Arm rest latch,better fix

[roncoinc]

Mine came broken,searched here and only simple fix was the nail one.
i don't like nails for anything but wood,they are to soft and bend.
gave me an idea though ,found a hitch pin in my drawers.
these are often in use banged with hammers,twisted with pliers and abused with screwdrivers and don't bend.
well they will if you really try !
they seem to have a bit of spring to them that i thinks helps with their new job.

in the pic you will see the size of the pin to use,hardware store.
slightly less than 1/8 of an inch.
need a dremel with a cutoff wheel.

i used a drill press with a 1/8 in drill bit.
drilled in about 5/8 of an inch,,i did that for more support for the pin.
slid a cut piece of the pin in the hole and marked where to cut it and cut it an 1/8 of an inch shorter.
cut short allows for the epoxy put in the hole.
mixed epoxy and with a toothpick stuck a bunch in the hole and slid the pin's in.
wiped off excess and let dry.

the pin being smaller than the hole and all filled with epoxy add's a lot of support and strength and adhesion between the pin and plastic.
a nail heated and stuck in a hole in plastic may lack structural integrity in the long run.
the fix works awesome.

 

[Telco]

That might be a concern if this were a weight bearing part, but it isn't. A nail will work fine as the part only moves about a quarter inch at most, and the center console might be opened 30 times a week at most. Consider that the crappy little weak plastic bit lasts for 10 years or so with regular use. Nevertheless, if your idea works there's nothing wrong with it.

My only concern with using a metal piece that's smaller than the plastic one that was in there would be that the latch might wobble when installed, and might both cause wear to the stud mounts and allow the latch to occasionally open on its own. That problem would easily be fixed by using little bushings in there.

 

[roncoinc]

That might be a concern if this were a weight bearing part, but it isn't. A nail will work fine as the part only moves about a quarter inch at most, and the center console might be opened 30 times a week at most. Consider that the crappy little weak plastic bit lasts for 10 years or so with regular use. Nevertheless, if your idea works there's nothing wrong with it.

My only concern with using a metal piece that's smaller than the plastic one that was in there would be that the latch might wobble when installed, and might both cause wear to the stud mounts and allow the latch to occasionally open on its own. That problem would easily be fixed by using little bushings in there.

Have you repaired one ??
i did search and remember seeing your user name in some discussion.

 

[Telco]

Yep, did the nail fix based on the results of another member. Worked great, been in there for about a year.

Oh, and I'll add that the pin that holds the armrest lid to the console has a nasty habit of walking its way out of the hinge. Lincoln didn't include a means to keep the hinge pin from walking out. I think I used a tiny nylon wire tie cranked really tight against the pin to retain mine. It would be worthwhile for you to take a look at yours, if you haven't already.

 

[roncoinc]

Yep, did the nail fix based on the results of another member. Worked great, been in there for about a year.

Oh, and I'll add that the pin that holds the armrest lid to the console has a nasty habit of walking its way out of the hinge. Lincoln didn't include a means to keep the hinge pin from walking out. I think I used a tiny nylon wire tie cranked really tight against the pin to retain mine. It would be worthwhile for you to take a look at yours, if you haven't already.

LOL !!!!

your right !!!!
usually a hinge pin like that will be flattened on the ends after insertion to keep them from sliding out.

 

[Telco]

Heh heh... unfortunately I don't have a means to flatten mine like that. I forgot to add, the nylon tie is in the middle, not on the side, because there was a spot in there that would let one tie keep it from going in either direction.

 

[roncoinc]

Heh heh... unfortunately I don't have a means to flatten mine like that. I forgot to add, the nylon tie is in the middle, not on the side, because there was a spot in there that would let one tie keep it from going in either direction.

I will be doing that today..
tnx