Saginaw steering column turn signal switch came apart in southern AZ heat!

[Gerald Morris]

A little warning to purchasers of newly made turn signal switches for Saginaw steering columns: BE WARY OF DIRECT SUN! About a month ago, the right turn signal on Gertrude ceased function when switching for it. Yestereve, so did the Left signal. I checked the flashers, and the lights all blinked well enough via the emergency switch, so, this morning I opened the column, and LO! the little metal contact tabs in the switch body had come loose! One fell down where I could pick it out with needle nosed pliers. I tested the turn signals with a jumper and test light while I had the column open up top, and it works when contact is made just fine.

I HATE paying over a damn C-note for something that will come apart in the heat in just under 2 years!!!!! There things are made in country too, but it shows that bad design and hung over workers can excrete bad product here just as well as can our asiatic peers.

I ordered another damned switch, not having time to twiddle with my customary home-grown repairs and improvements on this one, though, when I extract THIS switch, I plan to REPAIR IT AND DO A BETTER JOB THAN THE ORIGINAL FACTORY!!! This **** isn't difficult, just time consuming, and that is the ONE resource I lack until after early November, when we will all know if Civilization will fall or not.

I'm now going to also shop for a MOPAR MADE steering column for our '68 Newport. I've seen them around. I prefer to keep my Mopars uncontaminated by GM excrescence when at all possible.

 

[CBODY67]

FWIW, the Chrysler Saginaw columns are NOT the same as GM Saginaw columns. Finding a non-
Saginaw collapsible steering column might be "a trick".

Saginaw might have made the columns, but to Chrysler specs. When I took apart the Saginaw column on my '80 Newport, which looked to all the world to be the same as a similar model year Caprice, I quickly discovered that NONE of the GM turn signal parts we had in stock would work in it. Had to buy it all from Chrysler. The GM switch is a complete assy, rather than "pieces".

The metal bearings WERE the same, though. I could have sold the GM bearings to the dealer at our normal wholesale price and that was below their dealer cost! We could all have made money on that deal.

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[volksworld]

I'm sure you can make your intentions known with a one finger salute...

 

[Gerald Morris]

FWIW, the Chrysler Saginaw columns are NOT the same as GM Saginaw columns. Finding a non-
Saginaw collapsible steering column might be "a trick".
....

Nooo ****! Looks like they've all been bought up, damnit! Just 2 yrs ago, I saw a couple for just 1 C Note. THOSE DAYS HAVE GONE! Whether the Saginaw fac made things cross compatible between GM and Chrysler or not, the damn Saginaw steering columns require more expensive plastic. I'm appalled that something I got new just under 2 yrs ago failed from such a weakness! So, if this sort of thing can be expected now with hotter weather coming and such, I want the more common in house column, which uses the more common switch.

I probably CAN mend this failure, FWTW, but I haven't the TIME right now to experiment on such. Oh heavens NO! The Politicos have got me in my short skirt and red lipstick this autumn, working for them. The $ is GOOD, better than I ever made before, but still NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

Neither are Tweedledee OR Tweedledum, Truth be Told, but they pay....

 

[Gerald Morris]

I'm sure you can make your intentions known with a one finger salute...

Oh yes! I'm rawther FLUENT with such manual EFFLUENT, or maybe, "F-" FLUENT!

Aaaaaaanyyyywaaaay, I bought the replacement from Shee-Mar, the SM107, and will install the new one when I get time to open the steering column, do that little chore again, and maybe replace that upper bearing while I have it accessible. Nice to have all the hardware and special little tools to ease the job. I lack mere time.

Might upgrade the blinker switches also. I have 2 electro-mech blinker relays, better for LEDs than the old thermo-electric stuff, but QUALITY still rears its head up. I see some folks on our Forum who dig Grote components, and seeing how the blinker blinked more vigorously when I used an old school incandescent test lamp, it occurs to me that maybe a resistive load would do better with this sino-blinker, OR the Grote might do better as a proper electro-mech should. I LIKE my all LED running lights, and the current draw from them is VERY low, so I don't cotton to compromising my circuits with a heavy load.... unless I REALLY MUST.

I'll replace that damn SM107 first, then see how nicely everything else works. DUST pervades, and INVADES everything in that car, so I've found the regular application of an air compressor and vacuum cleaner helps maintain electrical integrity. I keep the engine tightly sealed as possible too.