Dash Rocker Switch Repair

 
Article written by Mark Karlsberger. Published on 2011-03-24
Triumph Experience Library – Service:Electrical and Instruments Section
The contents of this article are © Copyrighted and published under the following terms:
Released under the terms of the CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Clear Hooters Switch

I have been tinkering trying to find way to repair the original "Clear Hooters" dash switches common to many British cars of the 1970s such as Triumph, MG and Jaguar.

This is the best method I have come up with. This will actually work on any rocker switch, if the pivot is the problem.


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First, here is the pile of original and donor switches:

Switch1

The big problem with these switches is the pivot of the rocker was a snap in affair that after use would simply snap out, and leave you with a pile of parts.

First, snap the switch out of it's bezel, or if it is in pieces, snap the body out of the bezel. I am using a 1/16"" drill bit in a hand drill. On the rocker, you will see two round pivots. This is a little delicate - you want to drill through the center of the pivots on both sides, trying to keep it centered.

Switch2

Switch3

Switch5

Next, you need to gently drill through the body where the pivots ride. Keep it centered or they will not match up.

Switch6

Next, I am using simple 1/16"" soft wire (yes, bailing wire!).
Simply cut a short section that will slide through the rocker and body.

Switch9

Next, trim the wire and file the ends flat, install the rocker nub and spring, and gently twist the wire through the new holes, making sure the ends are flush with the body. The wire will go through the nub spring so be gentle. Snap the switch back into the bezel which now also keeps the wire from sliding out. The great thing is it can be disassembled for contact cleaning (which I did before assembling)

Switch10

Here it is, all in one piece, and working. I also greased the pivots to add life to it, it will eventually wear out, but it's better than no switch at all.

Switch11

Thanks for looking!

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~ Dash Rocker Switch Repair ~
Article by Mark Karlsberger – Published 2011-03-24

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Comments on "Dash Rocker Switch Repair" –

Comment by Ralph Yingling at 2011-03-24 14:54:09
The chrom e surround that turns yellow with time can be be nearly perfectly painted with a silver "foiling pen" from a craft store. The have a small wedge tip and are very easy to use. At the same time do the edges around your dash air vents on later models - matchs the factory really well! Pen cost is less than $10

Ralph Yingling

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