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Driver's seat arm fell off

May 23, 2015, 10:58:28 am

Good Morning!

As if I didn't have anything to do preparing to clean out our belongings selling our FT, the right arm of the driver's chair fell off!

It looks to me like a poor weldig job in the original manufacture of the chair.

So I've been turning over in my mind of how this could be repaired. For some reason I cannot explain I'm not comfortable with welding INSIDE the FT.

So this leaves removing the chair to repair it.

But once THAT is done it enables a second problem to be addressed: Replace a chair with only a lap belt with one with a shoulder belt (like the navigator's chair). Apparently, only lap belts were required in 1999.

What do you recommend?

If the new owner of our FT chooses I'll reduce the price of our FT for the cost of the chair.


(Edited topic title to be more descriptive - Michelle)

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Re: My Right Arm Fell Off!

Reply #1 – May 23, 2015, 11:08:38 am

It only takes 5 minutes minutes at most to remove the chair. Four nuts underneath the skirt and the electrical connector to pull. Lots of threads but once loosened, you can spin the nuts by hand. I removed ours when we had the two re-upholstered. Warning, each chair is HEAVY so takes a couple of people with bad backs or one fairly strong healthy one. Or in my case, one stupid one.

Think it need a 1/2" combination wrench but could be 9/16" Make sure the wires are in position to allow the chair to rotate when you put it back in or it will pull the connection apart.

You are smart to remove as a wire feed welder can do the job with a minimum of sparks and it would not reach inside anyway.

Pierce

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Re: My Right Arm Fell Off!

Reply #2 – May 23, 2015, 11:47:18 am

Thanks for the prompt reply, Pierce!

Getting the foam off the arm for the limited extent needed for welding is easy.

But I'd have to leave the chair upholstery ON the chair while welding. The upholstery on the chair could be protected from the sparks with good old duck tape I guess.

But looking at the pieces closely, I might go with a mechanical solution. Clean up the welding ridges. Then put two screws into the steel rod on the chair. (Two screws are needed to ensure the arm maintains the required position when down.)

best, paul

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Re: Driver's seat arm fell off

Reply #3 – May 23, 2015, 03:01:12 pm

Paul,

A wire feed welder has about a 3/4" nozzle with a small copper tip in the middle where the wire comes out. The CO2 (or argon for welding thin steel) gas comes out of the nozzle and shields the wire as it welds so makes very few sparks. EZ to protect the seat material.

Pierce

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