Fiddling with Other Stuff

[Bryan Boyle]

Euro taillights polished and ready to install.  While still ruminating about what to do about the motor...working on other items of interest. 


The TC wiring loom for federal cars (versus the S2, which ran a wire forward from the brake switch to the DB10 and left the other brake light wire in place in the loom) does not mirror the S2 arrangement, which made it easy to install the euro taillights after I painted 693R  in '08.


So..ordered up some proper color wire (and bullets, etc) from Brit Wiring in the right size and will add the wire into the back end at some point, and wire the car as per the euro wiring chart for the blinkers/stop/hazard/running lights.


For the record...the bases were stripped and replated, new sponge gasket under the lenses, bases retapped for 6/32 to attach the lenses (using stainless hardware), mounting threads cleaned up (1/4x20) and have new base gaskets.  All the light sockets were chromed at the same time, but, re-flowed the solder on the light contact bases, new bullets (crimped and soldered) for the light leads, and the reverse light assemblies rebuilt and connectors polished....and LED festoon bulbs used.


Was going to put these on the second S2 that I had thought I was going to build...but...ran out of steam with some medical issues in '09 and never got to it, selling the frame and second body off as time went on.

Thinking of offering the steering wheel I pulled out.  It's in perfect shape...but only good for a TC, since 1) I have no idea who manufactured it or where to get the horn button fixings...and 2) that's the model it came out of.

And...spent some time with a buffer, chrome polish, and went after the bumpers.  They are 40 something years old...but only a couple scratches and rub marks, but certainly are not something to be ashamed of.  Considering the cost to strip, buff, replate...they'll do.

Packed up the seat with the torn seams on the bolster and a piece of carpet (and measurements for the floor on both sides)...and drove to the next town over to the only auto upholstery shop in the Fall River area.  Closed due to a positive covid test until April.  Sigh.  Oh well, the other seat is ok.  No rush on any of this, but was thinking of getting ahead of some things.  Hope he's ok...and will revisit later.

[BDA]

That sounds like a major effort for the Euro tail lights! I wonder if just buying Euro lamps wouldn't have been cheaper...

I think I just ran a wire from the brake switch to the brake lights. No relay but it hasn't been an issue so far. Certainly using a relay would be better. At the time, that seemed too complicated but I was probably having the common experience of brain fog.

Are you using LED turn signals? If so, I think I would advise using resistors rather than changing your flasher. The stock turn signal cancel is not very accurate so you'll probably want to have a flasher that tells you that it's flashing so you can turn it off when you don't need it any more. There are flashers that make a sound when they are flashing but they beep (mine does anyway) rather than click. I'm so used to the clicking sound the beeping is a little annoying though not enough for me get the resistors and change it back.

[Bryan Boyle]

That sounds like a major effort for the Euro tail lights! I wonder if just buying Euro lamps wouldn't have been cheaper...

They were euro taillights off a canadian body I bought.  I just restored them (new ones, last I checked were over 1K USD for a pair, if you can find them); I like the fiddly work of hands-on renovation of the appliances.    Especially when it works when you're finished.

Checked my receipts and the rechrome back then cost me 150 for each, and the lenses were 100 or so each from Banks.  Had all the internals/springs/etc, so it was just a matter of my hand work to finish them.

I think I just ran a wire from the brake switch to the brake lights. No relay but it hasn't been an issue so far. Certainly using a relay would be better. At the time, that seemed too complicated but I was probably having the common experience of brain fog.

Federal cars have a relay box under the dash so that one filament in the solid red lens tail light can work as both the brake and the directional; when your foot is on the brake, and you engage the directional, it allows the same filament to blink while still keeping the other filament on the other side steady on as the brake is applied.  That, and the regs at the time, stated that rear directionals had to be red.  It's 2022...no one cares about a 50 year old car as to whether the directionals are the right color...just that they work.

Just adding the Green/purple wire from the brake switch direct to the stop lights (tying back the GP that goes to the DB10 relay box) and moving the green/white and green/red to the top filaments is a simple job.

Are you using LED turn signals? If so, I think I would advise using resistors rather than changing your flasher. The stock turn signal cancel is not very accurate so you'll probably want to have a flasher that tells you that it's flashing so you can turn it off when you don't need it any more. There are flashers that make a sound when they are flashing but they beep (mine does anyway) rather than click. I'm so used to the clicking sound the beeping is a little annoying though not enough for me get the resistors and change it back.

No...just replaced the reverse with LEDs.  I usually change out the flasher anyway to an electronic unit that will work with either incandescent or LED...constant flash rate no matter the voltage, and quiet.  So, if I wanted to put in LED replacements, it's an easy swap.  Anything to reduce the current draw on these old harnesses (I did all the position and landing/taxi lights in my plane under approval with LEDs...they're brighter, and the current draw according to the meter in my plane panel is almost negligible versus the incandescents that were in there before.)