Heater Control Lever Panel

Keeping it sharp - paint, wax, detailing, etc.
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Dahlstan
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2022 6:50 pm
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Richmond Virginia
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Heater Control Lever Panel

Post by Dahlstan »

Hello,
I am looking to replace my heater lever control panel, just the metal part. The levers work fine, but the metal trim part was broken by the previous owner. I would like to replace this, but have not found any information on how to do this. It seems reasonably simply, but I just want to make sure I do not need to dissemble the entire assembly to replace this part. Reason being because I am not sure how the panel will fit with the rubber tips on top of the levers. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!
sweet124
Patron 2020
Patron 2020
Posts: 125
Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2006 8:04 pm
Your car is a: 1980 FI 124 spider
Location: Caledon,Ontario

Re: Heater Control Lever Panel

Post by sweet124 »

All you have to do is pull up on the rubber tips they will come off the levers you mite have to use a little force but they will come off. Also after removing the four screws holding the chrome trim be careful when lifting, the fiber optic cable will be attached to the trim
1980 fiat spider under restoration
Dahlstan
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2022 6:50 pm
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Richmond Virginia
Contact:

Re: Heater Control Lever Panel

Post by Dahlstan »

sweet124 wrote:All you have to do is pull up on the rubber tips they will come off the levers you mite have to use a little force but they will come off. Also after removing the four screws holding the chrome trim be careful when lifting, the fiber optic cable will be attached to the trim
Ok, so if I ordered the piece off of Vick or Autoricambi, would the fiber optic just go back into the new trim easily?
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3808
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: Heater Control Lever Panel

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

Dahlstan wrote:Ok, so if I ordered the piece off of Vick or Autoricambi, would the fiber optic just go back into the new trim easily?
The ends of the fiber optic cables have a little plastic clip to hold them into their positions on the chrome trim piece. These clips often break, but all you need to do is secure the fiber optics with a dab of silicone sealant or the like.

To be honest, I never thought the fiber optic lighting of the heating/cooling control panel was all that great, and it's not the end of the world to leave them off. If you do order a new control panel from Vick or AR, check with them to see that the part even has the receptacle for fiber optic cables. Not all the panels did, and I don't know about theirs.

-Bryan
Dahlstan
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2022 6:50 pm
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Richmond Virginia
Contact:

Re: Heater Control Lever Panel

Post by Dahlstan »

18Fiatsandcounting wrote:
Dahlstan wrote:Ok, so if I ordered the piece off of Vick or Autoricambi, would the fiber optic just go back into the new trim easily?
The ends of the fiber optic cables have a little plastic clip to hold them into their positions on the chrome trim piece. These clips often break, but all you need to do is secure the fiber optics with a dab of silicone sealant or the like.

To be honest, I never thought the fiber optic lighting of the heating/cooling control panel was all that great, and it's not the end of the world to leave them off. If you do order a new control panel from Vick or AR, check with them to see that the part even has the receptacle for fiber optic cables. Not all the panels did, and I don't know about theirs.

-Bryan
Ok! perfect. Mine is completely trashed, IE Almost non-existent other than the metal around the center console so anything is an improvement. Hoping this makes the interior of the car all that nicer.
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