Light switch

[wensum]

I'm really struggling trying to get my light switch to work
It appears that the indents on the plastic face are too deep and the three raised brass dimples cannot be forced out of them to switch on the lights?
Am I assembling it incorrectly?
I presume the brass ring that the internal spring seats on, seats on the opposite face to the brass contact face and presses it against the dimpled plastic face with the brass contacts? (It's quite hard to explain)
Are there any diagrams of the correct set-up?
many thanks
Keith

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by wensum

. . .It appears that the indents on the plastic face are too deep and the three raised brass dimples cannot be forced out of them to switch on the lights? . . .
Keith

I've had that problem with a repop disc such as yours. I removed the slight plastic ridge around the sunken contacts by twisting a 1" diameter spherical mounted abrasive bit by hand in each contact. Then went over it with 600 wet/dry paper to further refine it. A smear of dielectric grease upon assembly and it worked without lock-up.

[29spcoupe]

My headlight switch wires are soldered directly to the terminals on the black disk. Is it possible that the spade connectors are too high off of the disk causing the problem?

[Tom Wesenberg]

The metal housing shown in the first picture is the first style, which is shorter than the 30-1 style.
The spring goes in first then the brass ring, then the brass contact ring with 3 bumps on it. It actually shouldn't be this much apart because the two tabs are spread to hold the contact ring and spring in place and under some spring pressure.

[wensum]

Thanks for the advice, I had wondered if the plastic plate was a repo and that the indents were too deep?
Even when simply holding the plastic component and pressing the bumps into the dimple it was physically impossible to rotate the ring out of the dimples. I had thought of filling them with bog and then forming shallower dimples in the bog.
Tom, does the shorter style housing have any impact on assembling the thing?
Many thanks
Keith

[Tom Wesenberg]

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I would work the dimples as Mike mentioned.

The shallower cover shouldn't matter as far as your problem. I just mentioned it if anyone is concerned with the correct cover for the time of the car.

[wensum]

I purchased a replacement plastic plate only to find the dimples were still too deep and following the advice above, worked on easing the entry and exis from the dimples with a Dremel.
This still appeared to offer too much resistance to rotating the light switch so I fill each dimple with JB Weld and this settled with a slight hollow. Upon setting I improved the hollow a little and it all operates perfectly now

[RandyinUtah]

I took an old original plastic assembly and soldered all the new wires to it and it operated much smoother. I keep an eye out for old original Model a parts that others are throwing away and try an reuse them when possible.

[wensum]

The cover is the right size for the wire keeper.
Any longer and I'd have to get a longer wire clip to match
Keith