Torn Rear Armrest Repaired for $7.
09-06-2011 | 03:17 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 913
Likes: 7
From: 06824
Torn Rear Armrest Repaired for $7.
So, I had a tear in my rear armrest. Mine was caused by my son. But I have heard of others, and seen one, where the rear armrest gets torn when the seat is folded down WITHOUT flipping forward the lower seat squabs. The armrest in that case gets compressed by seatbelt receiver and tears.
Anyway. I called lots of breakers trying to find a rear armrest. Looked on ebay. No luck. I saw one on ebay but that was for $200.
I then looked at the parts diagram and saw that they list the armrest cover as a for sale option for around $200-$300. Still, a lot of coin.
I wanted my truck to look nice, but that was too much money. So, I took off the armrest.
This is not that straightforward. To remove the rear armrest.
1. Fold down the single(smaller side) of the rear seat. Remember to flip the squab forward so you don't damage that seat!
2. Remove the side cover from the upright portion of the seat. This is plastic and comes off by pulling back towards the rear of the car and out. Take it slow.
3. You will see the rod the armrest pivots on. There will be a small retaining clip that easily slips off.
4. Now, you need to pry the armrest out of the receiver. This took much more force than I thought. I needed to use a small prybar that I wrapped in a towel.
Now, you can take off the top cover of the armrest. This is a simple clip-hinge.
You can now have the bottom felt lined piece which on the front is the part that is torn. This cover simply comes out of the channel. There is no glue or anything. Seeing this is what made me think I could recover it.
So, I removed the torn cover. On all four sides there are small plastic strips that clip into the channels, I removed these to reuse.
I then went to the store to try and find some leather or vinyl to match. I could not find a good grey match. Instead of having an odd bit of grey, I used a blue that perfectly matched my exterior.
I used the old cover to make a pattern. Cut to size then folded onto the cover. Making holes for the pivot rod as I went. I was going to stitch the corners but was happy with how they looked just folded over. There you go. $7.
I plan on getting blue floormats to match and that should make it look really nice.
Anyway. I called lots of breakers trying to find a rear armrest. Looked on ebay. No luck. I saw one on ebay but that was for $200.
I then looked at the parts diagram and saw that they list the armrest cover as a for sale option for around $200-$300. Still, a lot of coin.
I wanted my truck to look nice, but that was too much money. So, I took off the armrest.
This is not that straightforward. To remove the rear armrest.
1. Fold down the single(smaller side) of the rear seat. Remember to flip the squab forward so you don't damage that seat!
2. Remove the side cover from the upright portion of the seat. This is plastic and comes off by pulling back towards the rear of the car and out. Take it slow.
3. You will see the rod the armrest pivots on. There will be a small retaining clip that easily slips off.
4. Now, you need to pry the armrest out of the receiver. This took much more force than I thought. I needed to use a small prybar that I wrapped in a towel.
Now, you can take off the top cover of the armrest. This is a simple clip-hinge.
You can now have the bottom felt lined piece which on the front is the part that is torn. This cover simply comes out of the channel. There is no glue or anything. Seeing this is what made me think I could recover it.
So, I removed the torn cover. On all four sides there are small plastic strips that clip into the channels, I removed these to reuse.
I then went to the store to try and find some leather or vinyl to match. I could not find a good grey match. Instead of having an odd bit of grey, I used a blue that perfectly matched my exterior.
I used the old cover to make a pattern. Cut to size then folded onto the cover. Making holes for the pivot rod as I went. I was going to stitch the corners but was happy with how they looked just folded over. There you go. $7.
I plan on getting blue floormats to match and that should make it look really nice.
12-06-2016 | 07:15 PM
#4
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,543
Likes: 51
From: Palm Desert, California
How does the rear armrest detach from the hinge pins? This is my biggest challenge. What is the trick? Does the armrest need to be up, down or somewhere in the middle? Do I pry from where the hinge clip came off or the receiver/passenger end?
Last edited by Dilberto; 12-06-2016 at 08:28 PM.
