Rebuilding 356 or early 911 reclining seat hinges

[Ashley James]

I’m in trouble.

My driver’s side seat hinge failed, completely worn out and cracked.

I bought another in good order but needing rechroming from ever helpful Karman Konnection. I disassembled it and had it rechromed at vast expense and am now struggling to refit the very strong spring that returns the seat to the upright position.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to make a special tool to wind it up, but before I do, I thought I’d ask if there was an expert near the Cotswold who knew of had a solution.

[Ashley James]

In the end we made a tool to wind up the centre of the spring and screwed the hinge to the work bench so it couldn’t move.

All back together with nice shiny and expensive chrome. Oil change done Mobil 1 10W60 and just have to adjust passenger side window to reduce wind noise.

[hot66]

any pics of the spring tool in action ?

[SeanP]

Didn’t Mick Temple do this on his “The Doctors Car” Restoration thread?

[Ashley James]

any pics of the spring tool in action ?

I’ll take a photo and once it finds its way to Flicker I’ll post it.

You need a 15mm diameter steel bar about 6” long with a 300 mm Tommy bar in one end and a slot in the other to accommodate the end of the spring.

Cut the slot shallow enough to hold the end of the spring with some of it proud of the end, so you can tell when it has engaged in the slot on the hinge and force it down.

[Ollie]

Simon Butland (Buttys Bits) may be making a repair kit for these or a reproduction.