A Study Of Switch Plates
 

Hi All

Switch Plate Comparisons

Following on from Jordan’s thread regarding his switch plates I would like to conduct a survey on this subject to try and establish which plates went where and when and why. Probably like most CMP variables, e.g. Ford instruments, there may not have been any rhyme or reason other than what was available at the time, but the subject is of interest to me. The following, excluding the font style, are four obvious differences in the two plates.

Brass Plate – 4 mounting holes
Silver Plate – 6 mounting holes

Brass Plate – centre hole – SIDE LAMPS
Silver Plate – centre hole – TAIL & SIDE

Brass Plate – 4th hole – HEAD LAMPS
Silver Plate – 4th hole – TAIL SIDE & HEAD

Brass Plate – vertical edge line unbroken
Silver Plate – vertical edge line broken

I would appreciate if switch plate owners could examine their plates and then address the following;

Are they the original plates? Beware here with the silver plates. They may not be the originals but retro-fitted in the place of brass plates. Close examination needs to be made of the centre mounting holes in the dash to establish whether they were later drilled to accommodate the silver plate.

Chevrolet, Ford or other

When and where manufactured

Vehicle model – e.g. C15, F60S etc. or any other vehicle that contains these styles of switch plates

Cab style – 11, 12 or 13

Brass or silver

Disregard the small hole in the “HEAD LAMPS” position of the brass plate depicted as that’s a retro for some reason.

I would also like to obtain a small readable plate that has the AUTOPULSE provision or be informed of any other plate variation.

Talking of variations, I just read Bruce Parker’s post along with the image of his ’44 Chevrolet plates and noticed that the STOP LAMP ISOLATION location on the large plate accommodates a double pole switch with the OFF position on the left, whereas all the ones I have seen utilise a single pole switch with the OFF position at lower centre. Similarly the IGNITION switch on the smaller plate is a double pole whereas others I have seen are single pole.

I would like samples of both these plates to replicate.

Bob

Autopulse
 

Bob. The Autopulse is the electric petrol pump correct?
I believe its the pump with the dome one end, and the square cover on the other end. I read on a recent post that these were only fitted on trucks destined for India. I once owned a C8AX, that was fitted with one of those pumps. It was fitted with square instruments, and had the 13? cab (reverse windsreen) see page 221 of Barts book Fighting Vehicles directory WW11

Re: Autopulse
 

Lynn, correct - see CMP (Ford) Instrument Faces Reproductions.

H.

Thats it!
 

Thanks Hanno and Bob.

Switch Plate Study
 

So nobody is interested??
:confused: :confused: Bob

Re: Switch Plate Study
 

Bob of course I am interested but as I know next to nothing on this subject I am waiting for you and others to teach me.

cheers
Cliff:salute:

switch plates
 

Bob

Chev 11 and 12 cabs have plates round each switch, they are oblong with the hole in the middle for the switch. The lettering is a natural nickel colure as has a thin border round the edge of the plate. The background is japanned black. The plate is held in place by the switch

Fords have individual oblong plates set above and below the switch and I think from memory they are an alloy of some kind. Here the plates are held in place I think with very small hammer nails (flute nails) that make removing them in one piece tricky.

Pete

Flute plates
 

Those fluted nails aren't too difficult to remove if gently tapped from behind - but make sure you don't replace them with philips head screws!
Cab 13 used slot head screws for the dash switch plates but retained the fluted nails for the plates on the engine cover.

There were other switch plate arrangements such as the F60 S version of the Rover light armoured car of course which for some reason used cut down cab 13 style brass switch plates on a cab 12-like dash.

http://www.oldcmp.net/Images/cmparmour/int_1.jpg

I'm surmising the image below is of the F60L version which had a different dash, more cab 12-like.

http://www.oldcmp.net/Images/cmparmour/int_2.jpg

Here's the dash from Rover ARN 77727 at Puckapunyal

http://oldcmp.net/images/museums/puc...over_77727.jpg

Then there's the Dingo dash which was different again.

http://www.oldcmp.net/Images/cmparmour/scpanel.jpg

F8 Cab12 switches
 

Just to complicate matters, I attach a picture of my '41 Cab 12 F8 "as received". Apart from some of the imaginative additions by a previous owner my vehicle has only two bolt holes at the top of the instrument panel housing - all others I have seen have four mounting bolts at the top. Does anyone else have a dash like mine? I suspect that Ford cab 11's and 12's differ in this regard - and the F8 is different from the F15A ?

Which instruments go in which location i.e. fuel gauge bottom left etc.? Mine have been changed. The picture in the maintenance book that I have is not clear enough to tell.

Cheers
David Moore

here is an original dash from a #11 cab Ford in NZ. It is either an F30 or F60 and this was an early model with no vents and while this pic was taken last year the dash is still the same as it was when I had this truck 20 years ago so I believe it to be original.

cheers
Cliff

The one from the manual
 

http://oldcmp.net/Images/spvmanual/12dash.jpg

This is from the special vehicles manual

And

http://oldcmp.net/Images/nigeldawe/F806.jpg

A pic of a Cab 11 F8 once owned by Nigel Dawe.

Instrument Positions
 

David

Top Left - Fuel (except Carrier that doesn't have one)
Bottom Left - Temperature
Top Right - Oil (0-50)
Bottom Right - Battery or Amp

There are two series of gauges that I call the Brown Faced Series and the Silver Faced Series. And there are variations on the Battery or Amp gauges.

Bob

Plastic switches
 

The early Ford 11 cabs had used sand coloured plastic/bakelite switches from the 1940 Ford Commercial trucks. These were Push/Pull switches. Nigel Dawes' truck appears to have a plastic head mounted on a toggle switch (!?).
The plate in the centre of these reads:
"First switch notch indicated by upper nameplate."
What did the plate read on 11 cabs with toggle switches?

Note that the spacing of the switches on the 11 cab dash is closer than the 12 cab dash. 11 cab pictured:

Re: Plastic switches
 

Tony if you note the picture of the early 11 cab dash on the one I used to own you can see it is also toggle switches and not pull/push type.

cheers
Cliff

Cliff, do you remember what the plate in the centre read? Was it "IMPORTANT Vehicle not to be operated with front drive axle engaged ....." as in Keith's scan of the 12 cab dash?

Tony to be honest I cannot remember now and the photo in this thread is the clearest I have apart from a NZ army 1945 rebuild plate.

Sorry
Cliff

Big black knob
 

Hey guys, please excuse my ignorance, but what is the big black knob in the middle of the engine cover? (photo from the truck once owned by Nigel Dawe).....Ta.

Re: Big black knob
 

Oil filler for the engine

cheers
Cliff:salute:

Re. This Topic
 

Thanks all for your input to date. Just to focus the research, I am mainly interested in the Cab 13 plates as they are the ones I have replicated.
Bob

Re: Re. This Topic
 

now that is been a bit biased towards cab 11 and 12 CMP's Bob! You better take note of the info we have provided on cab 11 & 12 ones so you can do those as well :D

cheers
Cliff:salute:

Corresponding Dashes
 

Hello all - am resurrecting this subject due to my lastest restoration job. When I started this thread I only posted images of the plates. Here I am posting images of the corresponding dashes. The question that hasn't as yet been answered is which plate came first, brass or silver. Logically the brass stamped ones came first and then to cut costs the silver screen print type was introduced. However when the silver plate came in the dash was redesigned to allow for six holes in the silver plate as opposed to four for the large brass plate. The question should also be asked, why do you need six bolts to hold a light plate.

As previously stated this is in response to my latest restoration where a brass, four hole, large plate is fixed to a six hole silver plate dash. Was the silver plate replaced at some time or was the brass plate original fitted due to the supply of the correct plates at the time of manufacture?

Come on you experts, put on your thinking caps.

Bob

six hole dash / silver plate
 

Could it be that as they introduced a lightweight replacement plate, it was felt that it lacked strength when secured by only 4 points?

I'm In A Quandry
 

Hi all - following on from Dirk Leegwaters thread on his reproduction Chevrolet switch plates, I now pose the question, did Australian Chevrolet Blitzs ever utilise the two switch plate system as well as the single plates for each switch? This two-plate system appears to be on the 1943 onward trucks utilising the round gauges. If so, does someone have an example of the switch plates to see how they differ, if at all, from the Ford switch plate.
Bob

Five or Six Switches
 

Hi Bob

Thought I'd add another variation to the question, most of the reproduction pictures I have seen have five switches. My late '45 HUP as a six switch plate. I've attached a couple of pictures to illustrate the differences. Can anyone shed some light on when this change took place and is it peculiar to HUPs.

Cheers Phil

Attachment 20990 Attachment 20991 Attachment 20992

Where Are My Gurus?
 

Hey Keefy and Rod D, tell us about the Chevrolet instrument housing that has the 5 & 3 switch plates. Show us the comparison between the Chevrolet and Ford plates. Do the Chevrolet ones exist here in Oz as they do in Europe according to Dirk L?
:confused Bob

Answered The Question Myself
 

Hi all - for the edification of all I have now answered my own question of the two switch plate configuration in Australian Cab 13 Chevrolets. I found an example and have managed to decipher most of the script. It is in the below detailed truck that I'm posting in the Sell section. What I need now is a good image of these plates or to borrow them to replicate.


General Motors of Canada Ltd
Chassis Model R106
Cab Model
Chassis Serial 3-8443-60514 M
Engine Serial PR 3946943
Order No E-52-384
Date of Mfg 30 6 44 AUS M

R106 is a RAAF designation - a C60L. This one possibly had a steel dropside GS body. It was assembled in Melbourne.

:teach: Bob

I know many parts were different between Canadian and Australian trucks, but I have doubts about at least the left hand plate in the two plate configuration shown above. A spot light seems odd for a wartime truck. As well, the lettering for the cab light label seems to be placed over the border line around the edge of the plate. The printing also looks "off", but that could be my eyes. I'm more used to seeing black printing to match the border on the plate.

On a related topic, does any one know how it was decided for trucks using the 2 plate configuration whether the left plate was set up for 5 switches or for 6?

Five Switch Plate
 

Hi Grant - the problem with this plate is that the original scripting was painted over and removal of that paint in the field would have destroyed the original. Therefore a couple of those descriptions could be incorrect. WIPER could even be WIPERS. This is why I have been asking for a better example, that at this stage surprisingly, has not been forthcoming. My two main Blitz gurus have been silent on this topic.

Bob

Never seen another one of these 6 switch plates until Sjoerd van de Wal offered me to buy his example. I bought it as a conversation piece.

It has the usual switches plus an extra one in the 5th position (from the top) for “clear headlamp isolation”.

Attachment 115130