Seat Hinge Lever

[Jacket]

I need to remove the seat hinge lever for chroming to restore my seats. Is there a way to remove the lever other than bending the tabs? If you bend the tabs is it difficult to get them back to their proper position?

[NorthernThrux]

Bending the tabs is easy. Just use vice grips with tape on the ends to cinch them back up after plating so you don't scratch them. The tougher part is retensioning the spring before you do that. If anyone has a trick they can share, that would be helpful !


Ravi

[Jacket]

Thanks. Now I can dig in. One thing I do on springs is clean them up and mark a straight line across with a sharpie. That way I know when I have it lined up as before.

[Jacket]

Careful work with a chisel and she's out.

[JimVillers]

I left my spring and shaft in while it was platted. I took off the knob, it just slides off. Since they only polished the outside, that is the only part that will be shiny chrome.

[flatsixcrazy]

I left my spring and shaft in while it was platted. I took off the knob, it just slides off. Since they only polished the outside, that is the only part that will be shiny chrome.

Jim, would you be able to share the chrome shop you used for your brightworks? Is it in VA? Thanks.

[JimVillers]

Andy .... It is Royal Silver in Norfolk. They do excellent work but have the reputation for being slow and expensive. An interesting shop with no sign outside, just a fenced parking lot with a street number. Local AACA club members send them a lot of work.

[304065]

Leave it in. They should polish the external lever.

You will have to drill the knob to make it fit because the plating expands the diameter of the lever enough that it won't. Be careful.

[smedley]

The tabs can be carefully pry'd just wide enough to get the lever out without work hardening and cracking.

Plating...Recaro actually was still using cadmium on their levers and rails.....I had them analyzed by my plater. So..not chrome, not zinc, but real cadmium on those levers...............if you're an originality kinda guy.

The spring....it's a B...... Local shop made a tool, essentially a long lever with a flat side for stability and two pins spaced so that one sits in the center of the coil and one hooks on the hook at the end of the spring. Still, even with the tool takes a lot of strength, and ideally someone to hold the recliner ehilr the other twists the spring/lever....be careful! You have to twist and then push down on the hooked end to get it onto the pin in the recliner.

[NorthernThrux]

The spring Mark is talking about is the spiral coil spring. Yep, that's a real Jack in the Box.....