Technical No room for floor type dimmer switch. What did you do to have a switch in a handy spot?

No. just straight in or out action. My Buddy has had one in his 27 RPU for 20 years and never had a problem with it.
Do you have to be careful not to turn the lights off ?
Yes but the switch has an easy smooth action and it doesn't create a problem.

 

I used a Speedway switch on my roadster works ok the problem is when you switch from low to high beam you loose your headlights.

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I don't understand how switching from low to high you end up loosing ( loosening to be proper ) your headlights They get loose and eventually fall off ??

 

It might involve a relay to do it, but a switch on the shift lever. Kind of like a line lock switch. Most of the time I would be using the shifter for an hand rest any way. So it would be right there.

 

The problem with this type switch is you have to install in-line fuses on the individual circuits to prevent losing ALL your lights in the event of a problem. Factory-style switches (at least anything used from the fifties up) are designed so if one circuit fails, it doesn't effect the others.

 

It's not a problem if you know how to run your wiring. Inline fuses are not required when you have a fuse block -panel with available fuses to use.
No different than any other factory setup where the separate circuits are fused.

 

K.I.SS.
See post #6, last sentence
All Model "T"s has the starter switch mounted just ahead of the seat riser, where you stepped on it with your heel. Worked just fine for the 10 or 11 million cars with starters. Will work just fine on your car and there will be no elaborate wiring or pesky relays

 

Well, then explain how it can't happen when you only have a single point on the switch for connecting incoming power. One power circuit feeding 4 (or five, if you install dash lights) branch circuits means any one circuit can knock out all of them unless you install overcurrent protection in the individual circuits after the switch...

Factory-style switches had an internal circuit breaker for the headlights, then separate fuses for tail and dash lights. On the 50s switches, the fuses were usually located on the switch. By the 60s, the circuit breaker remained but the tail/dash light had their own, separate incoming feeds for the dash/tail lights and the fuses were located in the fuse panel.

I'm not saying this type switch can't be used, just that you need to pay attention. The problem is most aftermarket fuse panels are of the 'buss' design (a single point for incoming power connection into the fuses) so you'll need either another panel with individual feeds to each fuse, or inline fuses installed in the individual circuit wires.

 

Why did you quote a post that doesn't exist Steve ???

 

Uh, because you deleted/edited it after I quoted it?

 

The low beam lights loose power while switching power to high beam

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Thanks for all the replies. Im' not as agile as I was, so a knee/heel/or leg activated won't be good for me. I thought about a line-lock type shifter switch, but it would look poor on the 37 Buick long shifter.

I tried reaching for the dash lip and other places, to find a handy spot, but it all felt poorly positioned.
My 56 Olds headlight switch is already half wired, and mounted on the far right where it fit the best, so I don't want to replace it.

...so it was suggested to try to add something to the back of the turn signal switch. My micro switch is too bulky for there, so I made my own momentary grounding "switch".

I took apart a ancient set of points to get the spring steel "lever", and a special small brass screw and nut.

I drilled a 1/4" hole in the back cover, then used a tiny glovebox door bumper and clipping the backside point off, it now had a tiny hole for the wire. The contact is actually the bulb contact from a taillight socket ...just a wire with a round head rivet shape.

I put a tiny piece of heat shrink on the new handle tip to cover sharp edges. Then used clear tape to keep the wire inside in a good spot. Ran the wire down through that stainless conduit already there.

I then added an old red indicator light off some old antique car, and used the former hole for the 1940 starter button. It is the HIGH beam indicator now. I always disliked using my left hand for a key or starter button on lots of old Fords back when I was young... so this filled the hole, and it is not a glaring light when I shut the shop lights off to test: You can maybe see the turn signal indicator also:

 

Put the switch in front of the shifter on the floor. Kinda next to gas pedal if it works because i know there limited space because of bell housing. Or just put a togle switch under your seat or dash it seem you dont want to mess with your dash. So toggle anywere u like

 

Very slick solution! I like it!

 

Steve, the 56 Olds H/L switch I used, it has the resetting breaker for headlights, separate from the tail/dash/park. The only fuse "on" this 1956 switch is a really shorty one for the dash/dimming lights. I then ran the tail and park lights through a fuse block

 

This is the better idea. This type of switch are in my 59 apache. First pull is park lights but i cant see why not make that into low beams first then high bull on full pull. Look up 59 chevy apache headlight switch. That is a good route of all

 

No, I deleted it well before your post quoting it appeared , actually less than a minute after I posted it. Replaced it with my other post on wiring.
I completely deleted it then re-entered the new post, so it wasn't a simple edit.

You were obviously quoting and typing while I deleted and entered my new post.

You are correct in that there are ways to make that sort of switch work properly.

 

I don't like any of those ideas utilizing the headlight switch. On a dark twisty road, especially with a manual trans, you need both hands already steering the car and shifting the trans, needing to reach down to the headlight switch to turn off the brights is the last thing you need to be thinking about. That's a recipe for either blinding the oncoming traffic, or switching the head lights off altogether, or losing control of the car at a critical moment. Sounds like a disaster in the making IMO.

 

I agree with this, which is another reason I don't like these type switches. If I were to use one of these, I'd make the mid click out high beams, and full out low beams. Less chance on fumbling and turning off the lights when trying to dim your high beams.

 

Just a quick update; I finished wiring the VW relay to have power from H/L switch, and hooked up the momentary switch and wired the High beam indicator.

Holy crap..it works so nice with a super light touch. Nice to see things starting to power-up.

I sat in the car in driving position and can reach the new momentary switch with my ring finger, and still have my thumb hooked on the steering wheel. It feels like a normal position.

I have no idea why the signal lever handle is not in the way when I do this....but I sure can't claim that I thought about that when I made the new switch....duh

 

Musta built up some good karma... LOL...

 

Roger that!
Not necessarily traditional (or hidden) but food for thought.
In this case, being used for turn signals.

 

in my old roadster had floor switch mounted on the seat riser I could bump it with my heel

 

From your photos, it sure looks like you have plenty of room for the switch on the left, upper corner of the toe board. But then, it's your car and your foot! Mr. Safety would say you should try your best to put it there first, as you don't want to be distracted at night by having to take your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the road to use it. Or... if you might end up with bucket seats and a console... you could mount a push on/push off button on the console between the seats that is located just where your right arm naturally drops down, so you don't have to think too hard about reaching it. Gary

 

On another note, the steering wheel / dash look great


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I'm a bit lost.
I NEVER get to use my high beam on the road because the switch is up behind the gas pedal and impossible to locate in the dark.
Whats with this VW relay thing?
It SEEMS you would need to hold the momentary switch on at all times to keep the high beams on. That can't be right...so I'm missing something!

I'd really like to give this a go.
I was gonna use an early Austin Mini stalk to get lever operated highs and lows along with the push horn feature, but its a bit involved changing all the wiring around and making the assembly itself somewhat nice looking.
This looks simple...but my brain just isn't wrapping around the mechanics of it all.

 

I use the same setup in my Model A. I looked at various dimmer solutions and this worked out the best. It made wiring so much easier since everything went back to the dash to start with and the high beam indicator is located there too.

It's right at hand, just an additional pull and there are the high beams, just a slide in and back to lows.

Cliff Ramsdell

 

If you read a reply by Crazy Steve, he mentioned a "ratcheting relay". What that means, is each time the relay gets a ground signal for just a moment, the relay switches to the opposite beam that is was on previously.

A "non-ratcheting dimmer relay" like one I found here for a Asian car, needs a constant ground to hold it in the opposite beam position, and when it has no ground, the relay goes to a "relaxed" position which is the other beam. So, I assume that car's dimmer "lever" had a detent, like pull up and it stays, or push down and it stays. That is not practical for what I needed.

The VW relay is so simple; It has 4 terminals. One is power from headlight switch. Two go to the headlights; one for low, one for high. (Those three wires are already in a car that has a floor dimmer). The 4th is the "momentary ground signal" hooked to whatever type of switch or button you need.

So, to switch your car over, you only need one new "small gauge" momentary grounding wire. Pretty convenient.

One noteworthy thing about VW "aircooled bug" era relays, is that there was a 6V one used on 1966, and 1967 went to 12V relay that looks and wires up the same. So a 6 volt car could use this system, too.

I am not sure if more modern VWs like watercooled cars, use this relay, but I think they must have. I believe it went to a smaller black plastic box, rather than the older steel cased one I showed in my pics. Most likely a different part number, and I think Steve posted a web-link about that.

 

This is how I had mine in my t-bucket. But I like your solution much better. Pretty slick.

 

Here is a possible solution for a momentary dimmer switch with signal switch for old small diameter columns:

VW -1966/1967 BUG signal switch, and you can see the small micro switch "pad" on the underside of switch lever tip. But this lever is an S bend for a dished steering wheel.





OR, for a non-dished steering wheel, here is a 1966/1967 VW BUS:

The BUS has the lever itself that bumps up for momentary, not the small micro-pad like the BUG.

I just don't know what size diameters the steering column tube needs to be, so be aware of that.
Also, the prices on repro switches at some vendors are crazy expensive but others are reasonable, so shop around if it will fit your column

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