<font color="green">Here's the plan... I have an overhead console in the 41. It contains the rockers for the damn power windows I put in. (seemed a good idea at the time) It also contains the switches for the electric fan, dome light, and another switch that is currently not in use. I want to get rid of the console, as well as the vents I put in the dash when I reworked it, with plans of AC. I know, I know. Now, I would like to find a finned piece of cast aluminum that would be long enough and wide enough to cover the vent holes, then machine holes for 5 switches. I am looking for something different for switches than the **** they have at the tuner section in the stores, something more old school. Got any ideas? Anybody have something flat, finned and broken that they want to donate to the cause? Oil pan with the drain plug busted out? Thanks, RASHY </font>
Find some anatomically correct male dolls or action figures... Cut, glue...DISCO! "Yo! Flp **** Switch number three for me, would ya?" Ha Ha Ha.!!!
Try to get some aircraft grade aluminum from a s****yard or repair shop. I think If you can get some sort of riveted section, mebbe with the i.d. numbers still on it, it would look awesome. You could dub the car the Aero Coupe! Or not. -Crew
i don't like toggle switchs either , thats why i use all push/pull switckes like napa # pp 6020 or pp 6021...they have a shaft with 10-24 thread on the end so you can use just about anything you can think of for a knob...most headlight switchs are push/pull so they will all look alike...or you can make them all different , and change them whenever you feel like it
fOR my air pags i took some metal flake dash knobs and opened em up a bit and slid them over my toggles. FONZI
check out these switches ,they have a pull to move function plus you get the label for the bezels,and just get an engine turned panel or do it your self with a drill press and wirecupbrush http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/p370graphics/toggleswitches.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/toggleswitches.php&h=128&w=425&sz=18&tbnid=-_Hklv52YeQJ:&tbnh=36&tbnw=119&start=11&prev=/images%3Fq%3Daircraft%2Btoggle%2Bswitches%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26newwindow%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG
When I most recently needed a stout toggle switch, I went to a local outfit that caters to the heavy truck guys. Got nice, heavy duty switches for reasonable money.
Aircraft salvage yard/surplus store's.Know anyone at McDonnel-Douglas,American Airline's? Those push/pull metalflake switches the other HAMBer// sound good.
Toggle switches are about as old school as you can get. WW2 aircraft toggles and similar toggles were used in many a back in the day hot rod. More than likely the fad started by WW2 aircraft mtce, crew and pilots returned from the war who wanted to duplicate the usually well laid out aircraft panels and give their hot rods that military no-nonsense look. Toggles are still the #1 choice in my book. Get good quality toggles at an electric parts house, Allied Electronics and even the 'for-real' parts stores. None of those short shafted wonders either. And stay away from the overly long ones as well. Did I mention you'll go to hell if you use the plastic bat-winged toggles? And if you already got them, please note that I'm not calling you a bad person. I worry about your future though.... Make a point to get DC rated switches cuz a DC arc is tougher to break than an AC arc. The AC switches will work fine for a while, but when they go they'll give you fits cuz they work one time and not the next. Toggles are available in more than a few electrical arrangements. Learn the code for them - 1PDT (single pole, double throw) for instance. You can get momentary on's and momentary off's as well as spring loaded one way and locked the other. The arrangements are usually enough to do anything electrically you want to do. Far as finned aluminum stuff - take a look at some of the aluminum heat sinks you can get at the electric supply houses. Radio Shack may even have a heat sink you can use. Most times, they're not too large, perhaps 4" long at the longest, but if that covers up the problem area....
<font color="green"> Thanks for all the input guys. The plastic batwings is what I have in the console now and have never liked them they look....well, plastic. I work for FlightSafety International and have access to actual steel toggles and the red covers but thought that might look too Nitrousy. I scored a busted fin allie oil pan at dinner tonight so I'll just cut a section and machine the recesses for the switches, so the plate is taken care of. I will check the big truck shops, that is a good idea, I know there is a huge truck stop this side of joplin with every type of switch you can imagine. Easier to research here than drive that distance. I like the idea of push knobs. Are there any that would work for windows? Maybe some sort that would be normally then close when twisted to the left for one circuit or to the right for another circuit? That way, if I used pull outs for the other things, they will all appear the same. RASHY </font>
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