My name is Craig S. Nelson, US Navy (ret). I am currently a 5th year senior at McPherson College in Kansas and will graduate in May 2016 with a B.S. in Automotive Restoration Management and a B.S. in Automotive Restoration Technology.

I am currently interning at a shop for the summer, started last month, and must depart in early August. The goal is to finish the electrical and final assembly before I leave on a '67 E-Type Series 1.5 OTS with the 4.2L engine.


I need to know about the correct function of the dash and panel lighting.


The second switch from the right is the "Bright/Dim Panel" switch. The current switch is a 3 position unit with 4 contacts. The switch works, but I believe the switch is incorrect and I am getting incorrect lighting sequences between the 3 panel lights and the 4 gauge lights.


The wiring schematics show that this switch must have 8 contacts. The red power wire from the fuse box connects to contact #4, the red/blue wires (panel lights x 3) connect to contact #7, and the red/white wires (gauge lights x 4) connect to contact #8.


If we get the right switch, I assume it is also a 3 position switch (off, low, high). In the low or high positions, do all 3 panel and all 4 gauge lights turn on simultaneously in a low and high amp mode? Or do one set of lights go on before or after the other?

I can always be reached at (619) 944-8971 or nelscra@bulldog.mcpherson.edu.

Thanks.

 

Hello Craig,
All of the following is from memory, but I think its correct. I think you will find that of the four sets of two terminals, one set of two is bridged. Power through the fuse comes from the Park Light switch to one side of this two terminal bridge, and the other side goes to the globes in the switch identification strip at the bottom of the centre instrument panel. Accordingly, this ID strip is illuminated when the Park Light switch is turned on irrespective of whether the Instrument Off/Dim/Bright switch is on or not. The wires to these globes are Red and Blue.

With power to the two terminal bridge via the Park Light switch, current can be directed to the panel lights via a resister by creating continuance with the two terminal bridge. This is the second of the three positions of the switch, the first position being off, and the wire colour should be Red and Brown. When the switch is moved to the third position, continuance is made through to the panel lights through a circuit with no resister. The colours of these wires should be Red and White.

Regards,

Brent

 

I have an untampered with series 1.5 car I am tearing down, but US series 1.5 did not have flip switches as pictured here but were rocker switches. Is this a european e-type??.

 

This is what a 1.5 series panel should look like, slightly different than a series 2, very different than a series 1 which is what yours is (late series 1)

 

Hello Jagrick,
Note completely correct. Early 1.5 E Types had Toggle Switches whilst late production 1.5s had Rocker Switches as seen on S2 and S3 E Types. Early S2 cars had the same Instrument Panel as late S1.5 production panels (as shown in your attached picture). Late production S2 cars had an Instrument Panel that had raised buttresses either side of the Park-Light/Head-Light cluster as shown in the picture attached below.

There were a few versions of the Dash Panel layout used in the S2, with the version used in the very late production S2s, used in the S3 E Type. Early S2 cars had no Choke Control labels; the same as late S1.5s. Later S2 cars had flat Choke Control labels, whilst late production S2 cars had a Raised and Back-lit labels. The attached picture is the Instrument panel of a car built right in the middle of the S2 Production.

It would seem that the lack of correct parts wouldn't stop production. I've seen a few examples of RHD vehicles (originally built as RHD), fitted with LHD wiper arms and wipe set up; wiper arms parking on the passenger (LH Side) of the vehicle.

The wiring layout remained primarily the same for the Instrument "On/Dim/Not Quite So Dim" switch through to and including the S3 Cars. Some S3 cars had a Rheostat to turn On/Off, or adjust the brightness (degree of dimness) of the Switch Identification strip at the bottom of the Instrument panel. I've actually only seen this particular Rheostat on Roadsters, so I'm unsure if this addition was build period, or body style related. I've had late model OTS and 2+2 cars to compare and I've only seen it on the OTS.

Regards,

Brent

Regards

 

Get em out the door was the mantra for many manufacturers of the day--I like the Jags that came out with a key start as well as a push button!!!