Trafficators

[MrIan]

Ok what do we recon to trafficators? I personally like them but it looks like the ones on my 59 model have been filled over. Now would you think it's worth refitting them? I've not looked to see if there's any part of the trafficator mechanism left but there is a slight tell tale marking in the body under the paint roughly where they'd have been. Can the mechanism be seen from inside on a 2 door if trim removed? If so has anyone got any pictures. The main question though is would they be worth refitting ?
Your thoughts everyone.

[chesney]

Yes they can, with trim removed.
Yours are probably long gone. They're attached via two screws through the quarter panel, aka on the outside of the car by the B pillar. To smooth it out, you'd remove the screws as the stick proud. No mounting screws, no trafficators!

[MrIan]

Ah so the whole assembly is screwed in from the outside? If so yes as you say the whole assembly will be gone. I suppose it'd be costly then to replace the whole system.

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

The trafficators are easily available but the bracket they fit to and the shield that fit inside the body are harder to find. When they do appear on ebay that can fetch quite a lot. They are a nice original feature but people dont know to look for them and on a 2 door minor they are so low that they are hard to see. Ive just refitted the ones on my split screen that were seized up but I will be using them along with indicators.

[jagnut66]

Hi,
There will be those who'd say they're not worth it but I say it's up to you.
They are a nice original feature that (when they work) do fulfill a function. If I had a car which had them fitted originally I'd put them back but maybe wire them in tandem with indicators in the side and tail lights, as others have done on here.
The problem is that modern drivers won't be looking for them, lets face it most don't seem to know what indicators are in any form, let alone Trafficators!
Here are a pair on eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-Lucas-12 ... 19fe4402f5

Or some more expensive but very complete NOS ones:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NOS-PAIR-OF-L ... 5b0f01063b

There is, I note, the option to make an offer on them, so if it were me I'd wait and see if they didn't sell, then make a much lower offer, cheeky I know but you may walk away with a complete pair for nearly half that price (I wouldn't pay the asking price for them but that's just me). Depends whether the seller is prepared to sit on them forever or wants shot..............

You may also require the switch, in which case you need to identify what type, as the early ones had a switch separate from the steering column and later ones had one like a more modern indicator stalk mounted on the column.
Link to early type switch, mounted to the right of the steering column, just below the dash:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LUCAS-SD-84-I ... 541ccaab97

Then you will need to wire them in, at which point I defer to the real experts on here..................

But in short I'd vote to fit them and enjoy!

Best wishes,
Mike.

[MrIan]

Ouch yes I see the NOS price would make it an expensive operation as i'd have bodywork to sort also with mine having been filled over, but then looking at them the NOS ones appear to be in a holder which I assume stops rainwater getting into the car?. I did see some brackets on Ebay also for the 2 door so could make them. Wiring isn't a problem and i'd just connect them up to the indicator system that is on the car now. I'll double check and make sure my rear panels have just been filled over and not welded up first mind you before shelling out !!

[tysonn]

And you cant just connect them to the indicators anyway.
Mick

[MrIan]

No I doubt the indicator circuit would take the loading very well, but that wouldn't be an issue.

[tysonn]

Bit of an understatement there.Youre sending an intermittent voltage from the flasher unit to an electromagnet on the trafficator.
Mick

[936cbpminor]

Tysonn makes a good point on the pulsating voltage to the electromagnet. I too am considering putting the trafficators back to work alongside the flashers. For this reason I have devised an 'add on' circuit using two diodes, two electrolytic capacitors and two relays to take the pulsing voltage and drive the relay and hence the trafficators without overloading the switch. Actually thought of posting the circuit on-line with parts required if others are interested ... Everyone you speak to remember trafficators (not sure many would know what to do if following a car with them fitted!)

[Matt Tomkins]

mine were filed over on the convertible, but to my surprise were still there, with some 1987 dated newspaper stuffed between the trafficator and the filler -- a clean up and oil and they're wrking beautifully

[MrIan]

No I mean is electrics isn't an issue as I understand loading and current draw as I've been an electrician by trade and worked on cars as a hobby for over 30 years. My main issue is cost of the units complete and the bodywork to reinstate them ( ie has the body just been filled over or welded up) if welded I doubt I'd bother till in the distant future when he may need other bodywork doing.

[ManyMinors]

Wiring the trafficators up to work with the flashing indicators is easy enough - you just take one live wire from the switch BEFORE the flasher unit to the trafficator and a second live to a flasher unit and then to the flashers. Doing this to each side means using two separate flasher units of course but I've done this and there doesn't seem to be any undue extra loading on the system that I'm aware of?

The cost of trafficators varies and depends on where you buy them as well as whether you want new or secondhand. The workings of them are quite robust, it is just the orange lenses that are fragile. As someone has already said, you'll need the correct mounting brackets for the car too.

The new units listed on ebay are perhaps not ideal for your car as they are mounting in external boxes suited to the Minor van.

[jagnut66]

My main issue is cost of the units complete and the bodywork to reinstate them ( ie has the body just been filled over or welded up)

Only one way to find out, bite the bullet and remove your door pillars trim, if you're still not sure what you're looking at from the inside you can take a screwdriver to it and have a scrape without disturbing the external paintwork, unless of course you find your scraping through filler, in which case your better off rid of that anyway.......

[mike.perry]

The wiring diagram for operating the trafficators and indicators from the same switch is at http://seriesmm.mmoc.org.uk Tech Info, Indicator and Trafficator Wiring Diagram.
The main problem with trafficators on a 2 door/convertible is that sooner or later you are going to forget to cancel the trafficators when you or your passenger gets out of the car and you will need a new arm and top strip so get a few spares. How do I know this? What did I do last week?

[MrIan]

The wiring diagram for operating the trafficators and indicators from the same switch is at http://seriesmm.mmoc.org.uk Tech Info, Indicator and Trafficator Wiring Diagram.
The main problem with trafficators on a 2 door/convertible is that sooner or later you are going to forget to cancel the trafficators when you or your passenger gets out of the car and you will need a new arm and top strip so get a few spares. How do I know this? What did I do last week?

Ah yes I can certainly see that happening. So additional relay needed to break circuit if trafficators are on and door gets opened

Yes I'll remove the trim inside to see what's there. From the info above from postsers (cheers everyone) it looks like I'll have nothing left of the trafficator assemblies at all which is a shame. Not to worry I'll keep a look out for what's needed, then when I get round to sorting the bodywork at the base of that panel I'll set them up.

[MrIan]

Well rear trim panel removed and guess what was there !!!! A spot welded plate DAGNAMIT

[jagnut66]

If it's only spot welded you may be able to carefully remove it by drilling into the spot welds and cracking them.
It depends whether you want to re-instate Trafficators or not now.
If you do then nothing is impossible .
Best wishes,
Mike.