Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2005 20:11:30 EST
Reply-To: JordanVw@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: JordanVw@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Tightening front seat armrest
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 12/20/05 7:35:56 PM Eastern Standard Time,
moblique@EARTHLINK.NET writes:
> I'm a newbie to the list with what I hope is a simple question: how do I
> get to the bolts that hold the armrests onto my front seats? One of them is
> loose and the armrest is rattling around, and I want to tighten it up. I
> can feel the bolt hole underneath the vinyl but can't see any obvious way
> to get at it. Do I start with removing the armrest height adjuster and the
> black plastic housing? If so, then what?
>
>
>
Noobs get one free re-hashed thread answer, then its off to the ARCHIVES :<)
and for future reference, the archives are at:
http://gerry.vanagon.com/archives/vanagon.html
copy and paste....
fwd from Archives:
"How to tighten vanagon armrests:"
82-86 capt chair armrests:
remove plastic plug in armrest and remove allen bolt. slide armrest off
shaft.
tighten smaller allen bolts that hold shaft to the seatback. if a bolt head
has sheared off, leaving the threaded shaft in the hold, you need to use a
needlenose pliers and carefully move back the vinyl so you can get to the
back
side of the sheared off bolt. continue to TIGHTEN the bolt - all the way,
and
the whole bolt will eventually come out thru the backside. then you just
repl
ace with a new allen bolt, or slotted bolt (metric) avaialbe at your local
hardware store or i have some.
***Note: before installing armrest back on shaft, place a few drops of oil on
the shaft to ease installation and to prevent rust which could make the
armrest sieze up on the shaft..
'87 -'91 adjustable armrests:
the '87 up capt. chair armrests are put on with a set pin.
use your fingers and compress foam on the armrest between armrest and
seatback, so you can see the set pin. you might need a small flashlight you
can hold
in your mouth while you do this. you will need a centerpunch just under the
diameter of the set pin, or a large framing nail just under the diameter of
the
set pin with the tip flattened to use as a centerpunch.
the setpin will be sticking out more on one side of the shaft. use your
centepunch and tap the set pin out on the side opposite to the side its
sticking
out the most.
****NOTE: you must put a credit card or putty knife between the set pin and
vinyl armrest to guide it out so it doesnt get hung up on the vinyl, or the
set pin will gouge/tear the armrest vinyl when you are punching it out.
once setpin is out, slide the armrest off the shaft. tighten or replace the
little allen bolts that hold the shaft to the seatback as per the
instructions for the '82-'86 armrests.
apply drop of oil to shaft, then lightly tap setpin in place in the armrest
socket, and line it up with the corresponding hole in the armrest shaft.
this
is a pain in the ass. so have patience. i usually put another framing nail
of the same diameter in the bottom hole opposite of the hole your'e tapping
the setpin into, to line them up.
once you got the setpin started in the whole, do not tap it in all the way,
only as much as it was originally tapped in.
| 
