Headlight/Foglight Switch Restoration

[Jeff Wilk]

 

Anybody out there with step by step instructions on how to repair a headlight/foglight switch for a 1959 Cadillac with fog lights?  I know McVey's will do it for about $200 but I am wondering how hard it is to D-I-Y. 

I know about cleaning the contacts, using some of that electrode "grease", but have no idea about the coiled wire "rheostats".....anybody with any wisdom to share on this one?


Jeff   

[David King (kz78hy)]

Jeff,

I fixed mine on the '58, but it is a tedious task.  I'm  not sure if the '59 uses the same style.  There is button the top of the switch that you have to depress and that allows the knob and stem to be pulled out of the switch, then it can be removed from the dash.  Getting your hand in there to feel around and find it is a little hard.

When you take apart the rear of the switch, make certain you have a sheet or something to contain the springs that will fly out  no matter how hard you try to not let that happen.  There are 3 or 4 tiny springs inside that oppose each other and it is almost impossible to reassemble, but it can be done.

My switch issue was the rheostat piece, where it connects to the switch base, the brass tangs were corroded away.  I went to Radio Shack and bought some brass strips/terminals and cut off the piece I needed and I soldered onto  the original end that is riveted on the ceramic piece.  I'm working from memory here and this was 3 years ago, so I might be little off on the material of the switch.  I cleaned up the round wire with contact cleaner and reassembled.  It did work.  

Take a couple of patience pills before you start, you will need them.

The 1st. time I attempted to post, the stupid error message of files to large showed up and it sure is hard to recover.  I will attempt later to add smaller sized photos of the repaired rheostat base.

David