com/deneals/SL500.htm




From rob at robvonder.com  Wed Nov 12 14:32:49 2008
From: rob at robvonder.com (Rob Vonderhaar)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:32:49 -0500
Subject: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question
In-Reply-To: <20081112115005.B3B0511581F@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>
References: <20081112115005.B3B0511581F@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>
Message-ID: <2DE8297FCF695442ADD3AC01CFE611581A9F24BA77@VMBX103.ihostexchange.net>

Jody,
I had the same questions when I bought my '95 SL fourteen years ago. Everyone I talked with (dealers, Performance Products, etc.) confirmed that an R129 top should not be stored long-term on a hoist. As I recall, suspending it on a hoist allows the top to 'flex' a bit, and you end up with cracking paint and/or an ill-fitting top over time. This is apparently unique with the R129 top, because it was fine to store the earlier R107 tops on a hoist.

There are some very fancy (read: expen$ive) hoists where the top doesn't hang from straps during storage but actually sits on a rigid frame much like it does when it's on the car. (I think it's called a "Stor-Away"?) I assume these would probably be fine. Also, I know some people that used wood to build custom racks to either store the top on a rigid surface above the car, or to create their own version of a rolling storage cart.

Personally, I thought all that was a lot of hassle, especially since I've moved twice since buying the SL. So I went with the hand-crank "Fritzi Hoist" from Performance Products and also their rolling storage cart with cover (which has definitely been improved over the model they sold 14years ago). As Deneal says, it really takes very little floor space since it's stored vertically.

The hoist comes with tons of metal brackets, straps, bolts, etc. I skipped all that and simply attached the main pulley to the heavy steel brackets with holes that mount my garage door opener. These are lag-bolted into the ceiling joists, so they're very solid and the top isn't all that heavy. Screw a second pulley into a wall stud, lag-bolt the winch itself to a wall stud, and you're done. I've done this three times now - quick to install, easy to remove later, and leaves just three bolt holes in the drywall to patch.

With this setup, I've always removed and reinstalled the top by myself. For the latter, I spread an old blanket on the floor, roll the cart onto it, move the top from the cart to the blanket, and then hook on the straps. The only trick is placing the car so the rear pins of the top will drop almost directly into their matching holes on the car. Both winch and storage cart are highly recommended.

    Rob Vonderhaar

-----Original Message-----
From: Jody Techlin
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 6:50 AM
To: r129list at mbcoupes.com
Subject: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question

Hello all,
I am very pleased to say I have purchased a 1996 SL320 with 27,000 on the clock.  I had the vehicle fully inspected at Mercedes of Sarasota prior to purchase and all checked out very nicely. My question is in respect to top storage, I am sure it's been asked before but please indulge the newbie.  I have seen in both the Performance Products and Adsit catalogs advertisementgs for the top hoist. I know the top is not to be stored using the hoist long term - but that said I would like to know if any of you choose to leave the top suspended for four or five months at a time or not.  My garage is all concrete block as are many Florida garages and if I could feel safe simply hoisting the top out of the way for a few months at a time it would surely save floor space.  Your thoughts please?
Thanks and warm regards,
Jody
1996 SL320 27,000k (Emerald Green with Parchment)
1989 190E 2.6 116,000k


From pauls at sbcglobal.net  Wed Nov 12 15:55:58 2008
From: pauls at sbcglobal.net (Paul Samarin)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:55:58 -0800
Subject: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question
In-Reply-To: <2DE8297FCF695442ADD3AC01CFE611581A9F24BA77@VMBX103.ihostexchange.net>
References: <20081112115005.B3B0511581F@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>
	<2DE8297FCF695442ADD3AC01CFE611581A9F24BA77@VMBX103.ihostexchange.net>
Message-ID: <7E9FB24B-C683-48C8-9BE4-F152A168376F@sbcglobal.net>

I'd love to have pictures of this set-up!  (Unless you're in So.  
Cal., in which case I'd love to come by and have a look!)

Paul
'90 R129

On Nov 12, 2008, at 11:32 AM, Rob Vonderhaar wrote:

> Personally, I thought all that was a lot of hassle, especially  
> since I've moved twice since buying the SL. So I went with the hand- 
> crank "Fritzi Hoist" from Performance Products and also their  
> rolling storage cart with cover (which has definitely been improved  
> over the model they sold 14years ago). As Deneal says, it really  
> takes very little floor space since it's stored vertically.
>
> The hoist comes with tons of metal brackets, straps, bolts, etc. I  
> skipped all that and simply attached the main pulley to the heavy  
> steel brackets with holes that mount my garage door opener. These  
> are lag-bolted into the ceiling joists, so they're very solid and  
> the top isn't all that heavy. Screw a second pulley into a wall  
> stud, lag-bolt the winch itself to a wall stud, and you're done.  
> I've done this three times now - quick to install, easy to remove  
> later, and leaves just three bolt holes in the drywall to patch.

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From bandbricketts at ns.sympatico.ca  Wed Nov 12 16:41:48 2008
From: bandbricketts at ns.sympatico.ca (William Ricketts)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:41:48 -0400
Subject: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question
References: <20081112115005.B3B0511581F@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>
Message-ID: <24CB94085FB846938351804CDAA4570B@Ricketts>

Hi Jody;

I store my hard top, suspended from the garage ceiling over top of the car, 
for 4 months every summer.  I can't recall the name of the hoist system, but 
it has a padded bar that goes underneath from side to side and a strap that 
goes under the rear window.  After three summers of such storage, I have yet 
to experience any problems with paint cracking or fit back on the car.

Hope this helps...

Bill
98 SL500
Nova Scotia, Canada


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jody Techlin" <starfishsailor at mail.com>
To: <r129list at mbcoupes.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 7:50 AM
Subject: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question


> Hello all,
> I am very pleased to say I have purchased a 1996 SL320 with 27,000 on the 
> clock.  I had the vehicle fully inspected at Mercedes of Sarasota prior to 
> purchase and all checked out very nicely. My question is in respect to top 
> storage, I am sure it's been asked before but please indulge the newbie. 
> I have seen in both the Performance Products and Adsit catalogs 
> advertisementgs for the top hoist. I know the top is not to be stored 
> using the hoist long term - but that said I would like to know if any of 
> you choose to leave the top suspended for four or five months at a time or 
> not.  My garage is all concrete block as are many Florida garages and if I 
> could feel safe simply hoisting the top out of the way for a few months at 
> a time it would surely save floor space.  Your thoughts please?
> Thanks and warm regards,
> Jody
> 1996 SL320 27,000k (Emerald Green with Parchment)
> 1989 190E 2.6 116,000k
>
>
> -- 
> Be Yourself @ mail.com!
> Choose From 200+ Email Addresses
> Get a Free Account at www.mail.com
>
> The MB Coupes Website!
> R129 SL Mailing List
> 



From rob at robvonder.com  Wed Nov 12 16:48:34 2008
From: rob at robvonder.com (Rob Vonderhaar)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:48:34 -0500
Subject: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question
In-Reply-To: <7E9FB24B-C683-48C8-9BE4-F152A168376F@sbcglobal.net>
References: <20081112115005.B3B0511581F@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>
	<2DE8297FCF695442ADD3AC01CFE611581A9F24BA77@VMBX103.ihostexchange.net>
	<7E9FB24B-C683-48C8-9BE4-F152A168376F@sbcglobal.net>
Message-ID: <2DE8297FCF695442ADD3AC01CFE611581A9F24BB1F@VMBX103.ihostexchange.net>

No problem.  I need to put the top back on the car again for the winter (yeah, I know, not an issue in SoCal!), so I'll take some photos as I do it.
    Rob

From: r129list-bounces at mbcoupes.com [mailto:r129list-bounces at mbcoupes.com] On Behalf Of Paul Samarin
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 3:56 PM
To: SL Mailing List
Subject: Re: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question

I'd love to have pictures of this set-up!  (Unless you're in So. Cal., in which case I'd love to come by and have a look!)

Paul
'90 R129

On Nov 12, 2008, at 11:32 AM, Rob Vonderhaar wrote:



Personally, I thought all that was a lot of hassle, especially since I've moved twice since buying the SL. So I went with the hand-crank "Fritzi Hoist" from Performance Products and also their rolling storage cart with cover (which has definitely been improved over the model they sold 14years ago). As Deneal says, it really takes very little floor space since it's stored vertically.



The hoist comes with tons of metal brackets, straps, bolts, etc. I skipped all that and simply attached the main pulley to the heavy steel brackets with holes that mount my garage door opener. These are lag-bolted into the ceiling joists, so they're very solid and the top isn't all that heavy. Screw a second pulley into a wall stud, lag-bolt the winch itself to a wall stud, and you're done. I've done this three times now - quick to install, easy to remove later, and leaves just three bolt holes in the drywall to patch.

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From HERB999 at aol.com  Wed Nov 12 20:20:12 2008
From: HERB999 at aol.com (HERB999 at aol.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:20:12 EST
Subject: [R129 SL] Hard top lift and storage
Message-ID: <cea.4676d941.364cdacc@aol.com>

An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
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From grwdew at bellsouth.net  Wed Nov 12 20:28:34 2008
From: grwdew at bellsouth.net (Gail & Doug Wolvington)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:28:34 -0600
Subject: [R129 SL] R129LIST Digest, Vol 46, Issue 1
References: <mailman.21.1226510126.46356.r129list@mbcoupes.com>
Message-ID: <9823E8038EB6444CB4F3CB9BD76D27F2@D4HZHVC1>

I have 1991 300SL, my hard top is kept on the storage cart with wheels, by the way storage cart has a cover that the hard top slips into.

We do not use a hoist, my husband takes it off & on.

Gail Wolvington
Bossier City, LA
1991 300SL, 107,000k
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: r129list-request at mbcoupes.com 
  To: r129list at mbcoupes.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 11:15 AM
  Subject: R129LIST Digest, Vol 46, Issue 1


  Send R129LIST mailing list submissions to
  r129list at mbcoupes.com

  To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
  http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/r129list
  or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
  r129list-request at mbcoupes.com

  You can reach the person managing the list at
  r129list-owner at mbcoupes.com

  When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
  than "Re: Contents of R129LIST digest..."


  Today's Topics:

     1. New to me SL320 and a quick question (Jody Techlin)
     2. Re: New to me SL320 and a quick question
        (Deneal Schilmeister (MacbookPro) SBC)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Message: 1
  Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:50:05 -0500
  From: "Jody Techlin" <starfishsailor at mail.com>
  Subject: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question
  To: r129list at mbcoupes.com
  Message-ID: <20081112115005.B3B0511581F at ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>
  Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

  Hello all,
  I am very pleased to say I have purchased a 1996 SL320 with 27,000 on the clock.  I had the vehicle fully inspected at Mercedes of Sarasota prior to purchase and all checked out very nicely. My question is in respect to top storage, I am sure it's been asked before but please indulge the newbie.  I have seen in both the Performance Products and Adsit catalogs advertisementgs for the top hoist. I know the top is not to be stored using the hoist long term - but that said I would like to know if any of you choose to leave the top suspended for four or five months at a time or not.  My garage is all concrete block as are many Florida garages and if I could feel safe simply hoisting the top out of the way for a few months at a time it would surely save floor space.  Your thoughts please?
  Thanks and warm regards,
  Jody
  1996 SL320 27,000k (Emerald Green with Parchment)
  1989 190E 2.6 116,000k


  -- 
  Be Yourself @ mail.com!
  Choose From 200+ Email Addresses
  Get a Free Account at www.mail.com



  ------------------------------

  Message: 2
  Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:50:41 -0600
  From: "Deneal Schilmeister (MacbookPro) SBC" <deneals at sbcglobal.net>
  Subject: Re: [R129 SL] New to me SL320 and a quick question
  To: SL Mailing List <r129list at mbcoupes.com>
  Message-ID: <C5404961.6C93%deneals at sbcglobal.net>
  Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

  On 11/12/08 5:50 AM, "Jody Techlin" <starfishsailor at mail.com> wrote:

  >  I know the top is not to be stored using the hoist long term - but that said
  > I would like to know if any of you choose to leave the top suspended for four
  > or five months at a time or not.  My garage is all concrete block as are many
  > Florida garages and if I could feel safe simply hoisting the top out of the
  > way for a few months at a time it would surely save floor space.  Your
  > thoughts please?

  I cannot answer this question as I have never used a top hoist.  Being in St
  Louis, I keep the hard to off in summer and replace it in the winter.  I
  just get a neighbor or friend to help take the top on or off.  Two can
  easily handle it.  The R129 hardtop is made of aluminum.

  However, I have used a storage cart on wheels, which stores the top
  vertically and takes up minimal floor space. The floor area used is about 15
  inches deep and 46 inches wide.

  I lived in Sarasota for a few years, so I know garage floor space is at a
  premium!

  Good luck!

  -- 
  Deneal Schilmeister
  1997 SL500  136k
  http://homepage.mac.com/deneals/SL500.htm





  End of R129LIST Digest, Vol 46, Issue 1
  ***************************************


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From cowie at bigpond.net.au  Thu Nov 13 01:04:57 2008
From: cowie at bigpond.net.au (Peter Cowie)
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:04:57 +1100
Subject: [R129 SL] R129 Hard Top Hoist
Message-ID: <491BC389.7030800@bigpond.net.au>

Hi Jody,

I purchased an EZ top Hoist from:

The Hard Top Hoist Company
PO Box 2268, Houston, TX 77252-2268
713-694-4505 or 1-877-219-6332
Technical Support: 1-888-751-9967
http://www.eztop.com

4 years ago and it has been great.

I use the hard top on, perhaps, 6 times per year for a few days so it 
lives in the roof most of the time.

No problems so far.

Replacing or removing the hardtop takes a few minutes.

I bought the manual winch version but the cordless drill attachment that 
comes with the hoist makes it very fast to operate.

Attaching the lifting cradle is simple and it would be hard to damage 
the hardtop.

I attach a couple of straps under the top when it is hoisted for added 
security and to lift it higher at the rear end

One thing you need to think about...

My roof is 8'2" high and the pins of the hardtop are 5'9" off the ground 
when it is hoisted. I bump my head every now and then.]

I could send a photo if you are interested.

The Hard top Hoist Co. website appears to be down at the moment but they 
advertise a phone number and email support.

There is an installation manual on line that gives you a good idea about 
what's involved. It took me a few hours to install.

Good Luck

Peter Cowie
98 SL500
Sydney Australia

From starfishsailor at mail.com  Sun Nov 16 17:23:06 2008
From: starfishsailor at mail.com (Jody Techlin)
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:23:06 -0500
Subject: [R129 SL] Top Hoist Advice - Thanks
Message-ID: <20081116222306.8491332675A@ws1-8.us4.outblaze.com>

Just a note to say thanks to one and all who provided advice about using the hoist for storing the top for a few months.  Since the car came with a top cart I'll use it, once I move a few things around in the garage there should be enough space.  I am thrilled with the car and so very glad I purchased it. I look forward to being a member of the list, though more likely than not as an observer.  
Thanks again for the advice.
Jody
1996 SL320, 27k (Emerald green metalic / parchment)
1989 190E 2.6 116k (Smoke silver / Brown (Chocolate))

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