Free chrome handbrake button
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2010 12:25 pm
Here's an easy mod to brighten up your interior a little.
First, find a 323 like this at a junk yard.
Unscrew the chrome handbrake button. It might be quite stiff but just keep trying and it should eventually unscrew. The outer diameter of the button is a perfect match for the MX-5, but the diameter of the threaded hole is slightly smaller on the 323 button. I used a phillips head screw driver to increase the diameter. A drill would be faster and easier if you have one. Apparently some 626s came with a chrome button that is a perfect replacement. None of the 626s at this particular junk yard had a chrome button.
It's fairly soft plastic so it is quite easy to make new threads by just screwing the button onto the rod.
And here is what you're left with!
The button is slightly longer than the MX-5 button so it sticks out further. Boring out the hole deeper down would probably allow the button to be threaded on further, but I don't mind having more of the chrome showing. The button I got has some scuffs on it. Some plastic polish shined it up a bit.
Note: This mod may not be free for everybody. The junk yard I got the button from didn't charge me for it because I was buying a couple other things at the same time.
First, find a 323 like this at a junk yard.
Unscrew the chrome handbrake button. It might be quite stiff but just keep trying and it should eventually unscrew. The outer diameter of the button is a perfect match for the MX-5, but the diameter of the threaded hole is slightly smaller on the 323 button. I used a phillips head screw driver to increase the diameter. A drill would be faster and easier if you have one. Apparently some 626s came with a chrome button that is a perfect replacement. None of the 626s at this particular junk yard had a chrome button.
It's fairly soft plastic so it is quite easy to make new threads by just screwing the button onto the rod.
And here is what you're left with!
The button is slightly longer than the MX-5 button so it sticks out further. Boring out the hole deeper down would probably allow the button to be threaded on further, but I don't mind having more of the chrome showing. The button I got has some scuffs on it. Some plastic polish shined it up a bit.
Note: This mod may not be free for everybody. The junk yard I got the button from didn't charge me for it because I was buying a couple other things at the same time.