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blues90
Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2009
Posts: 1912
Location: Hollywood ,CA
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 Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2020 10:16 am Post subject: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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These are flat wide knows that fit on the L shaped release lever . they tend to brake at the top. they look like this.
Saw some for late beetle yet they don't list them for 73 type 3 . I tried to glue the right yet it didn't hold maybe I used the wrong glue , used liquid model cement and it seemed to dissolve the the plastic as it should.
I was going to try to make or adapt knobs since they sit so close to the tunnel on the inside of each seat they need to be flat.
Anyone have any ideas? They also have a clip that fits inside . I know I have the left and might have the right , the clip holds then on. They break at the top center which would be the top in the photo above the slot for the lever.
Last edited by blues90 on Fri Jan 10, 2020 10:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mike Fisher
Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006
Posts: 17970
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2020 10:18 am Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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Gorilla Glue is good stuff.
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69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold
Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey |
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blues90
Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2009
Posts: 1912
Location: Hollywood ,CA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2020 10:21 am Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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| Mike Fisher wrote: |
| Gorilla Glue is good stuff. |
What type? |
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Mike Fisher
Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006
Posts: 17970
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2020 11:10 am Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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White
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold
Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey |
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blues90
Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2009
Posts: 1912
Location: Hollywood ,CA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 11:22 am Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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I used super glue, sanded and scored the joint to add purchase and the top section that broke off just on the joint, cleaned the joint with lighter fluid . Nothing will soften what ever this knob is made of. No paint will stick no solvent will touch it. The wall is 1/16" thick.
If it does not hold then I will make some out of some very hard and dense wood I have , I have decades of wood working skills. I'm not about the pay $27 for 2 knobs. |
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blues90
Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2009
Posts: 1912
Location: Hollywood ,CA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:33 pm Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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I added reinforcement to these broken knobs.
This is how they sit in the car. You can see how the right side has split and the left starting to. You lift up on the knob , the arm pivots at it's center pulls a rod that pulls the third rail locking pin out and a return spring too push the pin back in to lock the seat and return the lever back down, this can't be seen in the photo and the replacement heat lever friction washers.
Another photo showing the splitting. Here you can see the lever, it's pivot and rod that connects to the lock pin.
after super gluing broken section back and the .017 thick brass section and 0-80 brass hex head screws and the tapped knob.
Reinforcement section bolted in place , painted the brass with model train silver so brass won't tarnish. If this doesn't hold then I will make wooden knobs and shove fuel line over the metal arm. I made another for the drivers side.
Really VW you couldn't come up with a better design, they could have made the lever longer and taller with a round end and put a nice round knob that pressed for screwed on and instead of black maybe red of yellow so one could see it rather than feel for it. It's a royal pain trying to move the seat forward standing outside the car or to get the seat out and back in to replace the plastic slides. Thought of making a different lever the way I described wouldn't be that difficult. |
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Bobnotch
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2003
Posts: 22431
Location: Kimball, Mi
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| Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:10 pm Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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But then you have to ask yourself, how often do I move the seat? The passenger side sure, as you might want a little more leg/foot room to get something out of or into the rear seat.
_________________
Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
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| Tram wrote: |
| People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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blues90
Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2009
Posts: 1912
Location: Hollywood ,CA
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| Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:34 pm Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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| Bobnotch wrote: |
| But then you have to ask yourself, how often do I move the seat? The passenger side sure, as you might want a little more leg/foot room to get something out of or into the rear seat. |
Thing is when the right knob broke off and I didn't realize it had ended up slicing my finger open. If you are talking about how difficult they are to reach there is not much I can do to change this since the levers are close to the seat side trim when the seat is moved forward so I can't make them longer of higher.
I figure what I will do is get the round heater control knobs which will make it easier to find the knob rather than the flat knob. I removed the rather large yellow ones that are 73 only and replaced these with the round black ones and they fit , all i need to do is open up the slot just a bit and the same round knobs will fit the seat levers plus the round ones are thicker and won't crack , the flat ones are only 12mm thick with a 8.5mm x 3.5mm slot leaving 1.5mm of plastic above the lever which is why they break. |
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Bobnotch
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2003
Posts: 22431
Location: Kimball, Mi
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| Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:43 pm Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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| blues90 wrote: |
| Bobnotch wrote: |
| But then you have to ask yourself, how often do I move the seat? The passenger side sure, as you might want a little more leg/foot room to get something out of or into the rear seat. |
Thing is when the right knob broke off and I didn't realize it had ended up slicing my finger open. If you are talking about how difficult they are to reach there is not much I can do to change this since the levers are close to the seat side trim when the seat is moved forward so I can't make them longer of higher.
I figure what I will do is get the round heater control knobs which will make it easier to find the knob rather than the flat knob. I removed the rather large yellow ones that are 73 only and replaced these with the round black ones and they fit , all i need to do is open up the slot just a bit and the same round knobs will fit the seat levers plus the round ones are thicker and won't crack , the flat ones are only 12mm thick with a 8.5mm x 3.5mm slot leaving 1.5mm of plastic above the lever which is why they break. |
Sounds like a good solution to a problem that shouldn't have existed if the engineers had paid any attention.
_________________
Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
| Tram wrote: |
| "Friends are God's way of apologizing for relatives." |
| Tram wrote: |
| People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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blues90
Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2009
Posts: 1912
Location: Hollywood ,CA
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| Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 5:58 pm Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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| Bobnotch wrote: |
| blues90 wrote: |
| Bobnotch wrote: |
| But then you have to ask yourself, how often do I move the seat? The passenger side sure, as you might want a little more leg/foot room to get something out of or into the rear seat. |
Thing is when the right knob broke off and I didn't realize it had ended up slicing my finger open. If you are talking about how difficult they are to reach there is not much I can do to change this since the levers are close to the seat side trim when the seat is moved forward so I can't make them longer of higher.
I figure what I will do is get the round heater control knobs which will make it easier to find the knob rather than the flat knob. I removed the rather large yellow ones that are 73 only and replaced these with the round black ones and they fit , all i need to do is open up the slot just a bit and the same round knobs will fit the seat levers plus the round ones are thicker and won't crack , the flat ones are only 12mm thick with a 8.5mm x 3.5mm slot leaving 1.5mm of plastic above the lever which is why they break. |
Sounds like a good solution to a problem that shouldn't have existed if the engineers had paid any attention. |
True, I have never had a knob break or split on any VW I've owned or any other car or truck. The only one were these seat knobs and it's not that I forced them because the seat release pins were stuck or difficult to move.
It's the knobs are thin walled and have a retaining clip inside that locks them to the flat pivot arm and probably through years of expanding and contracting of either of both the metal arm and very hard plastic knob the knob splits like what happens to the steering wheels.
The new cars and even American cars and trucks from the 70's to today they made outside door handles out of plastic , can't count how many of those i used to replace. My inside door release are plastic yet they never snapped off , have a set off the 72 which are metal , not sure what kind thought many times I'd use the metal ones unless if they are pot metal.
Some types of plastic are stronger than steel , I doubt they use this on autos. |
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blues90
Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2009
Posts: 1912
Location: Hollywood ,CA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 3:53 pm Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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The round black heater control knobs I got along with the gas pedal repair kit came yesterday from WCM . I measured the metal arm with a micrometer. It was .100" thick and the same width as the crappy factory knobs that break.
All I had to do was widen the knobs slot used a .100" drill bit and a pin vice.
The round knobs just went on with a easy press fit and locked in place, They don't wiggle or rock and work so much better than the flat Mr crack knobs.
It was a bear to get the drivers side knob off since the factory flat knobs use a spring steel clip the passenger side I lost the clip when the knob cracked just had a bit of silicone sealer holding it from coming off. |
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blues90
Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2009
Posts: 1912
Location: Hollywood ,CA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 3:29 pm Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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This is what I had before , yellow heater control knobs and black cracked seat for /aft knobs.
This is what I have now. For me they work and look much better, the round seat knobs really made a difference I never liked the huge yellow heater knobs the round ones are much easier to operate with two fingers. |
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Bobnotch
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2003
Posts: 22431
Location: Kimball, Mi
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| Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2020 10:05 am Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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Looks like you have more room to operate the levers too. Nice job. 
_________________
Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
| Tram wrote: |
| "Friends are God's way of apologizing for relatives." |
| Tram wrote: |
| People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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blues90
Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2009
Posts: 1912
Location: Hollywood ,CA
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| Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:29 pm Post subject: Re: 73 only front seat for/aft seat knobs |
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| Bobnotch wrote: |
| Looks like you have more room to operate the levers too. Nice job. |
Thanks Bob, they work so much better. I had to tighten the heat on/off nut a bit more because it would creep down, I don't think the replacement friction washers are as good of material as the originals , it took over 40 year before the heat on/off would move by itself. I just pulled the lever up and snugged the nut to it held then backed off until it began to slip then snugged it till it held . It's harder to pull up then before, the old ones felt smoother and were easy to move and held.
If this continues I might sand the washers to take the slick off the faces just on the one lever. |
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