Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Wish I'd seen this a few weeks ago, would've saved me some time and $30. I've been rewiring my whole car (Added fuel injection, added Bussman fuse/microrelay boxes and deleted a number of the original wiring functions - I should post pictures) and found the heater fan switch was defunct. Also the plastic was oxidized. I bought a replacement from Ray and quickly realized that it would require woodwork because 1) it was wide, and 2) it was low in the dash.

In the end I took the old switch apart, cleaned and lubricated the contacts/levers, and polished the plastic. Works fine but not quite as glossy as the new switch. I'd rather live with this than prise up the plywood, but that's just my opinion. Tom

I've heard alot about the fading of old switches and the sharp/shiny finish of new switches.
Hey gang, they are just plastic and can be re-finished you know... I've routinely "painted" my switches to retain a dark, rich luster of flat black and they look great. Give it a try yourself !
BEFORE:
AFTER:

With the help from Steve's (Plus2) post along with the excellent photos, I have re-conditioned mine. The caveat was that my center contact was riveted to the housing and those two rivets rivets were the problem. I mounted the switch body on top of a punch and tapped the rivet with another punch. It works fine now but I would have used a drop of solder If I had noticed the picture earlier (or if I was a bit more electronically savvy). Next time?

Tom