Those of you who have followed our journey from a small hobby business (or side hustle as it is now called) to the 60-strong, internationally renowned team we now are, will know that Bulkheads have been central to the growth of our business. What makes SLSHOP’s Bulkhead restoration stand out you might ask, is years of consistent craftsmanship and dedication to restoring Bulkheads to factory specification.
Over the years we have restored more than 170 bulkheads; with most of these vehicles residing in the UK and still wearing the hallmarks of their carefully crafted new Bulkhead. These vehicles possess a certificate of authenticity with a reference number linking to our database. If you see an R107 for sale with claims of a Bulkhead restoration by SLSHOP, always be sure to check with our team to confirm the works carried out.
In 2022 we elected to revise our Bulkhead offering, improving the pricing to make it more accessible to all owners. We understand that these vehicles are precious to their owners, and we wanted to ensure that less cars end up in the scrap yard or on eBay, dissected for parts.
In this article we present one of our latest Bulkhead restorations, featuring a Signal Red 300SL which is undergoing restoration as you read (in November 2022). To fully complete the process, Robert will need 50 hours to remove the old centre section, clear contaminants from this area of the vehicle’s structure and let in the new metal. Within this time scale is the treatment process to protect the Bulkhead from corrosion in the future. By following and slightly improving upon Mercedes-Benz’s processes, we can offer owners a three-year warranty.
300SL Bulkhead Restoration So Far in under 60 Seconds:
The stages of a Bulkhead restoration, from strip to sealing.
All Bulkhead restorations generally commence with a Vehicle Health Check which reveals the condition of a classic Mercedes-Benz. Within the report will be an assessment of the Bulkhead, with visible corrosion photographed and documented. Once a Bulkhead restoration is commissioned, our Specialist craftsmen can begin to strip the dashboard, remove the blower motor, as well as other elements from the bulkhead-side of the engine bay.
Once these elements have been removed, the vehicle will be transferred to our Restoration shop where the vehicle is prepared for cutting and welding. This involves protecting as much of the car as possible in fireproof blankets, wing covers etc. When ready, the centre section of the bulkhead can be cut out, with the drainage points saved for the new Bulkhead. The original centre section is used as a template to convert our pressing into an exact copy of the original.
-
- The new bulkhead centre pressing
With the centre section removed, the 300SL can then be dressed back to clear it of any contaminants. Rob will then offer up the new Bulkhead centre section for alignment prior to fitment. The metal can then be properly le in and merged with the original structure.
The merged Bulkhead with blower motor guide in place.
Over several hours of patient crafting, Robert has merged the new Bulkhead and utilised a bespoke blower motor guide to line up the blower motor bolts. This is where inexperienced repairs really stand out – we find that previous poorly attempted bulkhead restorations see people drilling down into the centre section which causes water ingress.
With this restoration, the new metal fitted has been further protected by acid etch. All measurements have been calculated to ensure correct positioning of the blower motor. This is where the bespoke blower motor template has proved its value.
With this particular, the original bulkhead was a ‘round back’ and Robert has had to transform our flatback pressing into the factory correct, ‘round back.’
Robert now needs to remove the corner bulkhead top to access the drainage area beneath the bonnet bracket and wiper mounting. Each bulkhead is bespoke as often previous repairs have been inconsiderate of factory specifications and requirements, resulting in our team having to undo a considerable amount of poorly executed previous work.
A look at the Bulkhead as it approaches completion.
Bulkhead Repair Panel & Blower Motor Housing
The SL 107 bulkhead is prone to corrosion so it’s good practice to keep your eye on it. If you’ve found it needing repair, then we’ve the perfect solution right here. You may also need to replace your blower motor and its housing, both of which we can supply to you.
SLSHOP has over ten years experience selling, restoring and maintaining a variety of classic and modern classic Mercedes; with a team of almost 60 specialists dedicated to the owners of these Stuttgart’s finest around the world. It would be our pleasure to support your ownership journey by booking your vehicle in for an appraisal, with an open and honest discussion around your vehicle’s potential. Contact our workshops team today to find out how we can take your vehicle to the next level.
Share With Your Fellow Enthusiasts
Those of you who have followed our journey from a small hobby business (or side hustle as it is now called) to the 60-strong, internationally renowned team we now are, will know that Bulkheads have been central to the growth of our business. What makes SLSHOP’s Bulkhead restoration stand out you might ask, is years of consistent craftsmanship and dedication to restoring Bulkheads to factory specification.
Over the years we have restored more than 170 bulkheads; with most of these vehicles residing in the UK and still wearing the hallmarks of their carefully crafted new Bulkhead. These vehicles possess a certificate of authenticity with a reference number linking to our database. If you see an R107 for sale with claims of a Bulkhead restoration by SLSHOP, always be sure to check with our team to confirm the works carried out.
In 2022 we elected to revise our Bulkhead offering, improving the pricing to make it more accessible to all owners. We understand that these vehicles are precious to their owners, and we wanted to ensure that less cars end up in the scrap yard or on eBay, dissected for parts.
In this article we present one of our latest Bulkhead restorations, featuring a Signal Red 300SL which is undergoing restoration as you read (in November 2022). To fully complete the process, Robert will need 50 hours to remove the old centre section, clear contaminants from this area of the vehicle’s structure and let in the new metal. Within this time scale is the treatment process to protect the Bulkhead from corrosion in the future. By following and slightly improving upon Mercedes-Benz’s processes, we can offer owners a three-year warranty.
300SL Bulkhead Restoration So Far in under 60 Seconds:
The stages of a Bulkhead restoration, from strip to sealing.
All Bulkhead restorations generally commence with a Vehicle Health Check which reveals the condition of a classic Mercedes-Benz. Within the report will be an assessment of the Bulkhead, with visible corrosion photographed and documented. Once a Bulkhead restoration is commissioned, our Specialist craftsmen can begin to strip the dashboard, remove the blower motor, as well as other elements from the bulkhead-side of the engine bay.
Once these elements have been removed, the vehicle will be transferred to our Restoration shop where the vehicle is prepared for cutting and welding. This involves protecting as much of the car as possible in fireproof blankets, wing covers etc. When ready, the centre section of the bulkhead can be cut out, with the drainage points saved for the new Bulkhead. The original centre section is used as a template to convert our pressing into an exact copy of the original.
-
- The new bulkhead centre pressing
With the centre section removed, the 300SL can then be dressed back to clear it of any contaminants. Rob will then offer up the new Bulkhead centre section for alignment prior to fitment. The metal can then be properly le in and merged with the original structure.
The merged Bulkhead with blower motor guide in place.
Over several hours of patient crafting, Robert has merged the new Bulkhead and utilised a bespoke blower motor guide to line up the blower motor bolts. This is where inexperienced repairs really stand out – we find that previous poorly attempted bulkhead restorations see people drilling down into the centre section which causes water ingress.
With this restoration, the new metal fitted has been further protected by acid etch. All measurements have been calculated to ensure correct positioning of the blower motor. This is where the bespoke blower motor template has proved its value.
With this particular, the original bulkhead was a ‘round back’ and Robert has had to transform our flatback pressing into the factory correct, ‘round back.’
Robert now needs to remove the corner bulkhead top to access the drainage area beneath the bonnet bracket and wiper mounting. Each bulkhead is bespoke as often previous repairs have been inconsiderate of factory specifications and requirements, resulting in our team having to undo a considerable amount of poorly executed previous work.
A look at the Bulkhead as it approaches completion.
Bulkhead Repair Panel & Blower Motor Housing
The SL 107 bulkhead is prone to corrosion so it’s good practice to keep your eye on it. If you’ve found it needing repair, then we’ve the perfect solution right here. You may also need to replace your blower motor and its housing, both of which we can supply to you.
SLSHOP has over ten years experience selling, restoring and maintaining a variety of classic and modern classic Mercedes; with a team of almost 60 specialists dedicated to the owners of these Stuttgart’s finest around the world. It would be our pleasure to support your ownership journey by booking your vehicle in for an appraisal, with an open and honest discussion around your vehicle’s potential. Contact our workshops team today to find out how we can take your vehicle to the next level.
Share With Your Fellow Enthusiasts
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