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need a weird part, Can you help?

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Jerry

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I am trying to repair a Lucas PLC 2 switch. I need one part that is inside the unit. If you happen to have one that is broken, and want to share the inside piece of pot metal, I would appreciate it. The piece I want is pot metal, about 1.5 inches long and inside the unit. I don't care about the rest of the parts.

Jerry
 
What is a PLC 2 switch? What is t from and do you have a picture? Some folks may have one, but don't know what it's called.
 
It is an ignition switch used on some T series. Here's a parts layout. It's a combo switch for ignition and headlights. I think Moss still has them or parts new. PJView attachment 51803
 
Moss has a new PLC 5 but not PLC 2 which is for the 1930s cars. In the second row above, the far right hand part is what I need. Now the good news is that part seems to be the same in the versions of PLC that I have seen.
Why is this switch different? These cars do not have a voltage regulator, instead there is a cut out that looks like a regulator that burns up extra charge from the generator (which may put out 8amp). The switch has a setting that tells the charge to go to the battery or not. Then the rest of the switch controls the ignition (on), or lights. So lots of wires go into the switch as you can see from the back above.
PS: the car I am working on is a 1936 Morris 8 (8 British HP). About 27HP in our language.
Jerry
 
Jerry, is the face on the switch different between the 2 & 5? Be much more cost effective during manufacture to change the face and lever than the whole switch assembly, to apply to a different car/model. Possibly the insides are the same ?? PJ
 
Most of the parts are similar but they changed size of a few by a few thousands. I altered a new PLC 5 face to fit the old PLC2 but the internal pot metal part is enough different that I can't use it.
 
New one for a TD from Moss is a 100 bucks. PLC-5 I think. Might be able to use the old face and lever?

OOPs, sorry Jerry, didn't see your last post on already trying to use PLC-5 parts.
View attachment 51809
 
Last edited:
Jerry said:
In the second row above, the far right hand part is what I need. Now the good news is that part seems to be the same in the versions of PLC that I have seen.
Click to expand...

Are there re-entrant or internal features that have to be molded or could this part be machined? Do you have enough of the broken part to "glue" it back together long enough for a machinist to make you a copy out of brass or aluminum?
 
I may have got this to work. Testing needs to be done as a lot of voltage goes through this switch. I took the pot metal part out of the PLC 5 that I bought and reamed it out to fit the key for the car. Then I cut a window into the face of the PLC 5 cover and exchanged that for the old PLC2 cover. something did not fit quite right but after 3 hours of fighting with the combo, I have them together. I had to make a new spring out of an old SU carb spring. So testing with an ohm meter, it works and looks like the original (almost). Still cheaper than buying one of the old units off Ebay which are now going for over $100.
Thanks
Jerry
 
Hope it works out for you! Owning a British car with hard to find parts fosters innovation!
 
My Prefect uses some version of that switch (not sure which). I took it apart and cleaned all the contacts then added relays to protect it from all that current.
 
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