Porsche Indicator Switch but not 356!

[Vincent Gillespie]

Hello, This is not a 356 switch, it's from a '62 Porsche tractor so it is within the family and contemporary and I'm hoping someone might have had to repair one like this from a very early 356 or from AN other car. I need to get it apart and I think it is just crimped on but, I hope you can see, the metal is very thick and I feel if I try and prise it loose the underlying bakelite will just break. Any and all thoughts gratefully received.

[Martin Benade]

No experience but maybe you could use a tiny dental burr to cut away Bakelite under the crimps to release it. After fixing it a bit of epoxy to fill in the cut spots.

[Tim Splaine]

What about a dremel to grind away the metal crimp tag

[Don Gale]

Soak it liberally with electric contact cleaner and turn the lever back & forth a few dozen times and then blow the remaining cleaner out of it with compressed air. The cleaner will discolor the bakelite lever but it will polish clean afterwards.

[Jim Liberty]

Great suggestion Don.........Jim.

[Vincent Gillespie]

Thanks for your suggestions, all really helpful as usual.
I need to get inside as a small piece fell out of the central hole when I was cleaning it, so something is definitely broken. I think I'll try removing the bakelite under the crimps 1st and take it from there.
Once again thanks a million.
Happy Christmas V&S

[Don Gale]

You could file/grind the sides of the head of a carriage bolt to make a "tooth" and make a saddle block out of aluminum or perhaps even hardwood, contoured to straddle the outer brim, cut a relief with a dremmel tool as Martin suggested, to get it to hook under the crimp, and use the bolt to drive it outwards.

My son has my computer tied up so I can't make a nice 3D cad illustration so had to revert to "manual-cad", but you get the idea:

[Vincent Gillespie]

Thanks Don.
V

[Vincent Gillespie]

To follow up on this, either for those with a very early car with a rotary switch or the loonies like us with tractors.
With the help of a friend and his very well equipped workshop we did get it apart.
The metal is in fact galvanised steel, I thought it was aluminium, until a magnet prooved otherwise, hence it's strength.
The crimps needed grinding out to the 'shoulder' to allow for a scalpel/dental tool to ease the metal and bakelite apart. We thought we might have to grind out a bit more but once the 4 were extended we got a bit of wiggle room.
Some form of adhesive was also used to stick the bakelite and metal together. Maybe to hold the 2 parts in place for the crimping operation.
Be careful there is an internal spring so once it was loose enough, BOING, it flew apart.
Cleaned it all up, bit of appropriate lubricant. Checked electrical continuity, all good. Used epoxy to glue it back together, job done.
Now for the fiddly reinstallation, where's my trained octopus.
Hope this is of some use to somebody
V&S