teambajamarine

Hello all,
I am in the process of restoring the entire interior of my beloved 1981 White on Black 4 Speed Vette. Boy did I open a can of worms, I was just going to replace the front carpet and now the entire interior is stripped and every part and piece will be back to original. Here is my question:

I purchased a used cargo shade in perfect condition with mounting brackets and all, however I cant seem to reset or get the spring return mechanism to work. The original that I took out also has the same problem but I know the spring return worked before I removed it. I assumed it was simply a case of rotating the shade so it had spring friction, but it just spins. Any ideas on how to get my spring force back?

Thank you.

teambajamarine

Nobody? I knew this was going to difficult, I spent hours reading all the great info on this board and couldnt find one thing regarding this problem.

CWUin82

I haven't had the opportunity to mess with one of these shades, but I'll take a stab at it.
If the spring is just spinning around, does it attach somehow (one end of it) so you get tension on it?
Not much help, but somebody here must have worked on one before.
Good luck. :chevy

teambajamarine

Nobody? I knew this was going to difficult, I spent hours reading all the great info on this board and couldnt find one thing regarding this problem.

Dalannex

I didn't reply earlier because I didn't want to add something completely useless to the thread, but I really hate unanswered topics. :D I repaired my cargo cover 4 years ago when I did my frame off, and remembering it being easy to fix, but I don't remember what all is to it. Seems to me getting it out was the worst part. There are some barrel nuts in the back wall of the passenger compartment that were rusted to the bolts and the rubber was just turning in the hole. I remember that part because it was not easy. Whatever it took to get that thing to retract was simple, I just don't remember what was involved. :confused:

-Justin

gliot1

Someone probably had it apart and didn't wind it properly. Once you have it out of the brackets the spring will release. The brackets hold the mechanism in place. When I took mine out, I had to hold the little end piece that fits in the bracket and then rotate the shade a few times to get the proper spring tension. Once you put it in the car you may have to redo this, if you have too much tension or not enough. It's a little tricky to play with but nothing difficult.