Fixing things the factory did wrong

Starting where the previous post left off, I moved the brackets that support the window valance to positions where they could actually tie in to the wall structure instead of just the thin wall board. There’s absolutely no reason for the original locations the factory used that I can see, other than convenience of the installer slapping the valances up as fast as possible without making any measurements or markings.

Relocated valence brackets

With the shade securely reattached, it was time to turn to another problem that cropped up: the footrest release on the right-hand recliner had stopped working. This took some figuring out, because each recliner was attached to the floor with two screws through the bottom of the frame – screws that could only be accessed by opening the footrest! Classic Catch 22.

After a couple hours of testing, trying and tinkering I eventually determined the only way to get under there was to use a prybar under the frame and pull the screws out by force. By this point I had disassembled the left-hand recliner and determined these screws were not particularly well attached, so the frame pried loose with very little effort and no visible damage.

Theater seating breakdown
Recliner interlock hardware

 

Now that I could examine the original problem it was quickly diagnosed. The release cable pulls on a steel bracket that pivots to do the job. The bolt that forms the pivot point had loosened to the point that it was all floppy and failed to work as designed. I discovered the nylon bushing had been assembled upside-down. This changed the spacing of the pivot assembly so that instead of being able to turn freely when the nut was tightened, the bracket had to turn the bolt. After two month’s worth of moving the back and forth the nut worked itself loose, creating a failure. By simply turning the bushing over and reassembling, the problem was solved!

It may be hard to see the detail, but I’ve attached to photos of the release assembly removed from the frame so you can see the bushing detail, and a final shot with the repaired assembly fully installed.

Incorrect assembly of footrest release
Correct assembly of footrest release
Recliner footrest release

 

In researching solutions, I found that it is fairly common for the release cables to break eventually. They are not expensive and available online, however such a failure would create the same problem with not being able to open the chair to make the repair. With this in mind, I am going to leave out the screws that anchor the chair frames to the floor for now. I doubt they will move while on the road, but I will watch them carefully. Also interesting was the fact that there is a redundant release on the other side to the assembly that is complete but lacking the release cable. Since the two seem identical, this could be a good source of spare parts if some component the operating release should break (other than the cable of course).