Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

badhuis · Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 1497 Location: Netherlands

Sorry Ray, have to say this once. All the extra trouble you have by insisting the polarity to be kept "original" being positive ground. As we can all see in your (excellent!!) blog there are many things to your car that are not original anymore (the electronic flasher a good example), why oh why did you not change the polarity? Would have been so so much easier.

Please keep us informed about the progress to your TC. Hope it all goes well in the end (and that the end is near).
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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7589 Location: Derby

ukdave2002 · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4360 Location: South Cheshire

Hi Ray

Positive earth its self doesn't make things more complicated other than there are fewer modern devices made for positive earth which in its self has made the design more challenging!, certainly positive earth won't have any impact on reliability.

What I believe you have aimed to achieve with the cars electrics, is better functionality, performance and safety, being somewhat bespoke there are bound to be development snags, and you have been sorting this out, this has been compounded with less than perfect repro components together with aging 80 year old components !

One observation is that every time you, for example add a relay in to a circuit, it typically doubles the amount of electrical connections, thus doubling the chance of any sort of connection failure. Now modern vehicles probably have 1000x more electrical connections than your TC has, and on the whole they are pretty reliable, but the motor industry has moved to using the type of connectors and connector protection that originated in the aviation industry, i.e. they tend to lock and have high levels of environmental protection , you simply won't find simple Lucas type exposed connections on a modern, or bulb contacts that rely simply on the springiness of a bulb holder etc.

One simple method that I have adopted in the wiring of older cars, is where there is a wire to a screw terminal is firstly strip the cable with precise strippers to ensure that the strands are not damaged (we debated this on the forum a couple of weeks ago) and then fit a ratchet crimped Eye, Fork or Boot Lace Ferrule, add a smear of Contraube 770. I did this when I wired my MGA 12 years ago, and have not had a single electrical contact problem. Remembering that any crimped terminal has to be the correct size of the wire gauge.

Yes you have made a bit of a rod for your own back with the additional electrical complexity, Mad

but work through it and you will reap the benefits in the long term. Smile

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7589 Location: Derby

JC T ONE · Joined: 30 Oct 2008 Posts: 1199 Location: Denmark

ukdave2002 · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4360 Location: South Cheshire

Soldering terminals is fine, the thing to avoid is bare stranded cable in screw connectors, if you don't have any boot lace ferrules or ring connecters, tin the cable first.

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7589 Location: Derby

alastairq · Joined: 14 Oct 2016 Posts: 2225 Location: East Yorkshire

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7589 Location: Derby

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7589 Location: Derby

Getting back to TC 10030. The new flasher unit (the third one Shocked

) arrived today so I fitted it. The indicators now work.

Unfortunately, all my mistaken messing with the warning light has meant that IT now no longer works!!.

Why can't I Just leave well alone???

The problem is the poor fit of the bulb in the holder. It is a poor design. It is possible to get illumination by pressing the bulb sideways in the holder. I have already added some extra brass shim stock to the inside of the holder but it isn't quite enough. I am presently thinking of what I can wedge against the bulb to get a good earth. It doesn't want to be too much pressure but it needs to be secured in a way that it doesn't shake loose.

One thought I had was to sweat a small blob of solder onto the bulb cap ...but that is such a poor bodge. I hate bodges. Rolling Eyes

.

ukdave2002 · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4360 Location: South Cheshire

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7589 Location: Derby

Rusty · Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2026 2:44 am Post subject:

bjacko · Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2026 5:31 am Post subject: Loose Bulb

Have you tried a small coil spring to keep it against the glass?
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1938 Morris 8 Ser II Coupe Utility (Pickup)
1985 Rover SD1 VDP

alastairq · Joined: 14 Oct 2016 Posts: 2225 Location: East Yorkshire

I'd be inclined to do what''we'' used to do in times past? Nip down to a scrappies with a tesco carrier bag, and extract pile of different bulb holders?

Originality can only go so far....and replacing old & broken, with fake new [& useless] is rather defeating the object of 'getting something working,' in my eyes.

Years ago, when I did long distance trials in an altered Skoda Estelle...where 'reliability' was king....I had issues with the headlamp connectors....Or rather, the type of metal the contacts were made of [by PAL?}
So, a trip to a scrappy with a Tesco bag in hand, and a pair of snips, saw me visit various Japanese vehicles to remove their headlamp wiring connectors..then splice these into the Skoda's wiring. Never had issues with flickering headlamps after that.

What the eye cannot see, the heart, etc etc???
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Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.