Mercedes 300 SE convertible

[Miller]

As a leftover from the RR Coupe, which is drying now, i had the folded soft top and thought about a good use. And as a Mercedes fanatic i liked the idea to add another Stuttgart convertible to the line...

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This was a quick job. I cut off the roof, filed and grinded the edges and added the RR softtop - done!

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Some more shots...

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Looks like it could have left Hackney this way...

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A gathering with friends...

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[MBXPilot]

Good stuff! I did a convertible one of these a while back, but had no boot for it. Good to know the RR one fits!

[Ecclesley]

So that is why you told me to keep the folded soft top.
Your Merc carbrio looks the part, and sits well with its friends.
Maybe that soft top trick can be done on other models as well.
The Pontiac GP would probably qualify.

[Miller]

I´ll keep my hands from the Pontiac. I broke three of them while i tried to make it a convertible. With the open doors its so fragile...

The softtop wont fit very good, its underside is very curved. But one can make everything work

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Love the DHC Mercedes and it looks as if it is in original paint, correct!

Ghosthunter.

[Miller]

Yes Ghosty, i left it in the original color. The roof had som bad scratches so it was predestinated for this

The cut surfaces on the line with the chrome trim will be painted silver and i will try to mix a little bit of the gold to make some minor touchups. But i think, its overall condition is good enough for display.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Thank's, I also think the GTO would look bloody good as a drop top, in that nice bright Red with the Black folded top.

Ghosthunter.

[Rob]

Very nice job Roland, I do like that.

[Tinman]

Roland, If you want it to look a little more 1:1, I would shave down the upper portion of the windscreen frame. Make it thinner and rounded towards the windscreen. The folded down Roller top is a tad too large for this model. Mattel Matchbox made a Cadillac convertible that has a folded down top that is perfect size for the Mercedes. I bought a few of the Mattel models a while back just to use for exactly this conversion (albeit on regular wheels).

[Tinman]

I´ll keep my hands from the Pontiac. I broke three of them while i tried to make it a convertible. With the open doors its so fragile...

This is very true. Here's the best way I have found to work on convertible conversions, with models that have opening doors. Drill the base rivets and carefully remove interior, doors, windows (etc.). Make the base easy to remove and reinstall. Next, secure the base back onto the model with self taping screws and do all the cutting and heavy modifications with the base secured to the model. It will really help to stop that accidental flexing which can destroy a conversion in progress. You can easily remove the screws and base for painting. Works just as well to preserve the model if the top has already broken away, just be extra careful removing the base the first time (you might want to over drill the rivets so no prying force is needed to slip off the base).