Heater box rebuild ALMOST done, but wait...

[evoldog]

Interesting. Let's say I'm still learning about how cars work and don't even know what a choke is. Where would I go to look at choke kits and see if they would have a pin bolt piece that would work? Do I walk into Baxter Auto Parts and say "hey can I look at your choke kits and see what kind of bolts they have in them?"

[nbristow01]

That bolt is NLA but small bolts and small drill bits are not. Just buy a bolt the right size, and drill it. Most bolts are not hardened and can be easily drilled.

[eurotrash]

Almost looks like a banjo bolt..

It needs that shoulder to rotate on right?

They are showing one for a 3/16" OD tube.. might be small enough!?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#banjo-bolts/=eohua8

[mike472]

That bolt is NLA but small bolts and small drill bits are not. Just buy a bolt the right size, and drill it. Most bolts are not hardened and can be easily drilled.

The problem is regular bolts don't have a shoulder like the original so drilling a hole isn't going to be a solution. The best solution was posted by Mike from BCreek describing putting a bolt small enough to fit through the hole in the valve arm and making a loop in the end of the cable to fit between two nuts locked against each other with the loop of cable in between them. This will allow the bolt to pivot freely when the arm moves. I would add a small washer on either side of the arm to help it move smoothly.

Mike K

[JohnS]

I would just be patient and order the correct bolt from JayMic. I've been surprised at how fast items arrive from JayMic in the UK to California when I've placed orders with them. I've ordered items from their online site and had them arrive within a week without paying extra for any extra-fast shipping method.

John

[gopher]

I wanted tpo share my experiences in getting my heater valve back on line in my 73. The dash lever was stuck ((valve closed ) and wouldn't move. So it;s time to go under the hood and remove the special pin anchoring the cable. Having read all the posts here, I soaked it with PB Blaster, but the bolt broke immediately, Then removing the two screws that hold the valve to the heater box immedialtely snapped the plastic tabs. After 40 years I see no way to remove Ihe vavle without this happening. Even with the heater box removed (which I didn't want to do) I still think this is going to happen.

I get the vavle working and now need this special pin/bolt.to put it back together. A visit to my local bike shop produces a pin with a hole in it but the hole is too close to the head of the pin where the lever will be.

My next stop is the lawmmower department at Lowes where I find hanging on the rack an Arnold Universal Throlttle Control Kit complete with levers and cable. Insice i see a pin through the lever with a hole and a phillips screw on the end that clamps the caple in place. The price was $14.97, more than I wanted to pay, but the pin fit perfectly in the control valve lever.

Now how to get everything back in place?

I put my new short, stubby hose on the heater and flipped the dash control lever to the right for maximum heat extending the cable as far as possible into the area where the heaver control valve is attached. With the new pin attached to the heater valve arm and paying attention to where the hole was in the pin, I was able to get the wire into the hole and the valve into the hose end. It wasn't easy, but with a number of those Harbor Freight minilights strategically placed, I could see what I was doing. Then it's necessary to reach in and rotate the lever back to the open valve position and reaching behind the valve with a short, ctubby phillips and tightening the screw in the pin against the cable. Check the dash lever to be sure it is moving the contol valve lever with no rectrictions and stick a screw driver through the firewall hose hole to be sure that the valve inside is opening and closing completely before you put the heater hose back in place.