Ke1x Heater Controls Rebuild

[camerondownunder88]

Hi,

Well Today I got bored so decided to work on the sprinter. I decided to install my newly obtained heater controls with good unsnapped control arms. But before Installing it I decided to rebuild it to make it like new :dance: Below is a rough guide on how to do it and what mine looked like before and after doing this.

 

1.

I have a few consoles so start with your best one.

 

2.

Strip it back to raw metal. Use sand paper or grit blast or acid it is your choice. I used a grit blaster to get bare metal. There was some surface rust on the item take this off. Below is a half way shot of the part sitting on a spare gear box. Notice the rust on the right. This was under paint so get this off also. So as a guide strip it better than this.

 

3.

Now select your best parts for the whole unit from bushed,clips,levers, switch etc. And tidy them up redo them so there like new :bash:

Below is pics of some items with a quick explanation below them.

 

Above 2 of the levers I had to chose from. Notice back one has the part the plastic nob on the end slides on to missing so I used the front one :y:

 

Above is after a clean. This I grit blasted just the front part of the lever. The rest of this item is Cad plated. And the plating was still good. But the front had a spot of rust. So a quick grit blast here it was like new :)

 

Above I took all the bushes off 2 heater control units and measured there thickness. As after time they get worn down. So I didn't get sloppy levers I chose the thickest ones to use. But the controls also use 2 disk springs to keep them firm so they don't move when the car hits bumps etc. I also lined these up on a glass plate and put a straight edge on them and the highest ones I took as they still had more tension after all these years.

 

I also measured the height and width of the studs/shafts that the heater controls pivot on. I wanted the widest ones so the levers didn't slop also. Height isnt really an issue with this part but I did it just because I could.

 

Not enough detail in the photo but also select the best buses that slide in the frame. Just take the ones with the least wear.

 

Again take the cable clamps with least wear. Note on on far left has shiny spot where screw locks it down. Here the cad plating has come off so it will rust here in time. So I took ones with the least amount of marks in this area.

 

Select the best switch. I took the one with the best feel, solder joints on wires, and how clean it was. The solder joint on these can be redone if need be so don't worry if your solder is shit.

 

For the switch I then taped up the wires and conduit it so it was neater behind the dash as there are 3 wires on this plug all can get easily caught on parts behind the dash so this will hopefully prevent r lessen the risk of this. At the back of this switch there is also a locking tang that clamps the wires down to stop them being yanked off the switch if they do get caught. Mine had become lose over time so I also got the pliers onto this and squeezed it back in a bit.

 

4.

Now after getting the best parts paint the parts you stripped or think need painting. This can be done before you inspect the switches etc so the main frame can be drying as you inspect stuff. This will shorten build time.

Below is a picture of my repainted frame :)

 

5.

Now assemble it. Do this in reverse order you pulled it apart from. Now on the levers after both disk springs are installed the cir clip to push onto the shaft the lever pivots on is HARD as anything to get on. Be very cafe full not to scratch your paint etc. I found by using rags to cover parts and then putting the frame on a anvil and as you try to slide the clip on push down as this compress 1 of the springs so it gives you more room to play with.

Below is a picture of my near finished product You can see how nice and gloss black it now is and the lever and all. All that was left to do here was screw down the switch to the front lever. You will also notice the top lever I grit blast it right backa dn painted it. Now you nearly can't see it :)

 

Cheers

Cameron