Wanderlodge Gurus - The Member Funded Wanderlodge Forum

I need to re-cover the armrest on my driver's seat. Has anyone
removed the armrest. It looks like the wooden embellishers have to
be pulled off. I don't want to do that until I find that I have to.


Art Weatherly
Riverside Ca.
'85 PT36

> Has anyone removed the armrest. ...
> Art Weatherly
> Riverside Ca.
> '85 PT36
>

if it's a Villa brand seat, I've been told you put the armrest straight up, push in, and tilt back even further, and it comes off.

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\/\/\…Fred

__________________

Fred & Wendy Bellows

Queen Creek, AZ (so.east Phx)

'90 SP36

"Maunder Maximum"

photos of coach
and upgrades

current location

Art -

Yes, I have removed the front seat arms on an early 80s model. I had read the
same story that Fred posted. However, when we re-did the interior in our 83
PT40, that did not work. I believe the seating was by Flexsteel in the 80s.
Since I disassembled the seats down to the frame, I can tell you what I had to
do. Although the arm covers have a zipper on them, the arm has to come off to
get the cover off over the arm pivot shaft.

In order to get the arm off, you have to go up through the seat back with a long
flat screw driver and pop off a small semi-circle wire c-clip lock on the end of
the pivot shaft. This will probably require removing the hog rings that secure
the seat back fabric covering to the seat frame, in order to see up into the
interior of the seat back. The wire c-clip sits in a groove on the end of the
arm pivot shaft quite close to the round piece of tubing that it comes through.
Do not loose that c-clip as they appear to be made of "unobtainium". I had to
search for the 'lost' one for days, since I could not find a replacement c-clip
anywhere. After you pop the c-clip off and put it somewhere safe, the arm slides
right out of the seat back pivot tube. As soon as you get the arm off, you can
re-secure the hog rings as you will not be going back in the seat back.

To reassemble after you repair the arm or covering, you put the c-clip back in
the groove on the pivot shaft while it is off. Note that the tube shaft end is
internally chamfered to compress the c-clip into the groove when the arm is
inserted. You might want to put a little silicone grease on the pivot arm
before inserting. Then you gently slide the end of the pivot shaft into tube,
with the arm at about a 45 degree angle to position it between the arm rest
up/down stops, until the c-clip goes into the chamfered area. Then put a clean
2x4 board against the outer edge of the seat arm behind the pivot shaft, get a
good hammer and drive the pivot shaft in by pounding on the 2x4.

When it is all the way back in, you are done. And NO, you can pop the arm off
by using a big pry bar, because the internal end of the shaft tube is not
chamfered to compress the c-clip.


Have fun.

Mike Bulriss
1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan"
San Antonio, TX - where another balmy 102-105 day is coming on






--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Fred Bellows" wrote:
>
> > Has anyone removed the armrest. ...
> > Art Weatherly
> > Riverside Ca.
> > '85 PT36
> >
>
> if it's a Villa brand seat, I've been told you put the armrest straight
> up, push in, and tilt back even further, and it comes off.
>
>
> \/\/\ Fred
> __________________
> Fred & Wendy Bellows
> Queen Creek, AZ (so.east Phx)
> '90 SP36
> "Maunder Maximum"
> photos of coach and upgrades
> <http://picasaweb.google.com/Bluebirdzoom/MaunderMaximum>
> current location <http://www.bbirdmaps.com/user1.cfm?user=125%20>
>

Sorry, that last line should read:
"And NO, you CAN NOT pop the arm off by using a big pry bar, because the
internal end of the shaft tube is not chamfered to compress the c-clip."

Mike Bulriss
1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan"
San Antonio, TX

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "mbulriss" <mbulriss@...> wrote:
>
> Art -
>
> Yes, I have removed the front seat arms on an early 80s model. I had read the
same story that Fred posted. However, when we re-did the interior in our 83
PT40, that did not work. I believe the seating was by Flexsteel in the 80s.
Since I disassembled the seats down to the frame, I can tell you what I had to
do. Although the arm covers have a zipper on them, the arm has to come off to
get the cover off over the arm pivot shaft.
>
> In order to get the arm off, you have to go up through the seat back with a
long flat screw driver and pop off a small semi-circle wire c-clip lock on the
end of the pivot shaft. This will probably require removing the hog rings that
secure the seat back fabric covering to the seat frame, in order to see up into
the interior of the seat back. The wire c-clip sits in a groove on the end of
the arm pivot shaft quite close to the round piece of tubing that it comes
through. Do not loose that c-clip as they appear to be made of "unobtainium".
I had to search for the 'lost' one for days, since I could not find a
replacement c-clip anywhere. After you pop the c-clip off and put it somewhere
safe, the arm slides right out of the seat back pivot tube. As soon as you get
the arm off, you can re-secure the hog rings as you will not be going back in
the seat back.
>
> To reassemble after you repair the arm or covering, you put the c-clip back in
the groove on the pivot shaft while it is off. Note that the tube shaft end is
internally chamfered to compress the c-clip into the groove when the arm is
inserted. You might want to put a little silicone grease on the pivot arm
before inserting. Then you gently slide the end of the pivot shaft into tube,
with the arm at about a 45 degree angle to position it between the arm rest
up/down stops, until the c-clip goes into the chamfered area. Then put a clean
2x4 board against the outer edge of the seat arm behind the pivot shaft, get a
good hammer and drive the pivot shaft in by pounding on the 2x4.
>
> When it is all the way back in, you are done. And NO, you can pop the arm off
by using a big pry bar, because the internal end of the shaft tube is not
chamfered to compress the c-clip.
>
>
> Have fun.
>
> Mike Bulriss
> 1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan"
> San Antonio, TX - where another balmy 102-105 day is coming on
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Fred Bellows" wrote:
> >
> > > Has anyone removed the armrest. ...
> > > Art Weatherly
> > > Riverside Ca.
> > > '85 PT36
> > >
> >
> > if it's a Villa brand seat, I've been told you put the armrest straight
> > up, push in, and tilt back even further, and it comes off.
> >
> >
> > \/\/\ Fred
> > __________________
> > Fred & Wendy Bellows
> > Queen Creek, AZ (so.east Phx)
> > '90 SP36
> > "Maunder Maximum"
> > photos of coach and upgrades
> > <http://picasaweb.google.com/Bluebirdzoom/MaunderMaximum>
> > current location <http://www.bbirdmaps.com/user1.cfm?user=125%20>
> >
>

For everyone's information, that "C" clip is standard GM issue
for their armrests on Tahoe and suburban and such. It is also used
on all GM window cranks and interior door handles of their older cars.

Steve Gureasko
90WBWL401/2 Jus Chillin
Ponchatoula, La.

Oh yeah,... NOW you chime in with that info! Where were you when I was
searching for that c-clip? Dang nab Edsel driver anyway! LOL! Just goes to
show the real value of these BB forums.

I knew I had seen that thing before, but the 'Chebby' dealer parts guy had
'never seen it'. The guys in the back said it looked like an armature clip --
which was quite close by the way.

Kinda like at the DD dealer today, I was chatting with the parts manager and he
said they had 1 guy in the back that could really work on a 2 stroke. He said
they had a bunch of new kids that could rebuild the block, but then none of them
knew how to set the rack to get them running!!!

Sigh, I long for the days when R&R was remove and repair (kinda like Ralphie
does) rather than just remove and replace.

Now, does any one have the part numbers for the two thermostat housing gaskets
on an 8V92? Seems like that was an unobtainium item without an engine serial
number at the DD dealer today!

The hardest part of working on these things is just finding the right parts!

Mike Bulriss
1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan" - looking for cooler thermostats
San Antonio, TX - 10 day temp forecast 102, 102, 102,.... cooling off!



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "patticake592000" <sgureasko@...>
wrote:
>
>
> For everyone's information, that "C" clip is standard GM issue
> for their armrests on Tahoe and suburban and such. It is also used
> on all GM window cranks and interior door handles of their older cars.
>
> Steve Gureasko
> 90WBWL401/2 Jus Chillin
> Ponchatoula, La.
>

Thank God I inquired on this forum. I had just assumed the wooden
embellishments on the side had to be removed to gain access to the inside.

Art Weatherly
Riverside Ca.
'85 PT36