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Fri Oct 24, 2008 6:53 pm

When did the oil/gen and sem/high beam indicator lights swap sides, and when did the knobs go to the smaller ones? Same time?

I have two '46 pods and they both have large knobs and the sem indicator light nearest the sem switch.

Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:10 pm

Jan 1950 vin 1-0140537 for the indicator lights
I'm not sure about the knobs, but I think that was 5/49 together with the batwing steering wheel !

Guido

Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:28 pm

The large switch knobs ended in 45/46 something. They were KdF only switch knobs.

Sat Oct 25, 2008 12:58 am

47 was the last year for the big knob pod. I dont think they ever moved the lights tho, I have wired up early splits and barn doors with those pods from what I can recall even the factory manuals call for the same colors throughout.... I could be wrong.

Sat Oct 25, 2008 2:33 am

I saved this info years ago from the former kabriolett.com site (Unfortunately lost in the interweb...)

The indicator lights changed places in Jan 1950, from chassis 1-040537, body number 89656.

In other words, pre Jan -50:
1 = Batterycharge (red)
2 = Oilpressure (green)
3 = Semaphore indicator (red)
4 = Highbeam indicator (blue)

From chassisnr. 1-040537 and later:
1 = Semaphore indicator (red)
2 = Highbeam indicator (blue)
3 = Batterycharge (red)
4 = Oilpressure (green)

5= Lights
6= Windscreen wipers

Sat Oct 25, 2008 7:03 am

Hebster52 wrote: The large switch knobs ended in 45/46 something. They were KdF only switch knobs.

The two '46 pods I have have the large knobs, so they weren't KDF only..

Thanks for the info on the lights Hebster52.

Sat Oct 25, 2008 9:59 am

I think it was a matter of the pod manufactures using up there old large knob stock after the war (1945). There were at least 2 companies making pods so they could have ran out at different times. By 1947 it was pretty much all small knobs. Lights switched in 49 sometime. There was a time where the lights were switched and the small knobs were used.

Sat Oct 25, 2008 1:06 pm

jim@zarwerks.com wrote: I think it was a matter of the pod manufactures using up there old large knob stock after the war (1945). There were at least 2 companies making pods so they could have ran out at different times. By 1947 it was pretty much all small knobs. Lights switched in 49 sometime. There was a time where the lights were switched and the small knobs were used.

I think the knobs changed from large to small in 48, certainly both my Aug 47 has large knobs, and another well known 47 in the UK which is later than mine also has large knobs. A 48 I knew which used to reside in the UK had small knobs.

Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:48 am

kevm wrote: jim@zarwerks.com wrote: I think it was a matter of the pod manufactures using up there old large knob stock after the war (1945). There were at least 2 companies making pods so they could have ran out at different times. By 1947 it was pretty much all small knobs. Lights switched in 49 sometime. There was a time where the lights were switched and the small knobs were used.

I think the knobs changed from large to small in 48, certainly both my Aug 47 has large knobs, and another well known 47 in the UK which is later than mine also has large knobs. A 48 I knew which used to reside in the UK had small knobs.

I think Kev is right. I haven't seen a '48 with large knobs, but my Sept. 47 has large knobs. It must have been very late '47 or early '48 when the change occured.

Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:48 am

My 17 Nov 47 has large knobs.

RichOakley wrote: kevm wrote: jim@zarwerks.com wrote: I think it was a matter of the pod manufactures using up there old large knob stock after the war (1945). There were at least 2 companies making pods so they could have ran out at different times. By 1947 it was pretty much all small knobs. Lights switched in 49 sometime. There was a time where the lights were switched and the small knobs were used.

I think the knobs changed from large to small in 48, certainly both my Aug 47 has large knobs, and another well known 47 in the UK which is later than mine also has large knobs. A 48 I knew which used to reside in the UK had small knobs.

I think Kev is right. I haven't seen a '48 with large knobs, but my Sept. 47 has large knobs. It must have been very late '47 or early '48 when the change occured.

Fri Dec 12, 2008 8:10 pm

The KdF pods had the kdf logo on the back. The after War cars had pods with a raised ridge going around the vw logo. That ridge covers over the teeth of the cog logo.

I'm looking for a KdF Marked Pod actually if anyone has one.

Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:01 pm

Original speedo pod for my '47 has the large knobs.

Sat Dec 13, 2008 7:34 pm

Speedo's & large knobs...not gonna go there...somebody stop me..I need one of those contacts like AA folks have that can talk me down..I need help. 8)

Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:24 am

Hi there,

I think the large pods have changed sometime towards the end of 48. My September 48 has the large pods and it is definitely original.

But I also think, the change may not be sharp and may have depended on the manufacturer,

However, I have to say, the large knobs are just great. I love them ...

May be tomorrow, if there is no snow, I have to drive my 48 around and make some snow pictures.

Cheers

Richard

Sun Dec 14, 2008 11:09 am

ZwitterND wrote: Speedo's & large knobs...not gonna go there...somebody stop me..I need one of those contacts like AA folks have that can talk me down..I need help. 8)
:lol: :lol:

I must admit my pod I put in my 50 has large knobs ( yes its wrong but was all I could find at the time) and the thing has given me more joy to look at than any other vw part I ever owned. I cant get enough of the vague coloured glow through those tiny slightly melted cloudy plastic lenses. :lol:
Now I have a complete old 50 bus pod (with speedo) to fit to make it a bit more correct?! I know, its only old bus so still not quite right! :lol: but it matches the 50 bus hornpush fitted in my deliberately incorrect black batwing so correctness is'nt an issue :lol:

BUT I just dont think I can go back to using small knobs after being used to big knobs for so long. :?
Whats a girl to do?! :lol:

iwlego wrote:
However, I have to say, the large knobs are just great. I love them...

Its ok, we all do :lol:

Sun Dec 14, 2008 5:57 pm

Here are the differences on the backside. With the indicator lights reversed side to side, it actually changes the upper front harness a bit. Also, there is an extra "power distribution" tap/terminal on the early ones that are not found on the later one.

I'd be interested to hear from those of you with late '47 and early '48s with large knobs, if you have these features on the backside. I'd expect they would, unless someone just put the big knobs on the later pod....

Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:27 am

I know my pods knobs are og to the pod, never been off, but I remember one of my blue or green lenses was horrible so I swapped it, and maybe I put them back in the wrong way round following our other og 50 pod at the time, as RairAirs pic shows them opposite to mine and I think my gen light works in the same place as your pre48 pic shows. But cant get to the car to take a pic in the back as its blocked in for the winter in the barn(and dark)
Another thing I noticed, the little coloured lenses are different in some.
My bus pod, the 40's one and another Jan 50 pod we have, the lenses are a paler more opaque plastic which makes the colours look almost bright pastel, they really stand out when not lit, but glow less bright when lit, exactly like RairAirs pic above.
Compared to the og ones in our later 50, and a few other mid 50 onwards pods we have and spare lenses which are darker looking when not lit, but much brighter when lit, the green and blue are noticeably very different to the earlier ones like Hebsters pic above.

The 50 bus one I have here on my desk and it is like your 2nd pic showing the back above and shows the green lens also on the right side.

The composition of these plastics seem very different.