Sparton Signal Restore

Hi,

I lost all my turn signal today, brake light still ok but I believe they run off a different power wire? will check the fuse first to see if I can fix the problem but I can see that the Spartan unit will need to go through the same restoration process in this thread.

I am just wondering - did you replace all the wire during your rebuild or you just clean them up and re-use? On the photo it looks brand new.

 

The wires should not need replacing unless some PO did some hacking or they were burned at some time. That is a low amp circuit.

The brake light power runs through the turn signal switch. Anyway it is supposed to.

 

Fixed - loose wire around the fuse area - its OK for now but if it happen again I'll get a new wiring harness - too many gremlins starting to happen as soon as you "look" at the wires. The Spartan re-build will be a good winter project.

 

Mine is missing the handle. The PO put some sort of screw in and it's all rusted. Gotta take apart, but any idea where to get a handle?

 

You could use some hobby stock metal, but you'd have to hammer the flats into it. Then use plastic dip or similar to make a knob for the end of the handle, or not.

I don't have Picts directly of the handle as I polished or I'd have posted. The shape kinda reminds me of a wood drill bit, may be a 3/8" or a half (and a lot of filing) could be made to work.

I'd pull one apart but they are currently on a box in storage waiting for me to re-wire.

Sometimes you can find them on eBay. I found my spare on CL.

Rust? Surface or pitted? There are a lot of rust removers you could use.

I used naval jelly (hardware store) and a firearm cold-bluing product called Oxpho-Blue.

 

I have a handle Mickey its a chrome flat blade type not the round bar with the plastic handle. its a bit rusty but might clean up or you can paint it. pm me youre adresse and its yours

 

just finished getting my Sparton signal switch back together also. Mine is also a model SCS -3r, but has different color wires. 7 wires total.
solid black
solid white
yellow w/ tracer
green w/ tracer
black w/ tracer
blue w / tracer
red w/ tracer
I was not lucky enough to have the green plastic over the indicator bulb. I'll keep looking. Yours looks better than mine.

 

Just a note...

Was looking at my daughter's latest lego set, a STAR WARS dealio ... I think that you could make a new lense (may be not green) out of a light saber from one of those sets... dunno, just occured to me they're about near the right width, use that 'E6000' clear drying epoxy (last tube I think I found at w-mart) and it might work... just a thought... sometimes you can find a lego 'bag' with a character in it for a few bucks...

just a thought...

 

Conversation started. I'm guessing that's how you PM in this new software.

 

On my 58 CJ5, the factory turn signal which was attached to the steering column, would the lever have been chrome, painted black, round with a plastic tip or flat? Mine was replaced with a jerry rigged, now rusty long threaded bolt.

Thanks to jeep2003 above who sent me a flat chrome style. However, after the cleanup of rust, the pitting is pretty bad. So at a minimum it needs to be re chromed, if the pitting could be smoothed out. So before I go thru that expense, I really want to know what they came with back in 58.

 

I got mine off today so I can start a tear down, clean, paint and reinstall. Couple interesting things though. The bolts on the collar that attaches it to the steering column, were Allen bolts. I didn't expect that. I assume that's wasn't factory back then or was it? Next the wires were all done with the connectors, except the ones going to the flasher. No breaks so had to pull flasher too. Was that normal? By the way, how do you bench test a flasher? Finally, there was only one of the spring clamps holding the wire harness on to the steering column. Then, lower it was electrical tape that appeared to be done very sloppily. Did they originally only have 1 clamp?

 

I can't recall on the Allen bolts. I think I swapped out the rusty things for stainless.

Yes on connectors, that sounds right.

Mine had only 1 spring clamp and a hose clamp rather than tape.

As to testing, I used a 9v battery and jumpers on the work bench to test the light. I didn't try testing the flasher.

 

Tore into mine today. On the rusty screw handle, turns out the PO welded a screw to what was left of the chrome handle. Strange but at least I now know it was a flat chrome piece. But now couple question. The rubber donut pivot roller pin in the center is in good condition, but the rubber donut is a little hard and some cracking after almost 60 years. Suggestions to revitalize it or replacements? Next, I was wanting to powder coat it but have to get the blue plastic lense out. I don't want to force it since its in good shape. Suggestion?

 

id probrobly soak the wheel in brake fluid. as long as its not flat spotted id use it. Iv never tried to remove a lense i thought they were probrobly melted in place

 

On mine your rubber part is brass and the lens Is green. The inside otherwise is the same.

 

I don't remember how I got the lense out of mine. Iirc, a razor knife to get it loose from the melty marks on the back/inside. Then I used gorilla glue to re-attach it.

I did that so I could either soda blast or sand blast it.

Go easy on the rubber wheel. Impossibillium is the core part on finding extras so far in my searching. I used 240 sand paper to clean it up a little. Go easy.

 

A few years ago mine took a poop. Several days of fighting, the problem is that little switch unit inside. Send me a note and for the postage I will send you my old piece. Just pass a gift along. A friend used to want money to winch somebody out and I winched him out for nothing. Another gift I suppose. I don't keep track.

 

Rubbing some silicone grease into rubber parts restores them pretty good. I went that route on some items on my 76 Triumph Bonneville and it worked well.

 

This is so awesome. Thanks for the write up. I've got one I just took off o rust on it just paint chips and such. Now I think I might rebuild it instead of gt a new one. Again Thanks!