Here at YnZ’s I often get requests to rewire customers original turn signal switches. There were a huge assortment of types and manufactures. Some of the switches are really odd. However, I think most of them are an interesting example of the automotive art. I have started keeping a picture log of the switches we recieve and what information I have about the switch.

This particular switch must have been an aftermarket accessory in the mid-fifties. The wire used on it was PVC insulated with a brown cloth braid over it. It also has the nice feature of having a wheel on it that would self-cancel the switch. The front of the switch says “Auto Lamp, Chicago”.
Interestingly enough once opened the switch mechanism was a typical ford switch. I have provided a wiring diagram below for anyone who has this particular switch.

The rubber wheel on the switch was in bad shape. I sprayed the rubber heavily with silicon spray. After letting the silicon sit for a few hours the rubber was a lot softer. After that I applied some brushable electrical tape over the wheel to seal it and provide an extra layer of contact material.

I charged the customer $60 to rewire this. I ran all new wire right to the switch, rebraided it and even put a connector on the other end so it matched perfectly to the harness we made him. So after a little work the customer has a nice rewired vintage piece on his steering column instead of the clunky aftermarket pieces available now.

I just received a letter from a customer regarding a problem he was
having with his taillights. He wrote:
“When my lights are off and I step on the brake the brake lights work
great, but when I turn on the lights they are always bright.”
This is one symptom of a very common problem. Somehow the brake and
taillight wires are shorted together. To fix this check inside the
taillight sockets. This is this is where the problem usually is. The
spring could be bent over and shorting out the two wires together or
they could be misaligned and touching. Also be careful because many
times the problem disappears when the bulb is taken out! I have even seen
on more than one occasion where one of the filament is blown and
touching the other filament causing the short inside the bulb itself.
An even stranger problem can happen if one of the front lights is
shorted out. The lights may seem to work properly but when you switch
the turn signal on the shorted side it will look like you are running
4-way flashers. This is caused by the turn signal power back-feeding
through the park/taillight circuit in the shorted out light.
The main point is to check and double check your dual contact sockets.
It is very close quarters in there.

Here at YnZ’s I answer the phone every day to take orders, or answer
questions from folks wanting to know more about the wiring they will
need for their restoration. It has been interesting over these last 40
years of offering our Wiring Harness for the restoration hobbyists, to
go from talking to people my fathers age, to talking with my peers, to
talking with younger people trying the “learn as you go” process.
The point is that younger people are getting into this hobby! We talk
with them every day. These are the folks who Grandpa or Dad left the
old car to finish up, or just start, or to keep on using the already
restored vehicle on the road today. They aren’t as car savvy as their
predecessors, but they get an “A” for rolling up their sleeves and
learning from the “university of hard knocks”. We also find that “Take
a Kid to a Car Show” really works because we hear the stories of young
people who were influenced by an older family member or family friend
and discovered the cars of their future hobby dreams.

The new younger hobbiests don’t go to the swap meets as earnestly as
those who came before them, but they shine in the using computer search
engines and a web site “will help me find that part” department.

These hidden restorers are the future of the antique,classic car and
truck restoration hobby. You don’t see them, but my telephone is
showing me they are appearing in greater numbers every day.