Has anyone refit the choke knob on a series 2? The knob on my car is a bit wobbly, From parts diagrams, I can see that there are rwo rivets holding the knob bracket to the linkage. I can also see a small screw that looks like it is holding the knob to its bracket ( on the back side of the choke knob). I think there are supposed to be two screws holding that knob, one has fallen out, hence the wobbley knob. Can the choke lever assembly be relatively easily disconnected and withdrawn? Or will this be a major deconstruction project on the dash?

 

Hi Valerie,
I just had my complete dash apart (still partially apart) in my 68 FHC. I wanted to refinish the choke knob. In my car, the choke knob is held to the lever by a single rivet. The location of the rivet did not allow easy removal, so my choice was to mask everything and paint the knob while still connected to the lever. What I am trying to say is, this is not an uncomplicated project. Unless the choke mechanism in a 69 E-Type is different from the 68.
I am sure it can be accomplished, but not without disassembling most of the lever mechanism and the glove box portion of the dash.
Let us know if you decide to tackle this project, and how it turned out. Good luck.
Bill.

 

A few years into ownership of this 69 series 2, I masked off and painted the choke knob and replaced the sticker/decal. Now that I'm finding parts available that weren't at that time. I thought I'd look into this choke knob/linkage, etc. From the inside of the car, it looks to me like I will have to get that choke bracket and knob out completely to work on it. Even trying to fit a jewelers screwdriver into the back to attempt to replace the small screw is impossible, even if I knew the form factor of the screw. The brass rivets to connect the knob bracket back on the linkage are available, but I can't figure out how those work, they're not like other rivets I have used. I looked at parts diagrams for the choke linkage and it appears to be a nightmare. Will wait for suggestions from more experienced choke posters. I just didn't want to have the day come when that remaining little screw came loose or fell out.

 

Valerie, the brass rivet you attached seems to be a flow form rivet or the type of rivet that requires a special tool to install. If it was me I would install a regular aluminum pop rivet in its place. But, it is a mute point because I don't think you could get a pop rivet gun to fit in the space between the face of the dashboard and the back of the knob. As I mentioned previously, it is not an simple project.
My dash top is still out and I will take another look to see if there is a way to remove the choke lever without disassembling a third of the dashboard.
Bill.

 

thank you for the info on the brass rivet. Learned something today...flow form rivet ! I agree, doesn't look possible to get my standard rivet tool in between the choke knob and the dash. After looking at a couple of Flow form videos... I don't know how that tool would fit in there either! thank you for your continued guidance.

 

Hi Valerie,
I just managed to take a photo of the back of the choke knob. It does have a single screw holding it to the bracket as you mentioned. It appears you will need a very short flat blade screw driver. You are right, even a jeweler's screwdriver may be too long to be able to access the screw. In that respect I have to suggestions.
1. By a harbor freight jeweler's screwdriver set, get the largest flat blade driver and just cut it to the length that will allow you the access you need. You may have to hold it with a vise-grip in order to use the shortened screwdriver.
2. Get a small (~1/8" wide) flat blade screw driver, about an inch from the tip bend it 90 degrees, and that should give you enough length to reach and remove the screw.
Caution!!! Getting the screw out, maybe a lot easier than getting it back in.
The only other way to do this, is to remove the dash top to get access to the back of the dashboard and remove the whole choke lever. And even with the dash top removed it will be an involved task.
Hope this helps.
Bill.

 

This is starting to resemble my old nemesis, an iceberg project... looks fairly simple from the top, but once you get into it, YECCH!!!! If I could find the form factor/size/thread for that missing screw, I would put that in. It's not apparent that there is an uncomplicated way to release that lever from the linkage. I really don't want to take out the existing screw. Perhaps I will try to tighten those rivets, and then mask/repaint/re-label the knob. I think I'll go and obsess over my other planned project, swapping out the incandescent turns/hazards and their respective flashers and getting my tinsel in a tangle when nothing works as advertised. :-) But for now it's EAA in Oshkosh time and we're off to watch all the old Warbirds do their thing.

 

Good luck with that. I am still to do a simple project that is as simple as advertised.
Bill.

 

When I acquired my E-Type last year, the choke knob was badly scratched and the word CHOKE was barely visible. I purchased a new knob from one of the usuals and then was presented with the dilemma that you have outlined. I ended up drilling out the rivets, replacing the knob onto the T shaped bracket with the supplied screw that the usuals had supplied with the new knob.

Then I was faced with replacing the rivets. I was able to use an old rivet gun that I had and two infinitesimal rivets that I had from an old project, I think they were 3/32 wide and 1/4 inch long. With the chocke fully extened, I was able to pull it all off. When they were compressed and the rivet shaft snapped, I use a paid of needle nose vice grips to flatten them out, then a small touch up bottle of black paint to cover the rivets and the scratches the vice grips had made (not very noticeable at all but my OCD required it)

 

Hi TX69XKE,
Good info. What type/brand of rivet gun did you use to install the pop rivets. I could not get my pop rivet gun to fit between the back of the choke knob and the face of the dash to install the rivets. So I decided not to take it apart.
Bill.

 

I used a very old rivet gun that my Dad gave me at least thirty years ago (maybe longer). It has a slim design and was able to get the rivets in with the choke lever pulled all the way out. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a brand name noted on it.

 

Yup. That is an old tool. I haven't seen a small rivet gun like that since shop class in High school; and that was a while ago. But this reminds me of it and now I have something to hunt for at flee markets and garage sales.
Thanks for posting the photo.
Bill.

 

I moved from Pittsburgh over thirty-two years ago and my Dad passed away twenty-five years ago, it may be more like 40 years ago that he gave it to me. I have a newer rivet gun tool that I typically use and of course it didn't fit for this project, so I broke out the old tool that Dad gave to me and as was typical in my youth, Dad was correct.

 

I imagine that was a nice moment for you. Interesting how one never knows what will trigger a memory.

 

I've had a lot of those moments while working on this car. Dad worked in a factory his whole life and insisted I go to college. After I got out and got a great job, he would tease me that I had the hands of a pencil pusher, meanwhile his were strong and calloused. We both enjoyed working on cars and he passed on a few tools and a whole lot of experience on to me, but I never got to use any of that while I was working. Now retired, not only am I using some of the tools he passed on, more importantly I'm using much the experience he passed on. Additionally, my hands are now calloused, cut, bleeding, and coated with a layer of grease and grime......he would be proud...

I did get to call him on the phone the day I repeated something to one of my sons that I swore as a teenager I would never say to my children - "my house my rules" He got a good laugh out of that...

 

That is a good rule that has stood the test of time. I imagine your sons will get to use it as well.
This just reaffirms that we need to pay attention to what we do and say to the people around us. They are paying attention and they remember.

 

yes it is nog too difficult a job, but made a lot easier with the dash top (only) off. Be careful there is a tiny metal ball (3mm?) in the mechanism you don’t want to loose.

 

Now that is an idea.. I had just dismissed the idea of replacing the rivets, as the thought was, the gun wouldn't fit. BUT, the rivet gun I have IS an old one,.. something else to go check besides the OCD for the LED light swap. It really is that missing screw though, that is making the knob wobble. The rivets are a bit loose, but I have a leather hole punch gun that might help tighten them. More to try. Thank you for posting the photo and your suggestions.