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My dimmer pivot broke, and I know they don't make that part anymore for the '77s, and it looks like the ones for the later cars have also been discontinued. Not sure what to do now. Has anybody had any luck repairing these things?
Is that a broken pivot or a broken rod? Looks to me as if the rod sheared off at the socket. If so I'd suggest drilling into the rod stub and using a broken bolt extractor. The dimmer stalk is--I believe--available.
It's definitely the pivot. I had the stalk out yesterday and it was fine. At the lower left of the photo in my previous post you can see the broken casting. It broke in the same spot as this '78 pivot:
I was hoping to just replace that part but it looks like I don't have much of a choice. I guess I'll have to try to fix it. I'm just concerned that the JB weld won't hold up very long.
Clean well and again put as much as possible around the repair.
My experience with J.B. Weld is that if it works through the first stress test you can consider it a permanent repair.
I've used it on a number of cast iron radiators (used in hot water home heating systems) with general success. I test the repair under hose pressure (say 60 psi) when system pressure should never exceed 12 psi. Those passing that test have been in service for decades.
In that vein I'm quite confident in saying that if the repair lasts (after a few days curing!) through the first firm pull it will last indefinitely.
I was hoping to just replace that part but it looks like I don't have much of a choice. I guess I'll have to try to fix it. I'm just concerned that the JB weld won't hold up very long.
I was in the same boat, ended up finding a complete column and took it from that. I talked to one guy who had one and wanted 600.00 for it. Good luck!!
I saw one somewhere online and they wanted about $800 for it... I won't be buying that one. I don't want to pay a lot of money for a part that will probably break again. I'd rather get a different column and relocate the dimmer and wiper switches. I'll try to fix mine but it's gonna be a couple months before I have time for that.
I saw one somewhere online and they wanted about $800 for it... I won't be buying that one. I don't want to pay a lot of money for a part that will probably break again. I'd rather get a different column and relocate the dimmer and wiper switches. I'll try to fix mine but it's gonna be a couple months before I have time for that.
Finding this combination may be more difficult than finding a 1977 Vette T&T column. The 1977 vintage Chevette with a tilt column may also have that same dimmer switch. Of course a tilt column Chevette is going to be very rare as well. But you will probably be able to purchase the tilt column very cheap, (I would think.)
Jim
Be sure to use it around the break anyplace that clearance won't be a problem.
1977 broken dimmer pivot
