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79 CDV arm rest

Started by Barry M. Wheeler #2189, July 06, 2006, 09:34:17 PM

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Barry M. Wheeler #2189

OK, I have a pilot hole drilled where the center of the bracket for the holder for the mirror control should be, and only maimed myself once using an unprotected razor knife to cut away the bracket that was in the way. (Put my finger down to steady my hand and found I was leaning on a brand new blade point. Good thing the reflexes havent gone yet.) (My mint LH armrest was for a lesser make and had a manual mirror, so no remote mirror hole.) I have not yet cut through the vinyl in any way. The hole needs to be slightly over 1 in diameter in the base plastic. On the old armrest, the hole seems to be slightly larger on the outside, or vinyl side to enable the bezel to snuggle into it. Should I punch through the center line and carefully cut away the vinyl, to be able to drill the larger hole with a 1 woodworking drill without getting into the vinyl, or start drilling lots of small diameter holes around the scribe marks I have made from underneath so as to be able to pop the excess from the middle with a razor knife and then trim the outside? I cant get a straight shot up and down from the bottom, or underneath side for a drill to do it all at once. I have a Dremel type tool that I can probably use if I go the small holes on the diameter route to save time. This probably seems like a simple thing to do in upholstery 101, but this is a difficult piece to find, and I dont want to mess up the outside cover. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Bruce Reynolds # 18992

Gday Barry,

Good to see that you havent asked another question about removing blood stains, and that you only need a Bandaid to heal thyself.

Now, for cutting a fragile, and rare piece, I refrain from drilling, especially with a woodworking bit as they can be rather viscous when dealing with plastic.

But, when drilling plastic, I have also found that drilling in reverse does wonders, exspecially with a very controllable Battery Drill where one can really controll the stopping and going.

Now, I have found that scribing a circle, and gradually trimming it out with a very sharp modelling knife with a scalpel-tupe blade is also a good way of trimming out to the required shape.

Better taking off a bit at a time is better than one big go.

Bruce,
The Tassie devil(le),
60 CDV

P.S.  And, plenty of experience with the cutting, and healing processes.

P.P.S.   Bandaids work best when left on till they actually fall off under their own steam, and that has been known to take many days.   Trust me, it is true.   Even for wounds that usually would require a couple of stitches.

P.P.P.S.   But at least with Stitches, the scar is a good talking point for many years to come.   I still have a scar visible from 54 years ago that the butchers fixed with two stitches.

P.P.P.P.S.   The Bandaid repaired cuts from 35 years ago that would have required 6 stitches cannot be found.   You could even see the little tubes that were cut when the gash in the finger was pulled apart to give it a quick wash with fresh water.   Bandaids are wonderful.

Barry M. Wheeler #2189

Bruce, One of the bad things about my wife retiring from being a nurse was not being able to get the special band aids that they used. They would NOT come off.

Some fifty years ago, I was hunting with my dad in Wyoming, 40 miles from town. I was climbing a barbed wire fence, and started to sway, and so I grabbed. I am looking at the scar on my forefinger now, about an inch long. I cant remember how we got it treated till we got back to the ranch, etc. But I do remember it was fairly deep. The bandaid must have worked as I have no limitations whatever in its use.

I think you are right. I will drill enough holes to be able to cut through any connecting pieces with the razor knife, and then smoothe the edges with my Dremmel tool. Slow and careful...

Barry M. Wheeler #2189

I would just as soon be willing for a dentist to be drilling...
I pretended I was one, and stuck a drill in the Dremel tool, and managed to get a hole not too big, in the right location, and reasonably round.
I did have a problem after making the hole in the vinyl getting the bezel inserted into the lower clamp. The original armrest had a dimple pressed into it where the mirror control is. Managed to hold it against the clamp and got a few threads into the bezel to hold. (I found a metal file that was just the right width to use as a spanner screwdriver to turn the bezel to thread it in while pressing against it.) The armrest is ready to go back on the side panel and hopefully will be good for years. The other side should be a breeze to do after this.

Bruce Reynolds # 18992

Congratulations on a successful transplant.

Actually, I just use plain old fashioned Bandaids, and if necessary, use a second one to wrap around the back to secure the sticky ends of the initial one, two or three.

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV