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Parking brake boot or cover

N

Nic

Active member
So, what have people been doing to cover the parking brake? I bought a standard beetle parking brake rubber boot, but I'm not really happy with it. I'm using the heater lever and that makes things a little difficult when making a boot or cover. This is what I'm dealing with right now, I'm open to suggestions.*thumbs up*

 
N

Nic

Active member
At this point, I think I've made 4 boots, none of which I'm happy with. I guess this is one of things that's just going to plague me until I get it right. I spent over 2 hours tonight trying different ideas and found half a dozen results I don't like. <- That's me trying to be optimistic about 2 wasted hours in the garage.

This is as far as I got, but it's a start.

 
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RangerBEH

RangerBEH

Member
I've seen a few options out there that are still Vw. it's either bus depot or Berrien buggy has a smooth version that's not knobby like the original ones. With the room you have you could make a nice bezel to put the ebrake cover into and screw the whole unit down for a cleaner look.
 
letterman7

letterman7

Honorary Admin
Check fleabay for later model BMW / Audi boots. Frequently they are already slanted forward (even Subaru, now I think about it), but you'll still need to figure the heater control slot. Pretty easy for a seamstress to add in a button hole, I would think. Our local dry cleaner will do that for cheap.
 
N

Nic

Active member
Peter had a great idea on the Euro Forum, make 2 boots and attach them in the middle. 1 boot for the brake and one for the heater lever, sew them together where they meet. I already have the parking brake boot made, just need to make a smaller one for the heater lever. *thumbs up*
 
Peter

Peter

Active member
Nic said:
Peter had a great idea on the Euro Forum, make 2 boots and attach them in the middle. 1 boot for the brake and one for the heater lever, sew them together where they meet. I already have the parking brake boot made, just need to make a smaller one for the heater lever. *thumbs up*
Click to expand...

I think the heater lever could be 2" shorter to good effect too, and a nice 1/4" chrome surround matching the gear shift.
 
Peter

Peter

Active member
What I don't understand is, one of the posters used a sewing machine and made a boot then why go to the expense of having red9 copy it? why not just make it ones self, it's not difficult, even I make my own, and I am way off being an upholsterer?
IMG381.jpgIMG325.jpg
 
G

GS Guy

New member
I think, in the previous generation (the parents of the baby boomers), just about everone had a sewing machine? Not so much these days. Ours is a buy, wear and discard mentality for clothing, not much gets repaired or made from scratch anymore - unless that's your hobby or you're a seamstress by trade. Custom upholstery shops generally charge so much for just about anything, their thread must be made of gold! The trick is to find someone who does marine upholstery on the side/in their home, at least in my experience that's where you can get the quality work and materials at a reasonable price.

That's my old post Rick mentions. The company that I dealt with did do custom work - but at a price most probably wouldn't want to pay. It took a whole bunch of back and forth with sketches, emails, and finally shipping a boot they had sent me back to them (out of country too) after I had crudely modified it like I wanted it. Kind of a PITA and wouldn't go through that again.

I did get the e-brake cover too. Not much to it - perimeter flaps that are supposed to slip under the carpet like the OEM rubber boot, but it has no forward end flap - just a folded over piece to cover the hole? I probably won't end up using it. The overal quality of their work is very nice (and leather too), but to me at least the design has a little bit to be desired. For instance, the opening where the e-brake handle comes out is unfinished.

It Tom @ Tijuana Customs would crank out some of his custom boots I'm sure they'd sell like hotcakes. He seems too busy these days to cater much to the VW crowd. I may try him again when I get to the point of needing a boot for the e-brake when finishing up my Deserter interior.
Jeff

Here's a couple pics of the e-brake boot they sell:
Ebrake boot1.JPG

Ebrake boot 2.JPG
 
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N

Nic

Active member
I spent a sizable about of time Saturday (5 hours) measuring, drawing, measuring, erasing, redrawing, measuring, crumbling up and tossing, measuring.... you get the idea... and finally mocking up a boot... and I hated it, and realized I need to make a double boot, one for the parking brake and one for the heater lever. I'll give it another hour tonight I think. No pictures to post as nothing really post worthy.
 
G

GS Guy

New member
Now yo usee the Art of good upholstery work! I think it takes lots of practice to develop.
Maybe if Peter could come up with a nice universal boot we could all use and get in on a group buy.....:D
Jeff
 
Peter

Peter

Active member
Be pleased to, problem is just how universal would it need to be? Nearly every car has a different take on; location, fitting, carpet, console, trim, with and without levers, long handle, short handle, angled handle, Brett's unique version, my Volvo one. *hmmm* Always pleased to come up with suggestions, as long as they are taken as such.*idea didn't work*
 
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