SRD May 29, 2012 5:23 pm
Subject: 126 Restoration Part 1

Well here we go, after spending ages cleaning and hoovering, I have started.

Plenty of pictures, carefully marked bags and parts in boxes and useful notes. I know I will have forgotten all of this stuff, when I reassemble the car...

First off passenger side front door panel removal. I have started here first, since I want this door lock out to get a key made.

Note that the hole in the door in picture (b), is for the manual wind handle if the windows jams.

1. With door open, small aluminium door end cap and two screws removed.

2. There is an aluminum strip 3/4 of the way up the door, this should be removed, by pushing down-wards.

3. For door panel removal, there are 3-4 clips on each end holding the door in place.

4. Carefully ease the door panel out from behind the top section left in place.

5. Remove the carpet trim to the bottom - you have no choice. There are five screws holding small lead holding pieces in place. These all have to come out. Don't expect the very thin piece of plywood to survive this treament. The piece of carpet was glued on very generously here.

The plywood will be replaced very soon, and before the door panels go off for re-coloring and connolising.

6. Remove the two screws holding the door section pocket and arm -rest in place compelte with two washers.

7. Remove the ash-tray, it pops out easily enough and can be cleaned with chrome cleaner and will come up well. The base of the ash-tray is held in with two screws, screwed into two opposite corners.

8. Next remove the small piece of metal box section beneath this and two securing screws, rather fiddly to take out.

9. Place the back of a screw driver blade behind the door panel, using the acess hole made by removal of the small box section in (8). This then allows removal of the dummy panel in the door pocket.

10. The bolt holding the door handle mechanism to the door panel is now accessible, remove this and two washers.

The door panel should now be easily removed and put away for temporary storage.
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SRD May 29, 2012 5:27 pm
Subject: Re: 126 Restoration Part 1

More pictures, showing the dummy access panel when removed from door, and also first picture of door in pretty good conditon, with minor rust worms to inside surface at bottom.
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SRD May 29, 2012 5:30 pm
Subject: Re: 126 Restoration Part 1

Passenger side door lock (LRE124, nice to see original lock, but the code cannot be traced today, so will take apart and get another key cut, nice to see still original Yale lock, shown in the door, with mechanism still attached.

The front of the lock will need re-chroming, but should be straight-forward. Famous last words...
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SRD May 29, 2012 5:40 pm
Subject: Re: 126 Restoration Part 1

Back seat out and a mountain of long dead snails, they did a job on the carpet, but thankfully left the leather alone.

The rear bench seat, lifts out easily, in very nice condition.

Two front seat upright section removed.

I must remember who was that man who told me..."The front seat tracks have machine head screws in place, they will come out in a jiffy"..

Well 1 out of 4 came out easily, the other 3 have been WD40'd and will try again tomorrow, or will use a crow bar if needed.

The front seat runners are all chromed, a nice touch of quality, but added to the build cost of cost.

Hinges all removed with ease, but of course surface rust, bubbling etc, so will need to be re-chromed.
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David May 29, 2012 6:09 pm
Subject: Re: 126 Restoration Part 1

Interesting to see your car has the heater vents in the rear footwells, again not all cars have them

SRD May 29, 2012 7:57 pm
Subject: Re: 126 Restoration Part 1

More pictures, now with front seats removed, and lots of space to work inside the car, and the floor becoming less cluttered.

Front seats taken apart and removed the hinge linkage.

Four bolts hold the front seat onto the chrome tracks, took a fair bit of WD40 and brute strength on the end of a screw-driver, all thankfully removed

All bolts labelled and photographed already.

The carpets will be used as basis to make replacements, all snail chewed, but good enough condition thankfully.

I also plan to replace all the felt underlay with modern replacement material.
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randall977 May 29, 2012 10:19 pm
Subject: Re: 126 Restoration Part 1

Good write up Simon, great to see the inner parts of your car. Those snails though! Do you think your seat belts are original? Mine had the same ones fitted in the same way and your carpet is taylored to accomodate the brackets... The way they are fixed to the B post is very clever and looks like factory work not garage work. 125 had bolts right through the B post which show on the outside, so clearly not original.

SRD May 30, 2012 7:28 am
Subject: Re: 126 Restoration Part 1

Thansk for the kind words. Believe me, when we both fianlly get back to the point of reassembly, we will need all the notes and pictures we can find!

The front seat belts appear to be 100% original, as you say with carpets cut and trimmed to fit around them.

Given the difficulties of finding suitable places to locate anchor points, especially on the B post, these were imho done at the factory.

Where did you see pictures of 125, seat-belt location or have you had the opportunity to see it close up ?

I remember a little while ago that you emailed an article about fitting seat belts in the back, can you please post the link on here,, my young gentlemen will both require belts in the back...

randall977 May 30, 2012 9:56 am
Subject: Re: 126 Restoration Part 1

Hi Simon, I had to remove my seat belts and will probably fit reel inertia - but my aim is that it will look factory fitted - so I will be using belts from another car...probably in dark red.

The photos in the online article are really useful and very high def if you enlarge the pdf...

Link to Rear Seat Belt Fitting Article

SRD May 30, 2012 10:22 am
Subject: Re: 126 Restoration Part 1

Well spotted, hadn't noticed how they had fitted the seat-belt bolts right throught the B-posts. I fully agree with you, that i don't think this was done at the factory.

More importantly, excellent link and have been in touch with these people, and will get them to fit period style front reel inertia belts as well and also put in rear belts, very nice quality work.

Removing my original seat belts today, and will take plenty of pictures.

Thank you very much for this, had tried a few people already and this company is close to us, so even better !