....figured it out.......was a bit of work, but the end result looks real nice......to remove the armrest, there are 2 screws on the side panel (one on each side), and five screws on the bottom.......there are additional screws that attach the armrest to the aluminum frame (L brackets).....to get access to those you need to remove the faders........on my series 2 the L brackets were on the far left and right side......remove those screws and slide the whole armrest out.......there will be a part of the aluminum frame still attached.......once you get the armrest out, remove the aluminum frame.......there is also a piece of 1"x4" that the bottom panel screws drill in to......remove that piece of 1" x 4".......then start removing all of the upholstery staples from the old armrest vinyl.........remove vinyl........cut new material using the old vinyl as a rough template....BUT......leave a bit of overhang on all sides to give you something to pull on.......just take your time with the new covering.......keep it as taut as you can.....i worked alone and had no problems......i started from the middle and worked my way to the right, pulling it tight each time.....i used a regular T50 staple gun with 3/8' staples.......start in the middle.....work to one side.....then to the other.......do the sides last.....you will have to trim the material on the sides to make it snug.......you will have to fiddle with it a bit.......use plenty of staples........ ......one thing you should do is make some markings for the location of the 1" x 4" piece before removing it........yup.......... .....again....it takes a while......but nothing all that difficult here.......okayokayokay......
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: RE: NEOTEK: reupholstering series II armrest Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2012 02:46:29 -0500 I just went back and looked at the bottom.. We put a series of screws to secure the rail up into the bottom about 1" in from the front. The whole bumper rail would come off as a unit. We also drove screws from the inside through the aluminun into the top of the of the wood rail. Sorry it's been many years, so without pulling it apart I am not sure of each step. I would say that if your console is modular you can pull the modules and see the attachment points from inside. If your board is hardwired you would certainly have to take the bottom off. There is nothing very exotic going on . The rail is really just two wood pieces making an "L" shape under the covering and foam. After all the covering is done it's just wood screws securing it in place. The best foam we found came from a local camping supply outfit. It is sold as a pad to put down under your sleeping bag. It is a "closed cell" type of foam and has a great feel. We didn't use any glue at all. greg From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of lonesome hank Sent: Friday, March 02, 2012 11:25 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: NEOTEK: reupholstering series II armrest ....what is the step by step procedure to remove the original material?........other than removing the side panels?.....does the bottom need to come off as well?..... From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: RE: NEOTEK: reupholstering series II armrest Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2012 22:45:02 -0500 Hi, We have done a few of those here over the years. I can offer a few tips. First, we went to a textile store and selected material that was very strong yet supple. It is definitely a two person job. We started in the middle and worked out to each side keeping everything straight and with equal pressure. One person stretched while the other stapled. The ends take a little trial & error. It involves folding, cutting and removing triangles of material. If you have the old one available you can use it as a pattern. We have also done a few arm pads for double wide pedal steel guitars the same way. When we constructed the custom 1e frame shown on Jim's page, we built the 10 foot armrest from scratch. It took a lot of experimenting to find foam with the right thickness and "feel". After a decade it still looks like it came out of the factory. I must give all the credit to our master carpenter Paul Martinelli who was the brains behind building that frame. Hope this helps. greg dwinell orange sound south hadley, Ma From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Matt Walsh Sent: Friday, March 02, 2012 2:22 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: NEOTEK: reupholstering series II armrest I'd be interested in hearing about this too. M On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 12:34 AM, lonesome hank <[email protected]> wrote: ....has anyone done it?.......is it as easy as removing the side panels and stapling new material down?.....
