Westy sidewall light switch source

[cris torlasco]

Looking for a nut like this, it is the last part I need for the whole bus! I had one and now I can't find it.... Will be willing to trade something or pay for it.

I seem to remember that someone had located a source for these, but couldn't find the info in the forums.

Cris

[Major Woody]

I found a source for the switches but not for the nuts. The nuts that come with the switches are incorrect but only a true detail nut would notice.

[cris torlasco]

That's nuts! Would you mind sharing the source once more? I'd like to check them out, maybe they'll do for now; a metal nut doesn't look to good there...Appreciated,

Cris

[Major Woody]

Cris,
It's a standard European table light switch. I got mine online from australia. The switch body and button are an exact match for that which was originally supplied by Westfalia. But the nut does not have the same shape as the original one did.

You can get them here as well as at many other places in the UK and Australia.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=2329

[Daddybus]

How is the light (regular bus interior light fixture) wired to the westy switch?

[Major Woody]

The hot wire from the battery is interrupted by the switch. There is a splice inside the wall leading to the two lights.

The domelights are in the "on" position all the time. They are grounded through the mounting screw.

The wire to the switch comes through a hole in the window pillar just beneath the bracket that holds the shade.

[blackdog1999]

I have just bought an early Bay Bus light & used the switches. That way atleast split Buses are correct.
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Home of the one true split Bus Motorhome

[cris torlasco]

[DadaCheese]

Too often my search words aren't good enough to find what I need on the forum...
Didn't see this thread until AFTER my two switches arrived from two different sources.

The one below that I bought from torlasco is closer to the original of the the two.
He had it on sale in the classifieds. I believe he said he got it from South America...

As to Major Woody's Lead ~http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=2329~ I wish I had know about that before since £1.69 (roughly $2.74 on April 26th, 2012) is a lot cheaper except that the Maplin company only ships within the British Isles.
I have friends in London, so I'm tempted to buy a couple and have my friends send them to me just for comparison's sake.

If anyone (let's say during the year 2012) is planning on buying some from Maplin (Major Woody's link), contact me and we'll get them together. For now, however, I have two replacements, so I am set. It's more of a comparison curiosity that I'd buy a couple more.

...oh, one last comment. The one pictured below, on the left, from WestfaliaSparesUK has more resistance to click or press the button, thus I am already a little worried whether it will apply undue pressure on the sconce cover when used.

Keywords for Forum Searches:
Westfalia, Plastic, Interior, Light, Sconce, Switch, Wall, Clamshell

[Ragman]

looks like a westy light switch to me...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1171715

[crofty]

[Major Woody]

The ones Cris found look very nice. The nuts look very very close to original.
This is something that I have a real hard time getting interested in.
My switch came from Australia and had a black plastic body. It's just a metric bedlamp switch. There are probably several global manufacturers of the part.

[DadaCheese]

Well,

Replaced the broken switches with the replacements.
Yes, the one that Cris sold me has a nut that looks much more like the original, but the other one, bought from http://westfaliasparesuk.com/ was much better built/constructed (it is the one labeled "Replacement Switch" in the picture below).

On the inside part of the switch, the one from Kris has plastic turn screws that grip the wire, but the wire is thick and the end has been (at the factory) dipped in solder. Turning the plastic screws onto the wires starts to make Kris' switch to come apart at the back seam (see 3rd picture just under my index finger).

The other, although plastic instead of Bakelite, is more similar to the original in regard to the small metal screws that hold the wires in place.
However, this is all very nit-picky; I'm just pleased as punch to have two working switches again.

[Busryder]

[DadaCheese]

[Busryder]

[Major Woody]

Busryder, it's just a piece of thin baltic birch with a coat of lacquer on it, held in place with a pop rivet. I have some extra birch you could have for free and you could make a template out of paper, but the shipping cost would probably make it not worthwhile due to the size of the piece.

LMK if I can help.

[Pinetops]

Anyone find an affordable US supplier of these switches?
_________________
"A rolling bus gathers no rust."

[Malokin Martin]

Any reason people aren't just using the baywindow switches as mentioned above? Seems they would be more correct, cheaper and better made than most repros.

[cris torlasco]

I can supply more of the switches described above, if anyone is interested. I bring them from South America, where I spend much of my time these days.

Cris