#1  
Old 11-11-2020, 02:06 PM
Wageslave Wageslave is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 17
Default 1963 Headlight revisited

Here’s a not so techy tech tip. I did my research into headlight switches on the Forum and found that my 63 has a one year only headlight switch, maybe maybe not I’m not sure. Anyway I found that Pontiac used headlight switches from 59 to 68, give or take, that used the same headlight switch plug. The switches themselves might have been different in some way or the plug wired differently or a combination of both. Let me qualify the following with what I’ve been doing. I went to do my weekly startup and smoke came out of the dash, the 57 year old wiring had given up. All the brittle insulation and splices and butchery had taken their toll.
So I got a Painless wiring kit and went to work rewiring from headlights to tail lights and everything in between. First casualty was the wiper switch, got an NOS 2 speed switch for a replacement, second was the headlight switch. Tail lights on all the time, no parking lights and no dash lights. I took the switch apart and it was dust. I had rewired the headlight plug according to Painless (Painless what joke) and went on the assumption I had done the job correctly. So I ordered this inexpensive switch set supposedly for a 63 Tempest. Under $45 for headlight, wiper, ignition and dimmer switches. The thing I was looking for was the 2 and 3 poles being tied together and I would rewire the plug from there. My new switch does not tie those poles together my old switch did. First lets see what works so I plugged the new switch up with no modifications and everything worked. Parking lights good, Headlights good high and low beam, Interior lights work with rheostat and on and off. Brake lights good and turn signals good and all combinations of the above worked. Not much else to say, could have made a long story shorter but hey I’m telling it. The original nut that holds the switch in the dash fit fine and the original switch rod works in the new switch as well. So at least the chinese switch can’t be seen. This is not an option if you want NOS original parts for your restoration, but for my driver Tempest perfect so far and I have a spare ignition switch, a dimmer switch and a wiper switch.
Hope this helps someone
Mike
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  #2  
Old 11-11-2020, 04:57 PM
694.1 694.1 is offline
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Default

Interesting...Let's see how that HL switch holds up.

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  #3  
Old 11-11-2020, 05:55 PM
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c5farmer c5farmer is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Jesup, Iowa 50648
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Default switch supplier?

Where did you get the switch and from what supplier? Tempest owners are always looking for part sources.

  #4  
Old 11-11-2020, 06:01 PM
Wageslave Wageslave is offline
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Default

Sorry, that was pretty stupid not adding that.
*bay naturally
(https://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-Type-Swi...cAAOSwhiJc7ZTq)
Probably have it on Amazon as well

  #5  
Old 11-11-2020, 06:03 PM
Wageslave Wageslave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 694.1 View Post
Interesting...Let's see how that HL switch holds up.
Yeah but how much will it get used even if it was a daily driver?

  #6  
Old 11-11-2020, 07:05 PM
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pontiac rodder pontiac rodder is offline
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Cool

Quote:
Originally Posted by 694.1 View Post
Interesting...Let's see how that HL switch holds up.
Something is better than nothing if you need one

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