Roof Deuce Restoration

[mockingbird812]

Couple of folks have asked how to separate the plastic buckle cover from the metal section. I figured this out by trial and error and gubered only one sacrificial "lamb".

<font color="blue">Tools and buckle placement. In addition to the larger straight slot screwdriver, I used two putty knifes (you can use whatever is as thin as possible, but still rigid):


Place the corner of a putty knife into the gap as shown in below photos and work the blade down into the gap. This will bow out the plastic side of the buckle cover and release a plastic wedge (molded into inside surface of the plastic buckle cover side) from its seated position in the metal portion of the buckle. You have to press the blade down into the gap with a fair amount of force while wiggling it a bit.



Do the same with the 2nd putty knife on the other side:


Insert your straight blade screw driver into the female opening (easy Verne, Colin, Bruce, etc ) and twist it to separate the plastic cover from the metal buckle:


Here you can see the small wedge shaped nub that seats in an opening on the side of the metal portion of the buckle when the two pieces are pressed together. This is what you are unseating when you insert the putty blade. When putting the buckle back together fit the plastic cover to the metal buckle first at the end opposite of where the metal belt spade inserts to the buckle. Then you can pivot the plastic cover down and snap it into position: </font>