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Think I just Up-screwed...

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DrEntropy

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin
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Installing the floor mounted dimmer switch, Ms. Horsemits standing by for the headlight illumination test... FAILED miserably! Traced immediately to the floor switch as there was power IN but naught comin' OUT.

Cut to DrE wrasslin' the switch: Into the vise, ~carefully~ deforming the ears to lift the contact plate out, EEWWwwww!! Enough crud, solidified lube and PITTING to make a case for replacement. Here's where I feel I made the fax paus: I did NOT photograph the process, rather set-to and just FIXED it. It would have made a good tech article.

Say what you will about Lucas electrics. Any time you can disassemble a switch, clean and service it, plug it back in and see it work, it is a QUALITY unit! I gave it the empirical "Ten Times Test" with not a hint of failure... and the date stamp on it is '66, BTW. That puppy will last ANOTHER forty years.

LUCAS ROCKS!
 
Doc, did the same thing to the floor mounted switch on my '63 Midget. They're a pretty robust unit.
I've often said that any Lucas problems were more related to execution, rather than design.
Just like today. Design a good product, and then have the bean counters cost cut the reliability right out of it.
Sigh.
Jeff
 
[ QUOTE ]
Doc, did the same thing to the floor mounted switch on my '63 Midget. They're a pretty robust unit.
I've often said that any Lucas problems were more related to execution, rather than design.
Just like today. Design a good product, and then have the bean counters cost cut the reliability right out of it.
Sigh.
Jeff

[/ QUOTE ]

yup. But ya gotta also factor in the: "Why do ~I~ hafta put the radio/wiper switch, etc. in THAT li'l piece o' s**t! --- hand me some black tape and nevermind th' crimp fasteners!!" attitude of a LOT of people who used to "fix" these cars. And I consider crimp fasteners of any flavour to be less-than acceptable on my wiring, too, but even THAT was too much hassle from most I've come across. They (LBC's) were ALWAYS considered "second class citizens" and consequently half-arsed repair was the order of the day.
More recently it's become the way you described it. Just shortcuts the "failure process" by a step or two, to save a buck a unit... ARGH. We'll be at Third World status in less than two generations.
 
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