how to I adjust old ESS-VAR bindings?

[Bud]

Picked up a pair of 180 Pow Pluses for $85 on craigslist this week...they've still got the original off-set mounted ESS VAR bindings on them, I doubt I'll keep the bindings on them, but I wouldn't mind adjusting them to fit my boots so I can at least take them for a run or two before going to the hassle of mounting them up with some new bindings.

Last month I got some 165 Pow Pluses for my girlfriend and they had some similar Atomic demo bindings on them (see pic below). I couldn't get them adjusted small enough for her boot, so we just pulled the bindings and mounted them up with some Fritschis we had lying around in the basement...
this is a pic of those Atomic bindings that were on her Pow's...


here's a pic of the ESS VAR bindings on my skis....


I know that her Atomic demo bindings are a newer varation of what the ESSVAR's were, but what I can't figure out is that her Atomic bindings had a large screw between the toe and the heel pieces that allowed you to make a big size adjustment and then the fine-tuning of the adjustment was done with the worm screw on the back of the heel piece. On the ESSVAR bindings, I don't see anything that looks like that macro-adjustment screw on the Atomics and I've moved the worm screw as far out as possible and the space is still too small for my boot.
Is there some other size adjustment feature (a screw or something) on the ess var bindings besides the heel screw to get them adjusted a bit bigger? I know that theres the 'flap' thingy on the toe piece that allows the whole bindings to move fore-aft, but that doesn't change the spacing at all.

Thanks!

[charlesj]

first slide the AFD back by prying a tab on the side of the AFD and then slide it off. You will then see the gross size adjustment. rotate the slotted retaining tabs, pull the flat steel that is attached to the heel back, lock the retaining widgets back in place, replace AFDs and you should be good to go/ski.

Once the AFD is off it should be fairly obvious.

[Bud]

thanks! I figured there had to be a gross adjustment somehere...

[mntlion]

the atmics are the same thing, just unscrew the big middle screw

"open" the 1/2 moon shaped screws on the sides of the rail. move the rail smaller/ bigger, and replace parts

[Bud]

all done adjusting the bindings...that was quick once I knew the AFD slid out of the way to reveal those tabs! thanks.

[yooper]

Check those ESS-VAR's and make sure the heel piece still holds your boot down. I've seen some old ones that basically turn into a permanent DIN of 2 as they get really old. (just the heels, oddly enough...)

[stuckathuntermtn]

I would recommend a mallet.