The Ford Barn

B_man_Al · 09-13-2012, 06:57 AM

The headlight switch in the steering column broke away from the rod on my 32. Anyone ever repair one of these? The clearances in the steering wheel and around the upper bushing are pretty tight to just weld it.

I see repros are available for about $60. Anyone have any experience with them .. are they any good?

Al

jimTN · 09-13-2012, 07:42 AM

Repops are not as good as originals and tend to have wire terminals falling out due to them not being soldered. A picture of what is broken would be a big help in advising you what options are available.

DavidG · 09-13-2012, 08:48 AM

It sounds like your rod broke away at the top where is swedged over the die cast piece with the handle to operate the light switch and house the horn button. Welding could be tricky given that you would be trying to join two dissimilar materials. You might be able use a modern two-part glue that might be strong enough to withstand the stress, but this sort of breakage is highly unusual which suggests there's a binding problem down at the bottom of the rod in the switch itself.

As for the available reproduction, I think that there's only one available, but it does work. It's not perfect in that the horn button is made of a strange plastic that has sort of a suede finish (it can be polished to eliminate most of this shortcoming). Further, the diameter of the rod is greater than the original which means you cannot re-use the brass sleeve at the top where the rod inserts into the steering shaft and the opening in an original 'C' clip at the bottom of the rod has to be enlarged (or the square section of the rod filed down slightly). It is far from ideal, but it's the only game in town.

Bruce_MO · 09-13-2012, 10:34 AM

I have never been successful in repairing a horn rod break at the top of the tube, and I've tried a few times.

I have been successful in "splicing" tubes that were bent, corroded thru, etc. I did this by machining a 3" long sleeve of mild steel on my lathe that fits into the tubing, with a hole drilled thru it for the horn wire. I have tried to weld the sleeve in, but I'm not the greatest welder on really thin stuff with my mig. So I turned the sleeve down a bit more for a little more clearance and used JB Weld after cleaning the insides of the tubes as best I could. I also beveled each end of the sleeve so that it was easy to get the horn wire thru. It has held for a long time.

It's probably conceiveable to cut the tube right at the pot metal lever and machine things for some sort of a fit and use a stepped sleeve of some sort to get the right length and a secure fit. If it's a decent platable '32 part, it's sure worth trying a few things.

B_man_Al · 09-13-2012, 01:35 PM

Thanks all for your inputs. I have attached a PIC of the break. It has been vibrating on the steering wheel for a long time. I thought it was the tabs that hold the horn button assembly on, but now I see it was cracked at the rod joint.

How do you get the wire disconnected? Is it soldered at the bottom?

DavidG · 09-13-2012, 02:57 PM

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Yes, the wire is soldered at the very bottom of the tube just below a little fiber insulator that prevents contact with the tube.

slobroy · 10-06-2012, 07:26 PM

Try a little J B Weld

B_man_Al · 10-21-2012, 02:38 PM

My neighbor Andy and I came up with a good solution to the problem. It involved turing down a standard 3/8 carriage bolt to fit the original square drive, and fit inside the rod. Then turning down the head to fit inside the horn button contact, and finally drilling a hole for the wire. Attached are some pics.
Al

Mike in AZ · 10-21-2012, 02:51 PM

very cool solution....hope it holds up and works for years.....Mike

Rascal · 10-21-2012, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B_man_Al

My neighbor Andy and I came up with a good solution to the problem. It involved turing down a standard 3/8 carriage bolt to fit the original square drive, and fit inside the rod. Then turning down the head to fit inside the horn button contact, and finally drilling a hole for the wire. Attached are some pics.
Al

Highly recommended, : THIS IS THE SAME OR SIMILAR AS WHAT I HAVE DONE ON MANY 32-39 Switch rods, Take no chances & do it once & right.

09-13-2012, 06:57 AM	#1
B_man_Al Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 301	Broken 32 Headlight switch The headlight switch in the steering column broke away from the rod on my 32. Anyone ever repair one of these? The clearances in the steering wheel and around the upper bushing are pretty tight to just weld it. I see repros are available for about $60. Anyone have any experience with them .. are they any good? Al

09-13-2012, 07:42 AM	#2
jimTN Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Powell, TN Posts: 2,509	Re: Broken 32 Headlight switch Repops are not as good as originals and tend to have wire terminals falling out due to them not being soldered. A picture of what is broken would be a big help in advising you what options are available.

09-13-2012, 08:48 AM	#3
DavidG Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: southeastern Michigan Posts: 10,101	Re: Broken 32 Headlight switch It sounds like your rod broke away at the top where is swedged over the die cast piece with the handle to operate the light switch and house the horn button. Welding could be tricky given that you would be trying to join two dissimilar materials. You might be able use a modern two-part glue that might be strong enough to withstand the stress, but this sort of breakage is highly unusual which suggests there's a binding problem down at the bottom of the rod in the switch itself. As for the available reproduction, I think that there's only one available, but it does work. It's not perfect in that the horn button is made of a strange plastic that has sort of a suede finish (it can be polished to eliminate most of this shortcoming). Further, the diameter of the rod is greater than the original which means you cannot re-use the brass sleeve at the top where the rod inserts into the steering shaft and the opening in an original 'C' clip at the bottom of the rod has to be enlarged (or the square section of the rod filed down slightly). It is far from ideal, but it's the only game in town.

09-13-2012, 10:34 AM	#4
Bruce_MO Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 433	Re: Broken 32 Headlight switch I have never been successful in repairing a horn rod break at the top of the tube, and I've tried a few times. I have been successful in "splicing" tubes that were bent, corroded thru, etc. I did this by machining a 3" long sleeve of mild steel on my lathe that fits into the tubing, with a hole drilled thru it for the horn wire. I have tried to weld the sleeve in, but I'm not the greatest welder on really thin stuff with my mig. So I turned the sleeve down a bit more for a little more clearance and used JB Weld after cleaning the insides of the tubes as best I could. I also beveled each end of the sleeve so that it was easy to get the horn wire thru. It has held for a long time. It's probably conceiveable to cut the tube right at the pot metal lever and machine things for some sort of a fit and use a stepped sleeve of some sort to get the right length and a secure fit. If it's a decent platable '32 part, it's sure worth trying a few things.

09-13-2012, 02:57 PM	#6
DavidG Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: southeastern Michigan Posts: 10,101	Re: Broken 32 Headlight switch Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Yes, the wire is soldered at the very bottom of the tube just below a little fiber insulator that prevents contact with the tube.

10-06-2012, 07:26 PM	#7
slobroy Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Rockvale Tn. Posts: 60	Re: Broken 32 Headlight switch Try a little J B Weld

10-21-2012, 02:51 PM	#9
Mike in AZ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Waddell, AZ Posts: 2,540	Re: Broken 32 Headlight switch very cool solution....hope it holds up and works for years.....Mike