Date:         Wed, 3 Sep 2003 21:10:14 -0700
Reply-To:     developtrust <developtrust@COX.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         developtrust <developtrust@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: Adjustable armrests...
Comments: To: zolo <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Unfortunately it is a big mistake to take those adjustable bolts out. (You
actually can if you do everything upside down but you don't know that until
you screw up not knowing what youa re doing.) I made this mistake once but
it is repairable with great difficulty. You must take off the upholstery arm
rest covers then cut apart the foam on the back, unscrew the  parts that
seal in the bolts and somehow glue in the retainer nut so it does not slide
out of reach. Then glue everything back together. Just be careful not to
break things when you cut it open. It is do-able but if you are not
mechanically inclined and not a problem solver then you are screwed. I had
to use a sharp utility knife to cut open the foam stuff under the cloth
upholstery, find the screws that held on the plate that seals it all in. I
made the mistake of breaking it in two but even then was able to glue it
back together with a clamp to hold it all together overnight, then glue the
foam back in there. Once done it worked OK but what a disaster.

BE VERY CAREFUL TO TAKE PHOTOS OF WHERE THINGS ARE  or draw a diagram,
BEFORE YOU DO FURTHER DAMAGE. It is not necessarily intuitive. Just an
example of a bad design.

Good luck.

William


I got this van and it has two armrests without the adjustable bolt in there.
And they are flopping about.  I found in the pile the two adjusting bolts
but they won't go back in.
Anyone did this before?  How to fix it?
Zoltan