Fan and climate control knobs and levers for 1985 Vanagon (T3)

thingiverse

I've tried and failed to create new content about that. Fan and climate control knobs and levers for 1985 Vanagon are hard to come by, but one place to find them is on a shelf somewhere. VW P/N: 251-259-371D: A part number you might want to note down: Plastic Control Lever (4 per car). VW P/N: 251-959-513: Plastic control knob that selects fan speed in front and rear of vehicle (2 per car) are essential to getting the job done. These parts have been thoroughly tested, but installing them is no easy task. A bit of force is needed, which can be a challenge, but once they're installed, they feel sturdy. The 'sliding' action, however, may not be working properly due to insufficient clearance around where these attach to the metal lever inside the control unit. One notable consequence is that when in the middle setting, levers stick out quite far. To get them up and running smoothly requires instructions, which I'm about to share. I used Inventor to draw them, then printed them using a Stratasys machine, which was an incredible experience. Anyone can replicate this by simplifying the design, reorienting the file, and with some thought and imagination. The 178 micron layer resolution and 100% fill of ABS plastic make it clear why these control knobs and levers for the Vanagon fan are so exceptional.