Technical How safe would a 1939 Under Dash switch be?

Found this panel at Hershey last year, and got a matching switch to full the hole on the end. If you understand electricity, would it be safe to use, or should I just leave it on the shelf? Thank you.

Bob

 

To me it looks like a fire hazard, even if the whole thing was protected by steel box.

 

You wont know until you try. Bench test it. Power and ground to the proper points. A load, such as a heater motor or head light bulb. If the switch does not heat up, I would not be afraid of it.

Ben

 

If the snow ever melts and it is sunny and 65 or warmer outside, somebody might try that. Knowing what it once fit would help sell it.

 

If the bakelight is good; you could probably clean the contacts and have a piece that is probably "safer" than the current Chineseum switches.

 

Any idea why there are Five switches? I got it from a Fire Truck guy.

 

Just update the switches and ground the panel.

 

Hello,
Nice find and future project. If it is the nice panel and switches you want to preserve, no amount of new wiring will be safe if you use the old wiring and switches. Get new switches and put on the old handles using the old bracket. Now, you will have a nice old bracket, with new rear wiring and be safe without any future problems. You will have a new/old switch panel. It will look good in any old car.

Any old wiring is suspect and should be discarded. If you figure out where each one should go, now the new wires will make everything safe.



In our 327 powered 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, we had a new switch for accessory lights. It had a new black knob. But, if we had found an old one like this, it would be totally refurbished with new switches and new wiring, but retain the old knobs only. Your new project would be a version of NOS... YRMV

 

This. Put new switches in and swap the knobs? That is a really cool panel and switches, would be a shame to not use it.

 

Unless the bakelite has turned to carbon and isn't cracked, it would be fine to use. Give them a squirt with some contact cleaner, test them out with a load, and see how you go. Plenty of original switches still being used in 20's & '30's cars on the road now.

 

Looks like a nice accessory switch panel to add some switched lights to your fire truck. I don't have any idea what use it would be in a hot rod, though.

 

I would use it in a heartbeat. Like Rich B said, prolly better than a new piece o junk. Just clean it up, try spray electrical cleaner, and/or bend the tabs over, take it apart and clean it proper. Any high amp stuff like head lights could use the old switch to trigger a relay so very little power going thru the switch. You could play with it and run a headlight bulb on there to see if the switch gets warm.
Heat = resistance, which means it needs to be cleaned up

 

Yes, a good cleaning and testing for safety. Any bigger loads should be p***ed off to a relay with the switch acting as trigger.
Moving contacts can and will get corroded, but just like more modern switches or solenoids, can work safely, provided the insulator is still whole.
Have you checked/sourced the fuses?

 

I'd start by putting an ohm meter across the terminals to see how much resistance there is on the contacts. If you read more than 1 ohm after zeroing your meter it's got some dirty contacts. The higher the resistance the more heat there will be when a load is across the switch. So I'd avoid it if the contacts don't have low resistance.

 

The patent sheet you posted showed a diagram with two switches; head lights on one and park lights and tail light on the other. A fire truck would have those and additional switches for a Mars light, spot light, work light, etc.

 

This is what I have in my Advance Design Chevy truck. It's sort of like the one in the opening post but it has new repop switches. That's what I would recommend doing with that one too.
I got the vintage, chrome bezil-pod off of The Bay Of Fleas and added the new switches. It wraps around the bottom and ends to mask the back side. The one on the left is a cig lighter, though I don't smoke or allow it in my truck. I just wanted the power port to be able to plug in an accessory, though I've never used it to date. I could change it for another switch, ****on, or something else easy enough.
The pod is under the dash, centered. The backs of the switches just stick out in the back but I have a new, neat wiring harness so I'm not worried about any possible concerns.