rocker switch removal

[rocket]

My switches had the usual white powder covering which i have removed nicely,trouble is its difficult to get into the sides..do the switches come off from the front?

Cheers,

Ian.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Unfortunately not they are attached to the dash with screws on the back. Dash out job really.
Good luck.
John

[gerrym]

Ian, care to share your method for removing the white coating from the black plastic.

My switches look ill-matched, as some are original and quite grey/white coated while the newer replacements are still black.

Regards

Gerry

[MintSprint]

Ian, care to share your method for removing the white coating from the black plastic.

You can often polish it out with a light cutting compound/paint restorer like T-cut.

Personally, I'm lazy and usually flat the surface with fine wet-and-dry paper then spray with 'polycote' black plastic paint. If you do it carefully, in severl light coats, it gives a nice, glossy black finish with the minimum of elbow grease!

[Elan45]

I had to remove my window switches from my SS to repair them. I had the dash loose and pulled out just as far as the wiring and speedo cable would allow, but not out on the bench. Then I made a small screwdriver that would fit and did them sorta in place. Very tedious though.

Roger

[stugilmour]

Yes please share successful method of buffing up the switches!

I have the dash out, and have tried the brake fluid, contact cleaner, and powerful caustic cleaner to no avail. Any help appreciated. Would like to have the dash out precisely once!

If painting is the best method, should they be flat, "semi flat", or gloss?

Cheers!

[ebc699]

I have had good results using a product called Armour All Wipes to clean up the rocker switches.
Not sure whether these are available in places other than New Zealand and Australia (they're made in Aust). Their main use is to restore vinyl.
Hope this is of some help.
Cheers,
Wylie

[reb53]

I sprayed mine with a clear coat when I had them out.
Can't see why it couldn't be done in place with a bit of careful masking.

Lasted 4 or 5 years but we have hot summers and the highest ultraviolet levels in the world here.
In the UK probably last a couple of centurys..

The spray is a good trick for tired old powdery looking rear lenses as well.
Don't do the outside though, spray on the inside.

Ralph.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

During the rebuild of my S4 I took the lazy way described by MintSprint.
I made cutouts in a piece of thin cardboard & used masking tape to fix all of the switches to the back of it. This provided masking for all ofthe switches at once.
Prior to that I carefully degreased the parts.
For paint I used one of the proprietry brands of aerosol semi matt black paint. (as available in Halfords etc.)
8 years on & they're still looking like new.

Cheers
John

[richardcox_lotus]

On an S4 a masking cutout plate for an entire row of the main bank of switches can be made to fit within the size of a Cereal packet box.

I'll look up what I used when I'm back @ home,, but I recall they looked great for a year, but then they needed doing again. I'm still pondering what substance to use.

(On the switches, obviously)

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Ralph

that's one of the first things I did on my S4.
I masked off the switches in situ; cleaned thoroughly with methelated spirit to degrease.
The corrosion for want of a better description for the mentioned "Greying" provided IMO a good enough key for the paint mentioned in my previous submission.
This method will be sufficient to give an excellent finsh to most of the visible part of the rocker when in the normal "off" position but another coat of paint will be needed in the "on" position. But even that doesn't work well with the window (spring loaded) switches.
To get paint at (or even restore) the whole of the rocker, the switches have to come off the dash. I've been there.


Richard,

the back from a "Corn Flakes" packet is exactly what I used
A craft knife & a straight edge is all you need to produce the cut outs.

Generally speaking, as with any paint job, the result relies on the preparation.
A thorough degrease in this case will do the job; as I metioned before, mine still look great after 8 years.

Cheers
John