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Brake switch upgrade

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Brake switch upgrade Empty Brake switch upgrade

Post by keithg Fri Jul 15, 2016 6:10 pm

I have discs on the front and have an olde style brake pressure switch for the brake lights. If I am slowing, i get no brake light I have to be stopping pretty hard to get my brake lights to illuminate. Replaced it with another switch and have a similar result. This is a common complaint of 60s and earlier cars. There are low pressure units which are also a bit problematic as far as I have read on the internet. I want to give people behind me (txting along) a bit more warning that I am stopping. A guy swerved around me the other night and saluted me with his middle finger, so it is probably time...

I looked at the wiring diagram and it looks pretty simple to put in a switch on the same line and connect it to the turn signal switch. I have a switch from a Saab that I will be using and will make a bracket to mount it.

Saab Switch

I do not know if it is universal, but I have one lying around, it is cheap it is rated for the current 5 bulbs so it should be up to the task of 2. There are others. I'll see how far I get.

Diagram

Either replace the dark Blue wiring with a new one or just piggy back on it. I'll see how difficult it is.

Keith

keithg

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Join date : 2015-01-07

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Post by keithg Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:48 pm

I was able to install it this morning. I apologize for the crude drawing, I do not have CAD here at home.

Drawing

There are 2 holes in the steering support which are about 3-1/16" apart, at least on my '62 Hardtop. When I made this bracket, it fit fine. I had 1" aluminum angle on hand. It would be better if it were 1-1/8 at least on the front side where I drilled it for the switch.

I have it temporarily wired and will detail what I do next with a couple pictures. Basically, I'll pull the fuse box off the firewall and solder a blue wire on the same fuse to run to the one side of the switch. The other side of the switch will connect the return wire from the pressure switch and the other terminal of the switch and the blue wire connector on the turn signal switch. I extracted the blue wire from teh connector and was able to push a non-insulated female spade connector (1/4") in the hole to connect to the switch when the plug was in place.

Installed

Now when I push the brake pedal off the stop, the brake lights light up! Big improvement. Also, the pressure switch is wired in parallel with my new switch so I have a fail safe *and* the original wiring is still intact in case I get back into this in the future and wonder what I did...

Keith

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Post by regal81455 Fri Apr 14, 2017 7:15 am

Keith-

Can you take a few more pics of this - specifically of the wiring - I've got almost all the parts I need to do the disc brake conversion and would like to add this mod to my list of " to do's " while I'm making the swap.

TIA
Josh
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Post by keithg Fri Apr 14, 2017 10:18 am

The car is still in storage. It is pretty simple. If you look at the wiring diagram in the manual it shows a supply running to the pressure switch on the master cylinder. The other side of this switch goes to that parallelogram shaped switch on the top of the steering column (under the dash). (It is the brown switch with the wires coming out of it about 2 " from the new brake pedal switch in the picture) What I recommend doing is the same thing. Grab switched 12V from the fuse box, run it to one side of the new brake pedal switch and run the other side to the same terminal on the parallelogram shaped switch. I made a wye wire with a male and female connector on it to connect both switches to the same terminal on that parallelogram switch. Hopefully this is reasonably clear.

Keith

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Post by regal81455 Tue Apr 18, 2017 12:04 pm

Keith--

Tx I'll have to take a better look at things in the next few days and see if this makes more sense to me when it's in my face lol --

btw I've sent you a PM I think twice now -- are you receiving them?

Josh
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