Morris Minor Owners Club

These are fitted on a 1968 model Morris Minor two door Saloon, just to the right and under the steering column. I'm guessing they are retro-fitted from the original but I still cant work out what they are. They both illuminate when the ignition is turned on but I can't see what they do? AND .. what is the larger 'Cream' device in the middle??
See attachment.

These are accessory switches and could be operating any sort of gadget a previous owner wanted. There are basically two methods for checking. One, turn on the ignition, work the switches and see what happens. Look around the car for reversing lights etc. If nothing happens then check two is to follow the wires and see where they go. If they come to a dead end then over the years accessories have been fitted and subsequently removed and the switches left behind.

The round cream thing is a socket for charging the battery or plugging in gadgets.

The socket and switch could possible have been for a parking light, the type that sits over the side window. Have a look behind and see if they are connected to each other.

I have these two PO fit switches. A spring loaded flick switch for screen washers which don't work at the moment, and a push / pull switch for reversing light, which does! Both marked with aged and faded "dynatape" which is just about readable. I shall remove the labels and try to remember what the switches do.

Norton Commandos had an accessory socket like this as standard fitted below the side panel, so the plugs may still be available - actually just zoomed in on the picture and this looks different if it has one female socket and a male pin, the Norton one was both female.

Thanks to you all for your various responses. I would guess that the cream coloured accessory socket is probably obsolete as I am unlikely to find a charger (or anything else) with a plug to match. The Minor does have a reversing light fitted (which is not working) so I would guess that this accounts for one of the two switches. Is it really the case that the reversing light has to be manually activated while reversing and then deactivated when finished reversing?

Yes - unless you make up bracket to hold a micro-switch in place that can be activated by pressure form the gear lever (or us a proximity switch to do the same) or fit a gearbox remote control linkage form a donoir car such as an MG that had the reverse light switch built into it. There are some posts on here that show all methods.

The advatage oif a manual switch is that you can use the light for working behind the car. The disadvantage is that you can leave it on by mistake, which is why you have a warning light on the dash.

As an aside to your question. The white socket which is obsolete, may be of value to someone who has a period accessory (clip-on parking lamp, map-reading lamp etc). Don't throw it away; somebody may want it!

clangstone wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2019 5:19 pm Is it really the case that the reversing light has to be manually activated while reversing and then deactivated when finished reversing?

Well yes, it really is... If you want such things to be done for you, you usually have to get a car that's post 1970.
I'm pretty sure my 1969 Ford Escort didn't have reversing lights until I fitted one.
These cars are from a time when people had to add their own devices, that's why the pull switch seems to have an internal illumination and the other switch has a lamp next to it, so you know when they are on.
Reversing Light, Fog Light, even a self adhesive heated rear window isn't beyond possibility.

Has anyone fitted an ejector seat?