Among the things I really hate: after recovering the passenger bucket seat on my '68 Mustang, I installed it in the car (looks great) before realizing that I forgot to install the new black plastic handle on the end of the under seat adjustment lever (that lever that moves left/right to release the seat to move forward and back).
No problem, I thought. The molded black plastic handle simply slides over the end of the metal seat adjusting lever...I'll just push it on.
When I opened the package, however, I found not only the black plastic lever end, but also a small spring metal clip. The clip seemed about the right size to fit inside the slot in the shiny new black plastic handle to tighten its fit on the end of the seat adjustment lever.
I soon discovered that if I put the spring steel clip in the slot of the black plastic handle first, then there was no room for the end of the metal seat adjusting rod to fit. So, I took it back apart and tried putting the spring steel clip on the end of the metal seat adjusting rod first, and then slipping the black plastic handle over both.
That worked, about halfway...then stopped. I pressed harder. I wiggled. I wiggled while pressing harder. I tried cursing while wiggling and pressing harder still. In the end, all I did was bend the metal adjusting lever until it is now stuck to the floor and get the black plastic handle well and truly stuck halfway on.
So, I'm left wondering two things.
1) How can I nearly finish a 12-year long complete restoration and get stuck on the installation of a press-fit plastic handle?
and
2) can anyone out there tell me what I did wrong, or better yet, how to properly install this damn thing?
No problem, I thought. The molded black plastic handle simply slides over the end of the metal seat adjusting lever...I'll just push it on.
When I opened the package, however, I found not only the black plastic lever end, but also a small spring metal clip. The clip seemed about the right size to fit inside the slot in the shiny new black plastic handle to tighten its fit on the end of the seat adjustment lever.
I soon discovered that if I put the spring steel clip in the slot of the black plastic handle first, then there was no room for the end of the metal seat adjusting rod to fit. So, I took it back apart and tried putting the spring steel clip on the end of the metal seat adjusting rod first, and then slipping the black plastic handle over both.
That worked, about halfway...then stopped. I pressed harder. I wiggled. I wiggled while pressing harder. I tried cursing while wiggling and pressing harder still. In the end, all I did was bend the metal adjusting lever until it is now stuck to the floor and get the black plastic handle well and truly stuck halfway on.
So, I'm left wondering two things.
1) How can I nearly finish a 12-year long complete restoration and get stuck on the installation of a press-fit plastic handle?
and
2) can anyone out there tell me what I did wrong, or better yet, how to properly install this damn thing?