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Here's today's craft lesson.

Sometimes, a Speedster really demands that the blinker switch and housing look the part of an original 356. Certain cars simply have to have this traditional look, and if you're doing your own work and trying this alone, you're probably running into a lot of switch mechanisms on TheSamba that look like this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink11.jpg

Functioning just fine, but with badly rusted and pitted shafts. Paint can help, but can't compete with stainless or chrome. You can go out and buy a shiny repro, but this is where the Yankee in me takes over and I start to look for a better/cheaper way out.

And . . . here it is . . . old collapsible antennas.

Now the inside version, old TV rabbit ears, offer thinner tubes, they don't need to withstand 70 mile and hour winds, the outside version that go on car fenders are thicker. You decide which you like best.

Just cut a short length and slide it over the rusty blinker shaft.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink10.jpg

If it's the outside/car antenna you may have enlarge the hole a bit, like the housing on the left.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink4.jpg

But once things are back together, it looks SWEET!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink1.jpg

And with the knob in place, and a few accent ribs on top to mimic the early 356s, it looks just superb!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink2.jpg


AND you get to say that you did it all yourself ! ! !




foRUm priCk

"Just doin' what I do . . . "





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Here's today's craft lesson.

Sometimes, a Speedster really demands that the blinker switch and housing look the part of an original 356. Certain cars simply have to have this traditional look, and if you're doing your own work and trying this alone, you're probably running into a lot of switch mechanisms on TheSamba that look like this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink11.jpg

Functioning just fine, but with badly rusted and pitted shafts. Paint can help, but can't compete with stainless or chrome. You can go out and buy a shiny repro, but this is where the Yankee in me takes over and I start to look for a better/cheaper way out.

And . . . here it is . . . old collapsible antennas.

Now the inside version, old TV rabbit ears, offer thinner tubes, they don't need to withstand 70 mile and hour winds, the outside version that go on car fenders are thicker. You decide which you like best.

Just cut a short length and slide it over the rusty blinker shaft.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink10.jpg

If it's the outside/car antenna you may have enlarge the hole a bit, like the housing on the left.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink4.jpg

But once things are back together, it looks SWEET!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink1.jpg

And with the knob in place, and a few accent ribs on top to mimic the early 356s, it looks just superb!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/blink2.jpg


AND you get to say that you did it all yourself ! ! !




foRUm priCk

"Just doin' what I do . . . "






With the bad Winter and all, I was stuck inside and managed to get back to work detailing/refurbishing/restoring more of the bits and pieces for my project 356 coupe. A lot of what I'm now posting/will be posting is because of that.

Almost every piece that I bought that was aftermarket either needed attention to make it fit and work correctly or was SO bad, that I could only use a portion of it and had to fabricate or re-use parts of the original that it was meat to replace.

Because of this, I have a lot of project info that might help others who want to restore or refurbish original VW and Porsche parts rather than turn to the current crop of crap being sold these days.

I can't imagine being a manufacturer and having to balance the customer's desire for brand new components and the quality of those components being offered right now. At some point they must go insane each and every day.

It's honestly too bad, because the repros look really nice in the ads and offer such a neat clean "out with the old, in with the new" possibility, but they just don't work or fit or function like the crusty old originals.

So . . . I've got some information and how-to insights worth sharing for once.

FP
I sort of wanted one of those really neat dealer plaques from one of the original firms in Germany that sold/tuned the Porsche 356. Those offered on Ebay ALWAYS cost a ton and the sellers want international transfer thingies and . . . well . . . ummm . . .

So, in addition to offering the dealer plaque for sale, they included some really clear shots of the little sweety. I used the pic(s) to make these.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/dealer3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/dealer4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/dealer2.jpg

Kinda cool, nice and shiny and thick and environment proof, and with an aluminum backing. I can attach one with either small round head aluminum rivets, screws, or simple adhesive trim tape. They usually go just above the "Reutter" tag between the door and wheel well opening or above/below the "Porsche" script on the rear. I like that the shape mimics the Porsche shield crest.


Hey Mickey, want one for the Carrera? I'm putting one on my project coupe, maybe all of the really cool rides feature a "Hans Heller" plaques.


ForUM PRick

"Just doin' what I have to . . . "
TC, I have been thinking of cutting off my VW turn lever(late 60s) with dimmer switch. I have some stainless steel tubing, which would be perfect for a turn lever. I need to lathe a knob out of aluminum, and then figure some way of installing a small momentary switch for a dimmer. At least that is my idea, as most people cut off the turn stalk and then install a foot dimmer switch.

Any ideas?
The foot operated dimmer switch is a classic. I'm going with that option myself on both coupes, it's just kinda neat and if the carpet is fitted with a cool little circular sewn-in grommet fitted around the switch . . . even better ! ! The wiring changes are as simple as can be to carry out.

A micro switch on the housing is really tempting, but getting to it in a hurry, sticking your hands through the steering wheel cross bars, or around the rim to the back of the wheel would be a problem. At least for me, anyway. I'm going with the easy peasy foot switch. That way, when your carving a canyon at night, you can keep both hands on the wheel, rack it side to side, and just use your foot click the foot switch on and off for the corners or on-coming traffic . . . maybe.

For the blinker mechanism and housing, your idea of grafting a stainless shaft is a good one. A switch from '68 or earlier Beetle would be a snap, I did up something similar to a switch from a '69 Ghia last year that I'm saving for the Fiat 600 project, that is if I ever find a body shell near by.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/steeringhead2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/steeringhead3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/steeringhead4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/steeringhead1.jpg

I wanted mine to look kinda like something that might have come out of a 1959 Eastern European sedan, so it's done up in cream and black, with a cool little "shroud" covering where the stalk attaches to the original shaft remnant, but the idea behind it is very much like what you're talking about.

I used a length of nail, inserted into the shaft and then nestled into the indent in the original remaining blinker arm segment for strength, some Marine Tex worked wonderfully to joint everything together, and it's still holding as solidly as can be. It's completely rock solid, no worries at all ! ! ! A similar procedure on a switch from an earlier car, one with the key in the dash, would be even easier.

Rather than a traditional VW blinker knob or an aluminum piece, I used one from a Renault Dauphine. I think that it really suits the look that I was after. Of course, with a stainless shaft, a small turned aluminum piece will fit your idea perfectly.

So anyway . . . what you're proposing will work out wonderfully, since I did something similar enough that I know that it will stand up very well and you won't encounter any problems in doing it. If you want to hide the transition point where the stainless shaft joins to the original blinker arm, you should pick up a nice aluminum ferrule at the hardware store to slide over it or look to the electrical department for a neat gray rubber sleeve or extended grommet. It'll look sweet ! !


Luck,

Your friendly neighborhood ForUM PRick
TC, since my stainless tubing is hollow, I was going to run wires through it and have a switch activated by a fingertip in either the tip or the backside of the aluminum knob. My horn surround is AL, my knobs and switches are AL too.

Along with the turn signal mod, I was going to shorten my steering hub/adapter to bring the wheel closer to the dash as original. This would go nicely with the straight turn stalk, rather than the "S" curve of the VW one. Thanks for the tip on the grommet and/or ferrule for the transition. The plainly obvious VW parts of the column and turn switch has always bugged me.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is one of those things that is a MUST in my book. For the life of me I can't see why more speedster owners and manufactuers don't do this? It's a relatively simple thing to do and it adds SO MUCH to the look of the car.
I used a switch from a 68 bus (I think?). It has the hi-lo beam switch on the stalk (pull back to click on and off). Don't most speedster replicas have the ignition on the dash? It's been so long since I did it but I remember having the same 70's bug style turn signal switch on my steering column as most cars have and I just took it off and replaced it with the bus one, it was simple (trust me, if I can do it it's simple). The only problem I had was a small gap between the end of the column and the adapter hub which I "solved" with a small section of PVC pipe glued to the back of the adapter to fill the gap. And now master craftsman TC (FP) is fabbing up a solution the that.
My guess is once all the details are figured out by what signal switch to buy, and how to make it all look seamless, the cost to do the "switch switch" would be in $150 range. It really gives a nice look to the dash when you're cruising down the road. And isn't that what we all love about these cars, the timeless classic LOOK of the car? Why not make the part you look at more than any other (the dash) look as great as the rest of the car?
I know that switch well, just "restored" one for a buddy who has a shortened bus. That would be a PERFECT candidate for a shaft-ectomy!

You could carefully slice off the tapered open "U" channel arm and fit a slim stainless tube in it's place, a nail for added strength and some Marine Tex to hold everything in place, and you'll be all set! Fit a Beetle knob and done ! ! !

The neat thing about doing this kind of thing is that the arm only has to be as strong as the switching mechanism. Meaning, there's practically NO stress placed on the joint between the old arm segment and the new length of stainless tubing that's attached to it. The switch is such that it only needs a light tug to actuate it.

If I end up with another of those switches in not-too-terrific condition, I'll replace the "U" channel with a stainless rod and shoot some pics of the process for you. It's as easy as I described, but sometimes pictures can help a lot.

Luck,

Forum PriCK
That spring would be to facilitate the return of high/low selector mechanism. You could move the wiring to the floor boards with a VW dimmer switch, or probably shorten the spring/lengthen the section of "U" channel used before the stainless tube graft.

It'll still look neat either way. I'll see if I can locate another switch and poke around with it. Let you know about/see pic of the results when I have some.
Stan,
I did contact them. They seem to be a little "distanced" from the older IM's. I don't want to say they weren't helpful (they were very curteous), but they didn't seem to want to go there. Maybe I just wasn't specific enough in what I was looking for?
TC is working on something for me right now that hopefully will tidy things up on the steering column.
Can you post a pic of what you got from them? I'm curious to see it.
Talk to Henry directly- he knows exactly what you want, and has one on the shelf I'm betting. His adapter is shorter, so it puts the wheel closer to the turn signal stalk, which makes it easier to use. It's a really nice piece. When I got mine, it was just before Intermeccanica started using a proprietary column, and these adapters were going on the Japanese cars.

As far as distancing himself from older product- I had a 1 year old JPS when he sold me mine. His helpfulness in straightening out somebody else's mess was what eventually drove me to just buy one of his cars (less drivetrain). I'm betting you just caught the office staff at a bad time.

Call him again if TC isn't rolling on yours. I can't stress how nice a piece the one from Henry is.
Oh, make no mistake Stan, I KNOW Henry is first class. I've spoken to him a few times and he's ALWAYS returned emails immediately. I in no way meant to say that they weren't courteous, I may not have been as informative as I should have been.
I'll see what TC creates with his mad skills, I have faith. But I'll definitely catch up with Henry at Carlisle. I told him I would because he said he'd love to see the Carrera when it's done in one of our email exchanges.
TC, here are some pics of my turn signal. I do want to shorten the steering hub as it has always seemed too far from the dash for me, and too close to the driver's seat for my arm length. As you can see, I like the aluminum look. I have an aluminum handle on the e-brake also. I have a set of alu pedals I want to install(probably just the gas pedal), and maybe I'll have to machine up a shift ball. BTW, that's my P horn button, courtesy ebay and less than $20 shipped. Combines the O.E. Nardi button and the ebay button. Starter button, relay equipped, $6 from NAPA. Billet headlight/wiper switch/e-brake, all inexpensive from cip1.com.

Attachments

Images (3)
  • P1010011
  • P1010012
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Danny,
That's the same switch I used to have on my speedster. You may have to fab (or hire TC to fab) an addition/coupler for your column. It looks like the switch housing is butted up to the dash and it's hard to tell how much column will be there to attach the old style switch to. I can't recall how the newer (like yours) switches were attached on the column. I'm positive it's doable.
Daniel,

With your blinker assembly SO close to the dash, you may not be able to play around with the shaft too much without hitting the gauge bezel. If you decide against cutting and grafting and all of the major alterations that you were proposing, and you don't want to swap that one out for a more "correct" earlier set-up, there's a chance that you could make the whole thing look a little bit more race-ready and custom fabricated with just a little bit of work.

The blinker housing used on your car can be stripped and polished to a REALLY nice effect, pop the high/low switch and wire out of the arm and drill it out, not unlike the one pictured here.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/housing7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/housing1.jpg

Replace the high/low switch and done. Of course, not as vintage as you might have wanted, but pretty easy and stylish and would go well with the character and color of your car.

For an aluminum shift knob, you could grab up any old aluminum offering, or strip the leather covering off of one like I did with this one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/alumunumknob2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/aluminumknob1.jpg

A handful of chamfered holes around the sides and top, and you can end up with something kinda nice that will match the holed in the blinker arm and go well with the aluminum elements.

Speaking of which, why does your adapter still wear the black paint? You KNOW that there's some beautiful turned aluminum under there just waiting for you ! !
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