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MG MGA - early 60s cig lighter

Hi:

I have a 61 mga 1600 and was given a period cig lighter accessory by a good friend of mine. He said it was definitely early 60s. I'd like to use it for cell phone recharging.

My lighter came in a bag totally disassembled. I don’t want to install it without seeing how it is supposed to be assembled. Am not even totally positive all pieces are there, however it looks complete.

Could someone who has a period lighter in their dash take a picture(s) of yours? glennj0953@earthlink.net One from the front looking into the casing and then one from the back side so I can use it as a guide? I have a fiber flat washer and a brass nut along with steel flat and lock washers which sandwich the brass spade lead. The proper sequence of those washers with the hot spade lead is what i am after. Also, what gauge wire is running to your hot lead? Would it be equivalent to the 28 strand brown or yellow harness wires?

Am not the expert electrical engineer. When the lighter is pressed in, it appears that the lighter coil is captured by the ear tabs at the front of the ceramic base thus holding the coil down onto the ceramic base with the hot current flowing from rear spade connector through the threaded stem to the lighter coil until the heat loosens the tabs? That would mean that there is always hot current ON from the lead through that threaded stem?

I fabricated the galvanized back brace to hold the lighter to the dash, however am not sure if that is kosher when the current gets applied.


Will really appreciate the pictures – thanks!
Hope your mga is running well.



glenn johnson

Glenn

Is you car posiitve or negative earth? If positive and you mount it on your dashboard you will not be able to use it as a cell phone charger etc. You would have to mount it on an insulated plinth and wire it for modern negative earth appliances.

Steve
Steve Gyles

hi - sorry for not including that - it is negative ground.
glenn johnson

I think the lighter doesn't care about polarity.

I had an aftermarket lighter in my MGA in 1960 installed by the dealer. It was mounted in a box with ashtray between the armrest and the shifter. I kept it until someone riding in the middle seat sat on it and burned up the wiring and part of the carpet.

I put a fused lighter (power) socket behind the seat on my current MGA.

Jim
Jim Ferguson

The lighter does not care about polarity but the cell phone battery being charged does.

Mick
M F Anderson

Mine is going into the dash - if anyone could take some pics, that would be great - especially from behind where the hot lead is connected
glenn johnson

Glenn

I ran my hot wire through the bulkhead to terminal A4 on the fuse block.

Before you 'destroy' your instrument panel with a hole, there are other places the cigarette lighter could be mounted. I placed a wooden plinth between 2 of the dashboard supporting struts, using existing holes on the struts to secure. The plinth is on the passenger side, so wires for the sat nav/mob charger are out of the way of the driver. This wooden plinth would also solve the problem for those with positively earthed cars allowing the 'isolated' unit to be wired up accordingly.

Picture attached of my setup. The other switch is for my electric windscreen wash. Something for the passenger to play with!


Steve Gyles

very nice Steve - mine is going into an auxiliary dash - sitting just below the heater fascia
glenn johnson

If you are going to "float" the case of the lighter and still maintain the positive ground, MAKE SURE that the case of any device you plug in is electrically isolated from both wires of the power cord. This way if the case contacts other car metal, no short circuit is created.

All electrical devices that plug into a cigarette lighter socket (now called an accessory outlet) presume that the center pin is positive and the shroud is negative.

If your car is converted to negative ground, go ahead and mount the lighter socket to sheet metal somewhere if you'd like.
Chuck Schaefer

This thread was discussed between 20/11/2010 and 22/11/2010

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