No High Beams - Light Switch Question

C

Cyclone Curt

New member
I'm working on "Casey" , my 1930 Pickup, who is straight from a 30 year slumber in an Iowa barn. To get Casey roadworthy again, I've been working on getting the lights operational. I've hit a challenge with getting the high beams working.

Cowl lights work at the 7 o'clock position of the steering wheel switch. . Off is at the 6 o'clock. Low beams at the 5 o'clock, but the switch won't rotate further to get to the next high beam position. The top housing of the light switch has stops that only allow a rotation of 90 degrees. See photo. Seems like it should rotate 120 degrees so the contact "bumps" can touch four spots (off + 3 brass) on the bakelite contact plate.

The cowl lights were an addition. Would there have originally been two styles of switch housings, like 3 positions for without cowl lights and 4 positions for with cowl lights? Catalogs only have one type. Appreciate any insights.

Thanks for all the valuable info provided on this sight. Really helpful.
 
There are 4 or 5 different switch designs from the beginning in late 1927 to the end in 1931. Check your switch spider and see if it is the triangulated spider or the square one. The change to the triangular set up was well before 1930 since most changes were early. A person has to see how many switch terminals there are in the disc as well. There was always a dead position and two or three live positions. Early ones had no park lights so they only had running high & low for lights. When the Twolite headlamps came out, they added the park lamp but that could also power cowl lamps if a car is so equipped.

Some modern reproductions have the terminal dimples too deep on the switch disk and it can make operation of the switch very stiff. This is a good link for electricals.
https://www.mafca.com/downloads/Seminars/2018 Reno Electrical System Alex Janke.pdf
 
You haven’t mentioned replacing any parts in the system. If that’s correct, it’s totally possible that the headlight switch at the bottom of the steering column is from a later model Ford. They are the same as the Model A switch on the outside and they fit the same way, but the internal mechanism is limited so that it will not turn any further to the right side. Later Vehicles using this switch had foot operated dimmer switches on the floor to activate the “bright” headlamp function. Correct Model A switches will work on the later vehicles but the correct switch for those vehicles will not work on a Model A ............. because it lacks the function for activating the bright lights. It’s possible this switch was used sometime previous to your vehicle’s “ long nap” as a stop gap for a switch that didn’t work at all.

Good luck. Bob Bader
 
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