Hand Throttle Knob Removal

[Dan Macdonald]

Guys,
I've never been able to remove the knob on the hand throttle.
If it screws on, then it's super-tight.
There is no set screw.
So, is there a way to get the knob off or is it cast-in-place?

[Mike Wilson]

Pretty sure it is just screwed on. Try some moderate heat with a heat gun to soften it up a bit. Also check to see if there is a lock nut on it.

Mike

[David Jones]

I am going to learn something here. I have never succeeded in getting one of these knobs off. Someone please tell us how?

[Ron Delmendo]

The knob on my ‘61 Roadster does not appear to unscrew or come off. Even has some vice grips chafing marks from a PO who tried to unscrew it...

I removed the hand throttle years ago and put the fog light switch in its place.

[Mike Wilson]

The B parts manual shows the cable which appears to have a threaded end and the knob is separate. Sierra Madre sells just the cable which has the threaded end.

Mike

[Dan Macdonald]

Thanks guys, but still no positive/absolute solution to removing the pesky knob.
But I do appreciate the feedback.
When I restored my '59 coupe years ago, I had the plater chrome the eschuction (sp?) with the knob in place.
Not a great solution...

[Max Handley]

Removed mine ( 1959 cab.) several weeks ago . Screwed off counterclockwise .

[Rick Albro]

Dan, You did not mention what year of car you have can we assume it is your 59 coupe? preA throttles or enrichment knobs labeled "S" are cast into place and have a peened impression on a square shaft, by 1954 most of the knobs are screwed on as mentioned above. Anytime you try to remove your knobs you also risk the possibility that they may not be recovered in tact... old knobs lose plasticizer as they age and become brittle. That being said on a stuck knob you may try a few drops of solvent that run down the shaft. I would use a strap wrench to increase your leverage, but keep in mind that the knob can crumble or disintegrate. A little heat or vibration can also help but can also cause problems... any way that you proceed you will need to use caution. Sometimes a bit of an up and down motion along the direction of the shaft can also help but the knob is very fragile. If you have an old drill the chuck makes a great holder for round shafts that can be anchored in your vise. That in combination with the strap wrench should get the knob off but not necessarily in one piece unless you are careful..... good luck let us know what works....

[Mike Wilson]

Good points, Rick.

Dan, question for you: are you trying to save the knob or will you be replacing it? If you are going to replace it, just break it off.

Mike

[George Hussey]

The knob on my ‘61 Roadster does not appear to unscrew or come off. Even has some vice grips chafing marks from a PO who tried to unscrew it...

I removed the hand throttle years ago and put the fog light switch in its place.

I agree my two roadster hand throttle knobs are made onto the cable some how

[Dan Macdonald]

Mike et al,
I would like to remove the hand throttle knobs from both my '59 T2 coupe and my early '57 T1 Speedster.
If I were to remove them intact, I would try to restore them. If they break I would, of course, replace them.

But if they do break, I wonder if a new replacement could just screw on(?) If the original is cast onto the cable, then I'm up **** creek. I guess i would have to buy a new repro cable...

I wonder what the restorations shops do?

Maybe one of our esteemed parts suppliers has the answer. Brad????

[Rick Albro]

Dan if the knob breaks there are several people who can cast a new knob onto your existing hardware. If you send the remaining pieces the color and tint can be matched. If the knob is truly cast on then I would concentrate on holding the shaft and just prying up with a flat bar to give maximum support to the knob. If you are just trying to polish up the knob that can be done without removing the knob. Alternatively you could use a die and make threads on the shaft to screw on one of the readily available knobs. -Rick

If you want to plate the shaft I do work closely with Jose at Christensen's plating they do absolutely the best plating... Jose does all of the pre A door handles that I restore. The handles always fit back together and look great, no loss of detail.

A quick search shows previous thread on hand throttles and a reference to an article... the link does not work....viewtopic.php?f=13&t=30567&p=170950&hil ... le#p170950

The article is there and has some great information... https://porsche356registry.org/article/88 I would probably take a different approach on the disassembly and restoration than is outlined in the article but each person must find their own route. I think the throttle could be disassembled without damaging it and welding???

A couple more images... the hand throttle would be an easy piece to make if needed. A previous thread which I cannot find showed the end of the hand throttle disassembled.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42225&hilit=hand+throttle&start=15

[Brad Ripley]

With regard to knobs on the hand throttles, the knobs are clearly threaded on with the hex exposed in the knob. I have never seen one with the knobs cast in place. However, someone could have lost the original knob and put on a normal dash knob which is merely threaded against the plastic and probably glued it in place.

If you need a knob, look on the Stoddard website for 655-552-820-04 plus color code. Below are photos (1) knob on an assembly for sale on Ebay, (2) knob only for sale on Ebay (3) Stoddard knob in grey -- also comes in beige and black (I believe the set screw shown is not original but an addition so the knob is locked in place)

[Rick Albro]

Brad,
Please tell me if I am wrong?

"Mike et al, I would like to remove the hand throttle knobs from both my '59 T2 coupe and my early '57 T1 Speedster.
If I were to remove them intact, I would try to restore them. If they break I would, of course, replace them."

There are two different styles of knobs at play here: the one Brad mentions with the protruding insert for the T2 and later versions, and the T1 one style knob which would not have the metal insert. I believe the change to the metal insert type of knob occurred pretty close to the T1 -T2 change either late 57 or by the 58 model year. The 57 T1 speedster should be like the image I posted but the later T2 59 coupe should be like what Brad posted.

Please don't take this wrong I would take Brad's word as gold any day of the week and twice on Friday.... Brad is clearly an expert with exceptional experience and knowledge... I have attached a photo of my 57 cabriolet 61864 and it's original knob. Does anybody else have a chassis number and a knob style in this range of production probably September of 57 onward?

[Dan Macdonald]

Thanks Brad, Rick and Everyone,
I'll go home tonight and look at the knob(s) for that exposed hex "nut".
I don't recall seeing that before......(?)
I hope it's there!