dimmer switch | MG TD TF 1500

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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - dimmer switch

My headlight foot operated dimmer switch fell apart and I'm looking for a replacement. Moss has a replacement for about 50 bucks plus shipping which I find a little expensive. They sure look like a dimmer from a 40's or 50's Ford or Chevy. Any ideas for a equivelent replacement?
Best regards, Daniel

daniel

Abingdon spares lists about $38.

George Butz

Daniel,
They are not generic. I have one off a 62 Sprite that you can have for the shipping. It won't mount as the original does but serves the same purpose. Personally I don't find 50 bucks all that bad for something that's purpose made that maybe Moss sells a half dozen a year if they are lucky. In the game of capitalisim every business is required to make a profit to keep operating. How much is to much? I don't know. But at this stage of my life I can either afford it or I can't. You want to go cheap then you can go to Radio Shack and buy a 3 Dollar toggle switch and drill a hole in the dash and run some wire and you are all set. How much is YOUR time worth? Sorry about the rant but my wife has a small construction related business and ocasionally someone will bitch that the price is to high. They can always buy a simular product cheaper someplace else but they are not comparing apples to apples. Why does a Kia cost 10,000 and a Mercedes 95,000? Quality is paramount to her. Her profit margin is slim and it's a rare year that she makes more than the 14 employess that work for her. Bottom line is buy something that works or cobble something together.

LaVerne

LED DOWNEY

As indicated in Gordon's post in the "Choke Position" thread, it's called an "ANTI DAZZLE" switch !!!!

SPW

Steve Wincze

My Moss summer catalog lists it for 41.95, but the way to buy Moss products is through their distributors, which normally discount about 15%. The Little British Car Company has it for $37.36. Either way you will also have to pay shipping.

This also supports the independent small business guys.

http://www.lbcarco.com/

You might take the old switch in hand to a good local old time auto parts store and find one for a Chev or Ford, but the flange mount will probably different.

The real issue with the replacements is not the cost but whether they are foreign made and will they hold up to the starting current - ;^)

D C Congleton

Daniel,
I owe you an apology. You didn't ask for a lecture, just a little help and I was a jackass. Must have been a bad day. Offer is still good for the Sprite switch if you want it.

LaVerne

LaVerne

LaVerne: Checking the Lucas master catalogue, the TD dipper switch is the Lucas 31284 (FS22-1) used on just about every European car from '48 - '62 including the '62 Sprite. It is listed as a " dipper, push type, 4 hole mounting flange, natural finish" It doesn't show or list any other mounting flange or part number. My question is, how is the one from your sprite different from the TD? Just curious.

Cheers

Larry

Larry Karpman

Larry,
Here are some shots of the switch. Obvious differences are the spade terminals. The barrel is of a smaller diameter and the mounting method is different. The outside casing is stamped 2 62 (which I would assume is the date of manufacture) and 91600B.
The inside is cast with LUCAS ENGLAND and 21SA.

LED DOWNEY

And another shot

LED DOWNEY

And finally

LED DOWNEY

LaVerne, it takes a big man to appologize when he may have offended someone, but your remarks have much validity to them. As a lot of you know, I own a business too, and margins are slim.

I doubt very much that Moss makes a lot on idividual pieces, they do try to be a volumn operation, hence the use of distributors as well as direct sales. Sometimes they miss the mark on value, but that's up to us as individuals to decide. I don't like paying high prices for something I can do, and enjoy doing myself. I returned the Moss Windshield Wiper Motor Mounting kit after I discovered they left out pieces which I needed (and eventually repaired myself) and included things that were very easy to make (cork gaskets and such). But if you need the little chrome metal stampings included with a kit, perhaps it is a good buy. I want value for my money, I don't think that makes me cheap, but I won't cobble something together unecessarily. It did teach me to be more careful about what I order from Moss and try it myself first.

Daniel, you asked for an 'equivelant' replacement. My personal theory is this: My first step is to try to repair my original piece. This often involves epoxy, JB Weld, donor parts and careful soldering and crimping. If that fails, I get a period piece and try to place its guts into my original hardware. If that fails, I choose between the Moss replacement or adapting a period piece to work. Moss parts are sometimes not a good idea as threads aren't always correct, and often they have no better source than we do as far as longevity of electronics is concerned... the electrical power output on our cars can be inconsistent, and foriegn parts can be cheap, just look at the brake switch archive (sign up and be a member here, its free!) and you will see the value of adding a relay from Dave DuBois. My final choice is to have an expert rebuild my part with what they feel is the best combination of modern and old technologies.

I try to minimize my adaptations as I know exactly how I feel when I find something squirelly which a DPO (dreaded previous owner) has done for the sake of 'cheapness' or lack of initiative. Furthermore, I like the positive ground, period feel to the shifting, regular greasing of the suspension, setting the points kind of driving we get to enjoy in our period cars. Since I don't want to be that DPO in the future, I have tried to document things that are different and will pass that and my photo rebuild album on to the next owner. After that, its up to him or her.

I think LaVerne's side point is this: If you do something expedient to your car, make it temporary and reverse it in the future. And I'll add that if you change something permanently, document the change.

warm regards,
dave

Dave Braun

Thanks LaVerne. The SA21 and FS22-1 switches are certainly different alright.

Cheers

Larry

Larry Karpman

I recently had a dipper switch fly apart, similar to the one pictured, only with screw terminals on my 58 TR3a. The can looking thing that you push has a spring under it, the "can" is held on by a rivetlike protrusion on the shaft. That let go.

If the spring and can are still there, you can drill the shaft and fasten the can back to it with the spring under, by whatever screw you think appropriate. And maybe a bit of loctite. Even smear some jb weld to hide the screw head if you wish.

If this is all that happened to the switch in question, I think it's an OK thing to repair.

It was kind of funny, just after finding this part broken on my car, I saw the can and spring laying on the floor of a TR3 in and Ebay ad. Must finally be time for them to fly apart. Talk about planned obsolescence! Only 50 years after the part was made, the damn thing quits working..LOL.

Happy New Year!!

Tom

Thanks to all, I did find a suitable replacement at a local auto parts store. It works fine.
I have signed up,don't know why that (non-member) shows up.
Best regards, Daniel

daniel

I'm amazed how different that switch is from the one in my TF! Wonder now if mine was a victim of the old "DPO" theory!
As I recall form moving mine to a new location ("tundra hoof" kept catching it and blinding oncoming traffic!) mine looked much more "modern". Anybody know if there was a change from TD to TF in the switch?
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427

David Sheward

Dave: Well, I'm not sure whether to trust the Lucas Master catalogue or the Lucas Equipment catalog too much anymore, but:

1. The 31284 FS22-1 "pictured" in the Moss Catalog for late TD-TF and in the Lucas Master Catalogue for MG '53-'60 are the same type, with "4 hole mounting" plate. See image below.

2. The one in my late TD ('53) looks similar, but the mounting plate is much wider, and has only two mounting holes, not four (top and bottom of the backing plate).

3. The SA21 switch posted by LaVerne is not listed for the '62 Sprite it came from, but again, I'm not sure now how much to trust the catalogs as mine does not look like it is "supposed to" look anyway.

So, if I had to guess, I'd say the Moss switch for the late TD-TF looks exactly like the Lucas catalogue picture (31284), so perhaps it is the correct one for the late TD-TF - maybe :-)

Cheers

Larry

Larry Karpman

Item # 270200058234 on ebay is the Lucas 31284 dipper that is correct for the late TD-TF.

Larry

Larry Karpman

A dumb question. Where will I find the dipper switch on a 1950 TD. Just took delivery of my TD and haven't seen the dipper switch yet or the brake light switch.
Thanks
Morris

Evan Ford - TD 27621

Morris... sign out of the forum and sign back in... you have picked up Evan's info!!!

Think your dipper switch is on the light switch? Your brake light switch should be on the frame under your driver's seat as part of the brake lines?