Throttle lever plate on steering column

[JayJay]

Barners - the notch plate underneath my throttle lever is so worn that it's smooth (see picture). So it's not much use as there's nothing keeping the spring in the throttle linkage from closing the throttle down.

I recall fairly recently seeing someone offering replacement plates, which I assume are soldered to the steering column. I remember thinking to myself "good to know if/when I ever pull that steering column". Well, i'm going to be pulling the column (see my earlier thread about unequal steering effort) and this would be a good time to rehab it. But of course I didn't write down where I saw the replacement plate, and now searching through the catalogues I have, I can't find it.

Am I nuts, or hallucinating? Does anyone know if/where those replacement plates are available? Or should I hunt for a column with good plates, and attach it to my steering box when I rebuild it?

Thanks all.

JayJay

[Brentwood Bob]

File?

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by Brentwood Bob

File?

Yeah, Bob, that would be a fallback I suppose. But that's not replacing the material that's worn off, it's cutting into the base. But better than nothing. Maybe I could build up a layer of braze or weld material and file into that. That's starting to sound like real restoration...


JayJay

[Big hammer]

Most of the metal is worn over the groves, use a Dremel and clean the groves then a triangle file, being careful to not go through the base metal. Of course it’s easier with the column out of the car but could be done in the car with the steering wheel off.

[Clem Clement]

Barnbarner recommended cloth Velcro with sticky back. worx so far.

[Brentwood Bob]

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Getting the original plate off, and a facsimile back in place might take some restoration too.

[mass A man]

It appears that my '31 PU "plate" is not a plate at all. It seems it's entirely formed of the column end itself. I would try the Dremel a bit or the small file trick, slightly bending it up may help too. Clem brought up a clever way too.

[aermotor]

Originally Posted by Clem Clement

Barnbarner recommended cloth Velcro with sticky back. worx so far.

Worked for me too - be sure the use the hook 1/2 of the velcro.


















w

[JayJay]

OK, I'm going to give the Velcro a try. Heading out on a three-day "do" tomorrow am so it should give a couple of hundred miles to see how it works. I had some industrial 2" wide velcro sitting in the shop so this is a no-cost try.

JayJay

[JoeCB]

File... along with cleaning up the notches in the plate, don't neglect to freshen up the "V" profile on the back side of the lever, that gets worn smooth also.
Joe B

[nkaminar]

I have had good luck putting a rubber tube on the throttle arm. I had to experiment with different tubes to get the right friction and one that would stretch over the flattened end. The advantage is that it eliminates any further wearing of the plate. I had to pull up on the throttle arm to get the tube into position.

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

I have had good luck putting a rubber tube on the throttle arm. I had to experiment with different tubes to get the right friction and one that would stretch over the flattened end. The advantage is that it eliminates any further wearing of the plate. I had to pull up on the throttle arm to get the tube into position.

Thanks, that sounds like a good alternative if the velcro doesn't work. I had to pull up on the lever to slide the velcro underneath it, not an issue.

JayJay

[Ray64]

Drill a dimple in the underside of the arm and glue a B.B. in that sucker. Pressure will keep it there. My two cents

[Ordsgt]

This is what worked for me. About the first 5 striations on the plate were worn smooth. I took a 3 sided jewelers file and put the grooves back in the plate. I then took a 10 lb hammer and cautiously hammed the top section with the cut grooves in slightly. You do not want to hit too hard as you could break the collar. It worked fine for me and it now functions as it should. Before the mod the manual throttle would come off on it own. This was all done with the steering in place in the car
If your steering column is attached to the gas tank I would definitely loosen the clamp to prevent putting any strain of the soldered tank joint

[supergnat]

I had a similar problem on my 29 phaeton. I called Berts and they sold me a decent original which i installed while rebuilding my column. Worked fine. Give Berts a call +1 (303) 293-3673.

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by supergnat

I had a similar problem on my 29 phaeton. I called Berts and they sold me a decent original which i installed while rebuilding my column. Worked fine. Give Berts a call +1 (303) 293-3673.

How was that plate attached to the column? I haven't looked into it too much but the configuration leads me to believe that the notch plate isn't part of the column itself, it's an attachment.

Thanks.

JayJay