70 Dart Bench seat headrest removal

[1bad442]

Does anybody know an easy way to remove these for reconditioning? The seat I found is mint, but the headrests slide up and down a few inches and then lock. They don't come all the way out. They feel as if only one pedestal on each side is locking them in place. Is there a detent of some kind that has to be pressed to release them?

There the funky '70 only small headrests that actually look like armrests.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[CUDACOX]

Does anybody know an easy way to remove these for reconditioning? The seat I found is mint, but the headrests slide up and down a few inches and then lock. They don't come all the way out. They feel as if only one pedestal on each side is locking them in place. Is there a detent of some kind that has to be pressed to release them?

There the funky '70 only small headrests that actually look like armrests.

Thanks,
Steve

Try removing the small chrome base pieces,then just work them up and out.Sometimes it takes a little force!If its not working for you push them to the bottom and yank up hard! Watch the headliner!

 

[Burntorange70]

Try removing the small chrome base pieces,then just work them up and out.Sometimes it takes a little force!If its not working for you push them to the bottom and yank up hard! Watch the headliner!

Have had mine out two tmes now and still don't know how they come out.:banghead:

Yank up hard worked the best for me.

 

[hwd2]

Have had mine out two tmes now and still don't know how they come out.:banghead:

Yank up hard worked the best for me.

Like the other thread - - how hard am I expected to 'yank'? Almost separated my shoulder.

 

[str12-340]

DON'T DO IT!!!
remove the hog rings at the bottom of the seat back, so that you can get your hand into the big void between the hardboard seat back and the springs of the front of the seat. Run a flat blade screw driver in your hand into the space to hold up the metal clip that keeps the
rods from coming out. Here are a series of pictures of what is inside the seat. You can see that the rod of the headrest has 3 notches and the last one is not beveled so the headrest stops there. Pictures show all the pieces inside. Most are plastic and 50 years old (easily broken). There is a metal clip (see last pictures) and I tried to demonstrate how to run the flat blade up the rod from the bottom and get under the metal clip so it can be lifted and then the rod will slide out (keep gentle upward pressure on the padded part of the headrest). Get one side loose and then do the other (while cleverly keeping the first side from sliding back down). This is a lot easier with a second set of hands GENTLY pulling the headrest up.

If you force this out - the bottom plastic piece will break and the metal clip will not be functional when you put the headrest back in because the metal clip keeps the headrest from simply sliding down and sitting on the top of the seat back, which is not where your head is in a collision, unless you are really, really short!!!

 

[Daves69]

Maybe you can fab a tool from shim stock that you can slide down the rods to release the spring latch.
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