Indicators?

[Rod RobbinsParticipant]

Hi, Has anyone else had the dilemma about indicators? What and where do I fit them, do I need them anyway,does it matter what style they are, are the trafficators good enough. Car is a 1953 L15 Slough built.

Any advice welcome.

[Roger GrixParticipant]

Hi Rod,

I went through the same dilemma. I did not want to spoil the looks of the car but I did want people to know where I was going.  When I acquired my car it was fitted with VW tail lights. (Early 1960’s style). I thought that they actually looked OK  but lacked indicators.  The previous owner in South Africa obviously felt that the Lucas units did not give enough light. I finally settled on later VW light clusters which incorporate the indicators.  They are big enough to be seen. On the front, I have opted for the modification which allows 2 bulbs in the side light .  It is not brilliant but at least I am looking in that direction.

I also got the trafficators working after quite a lot of fiddling and, I must say, I like the clonk as they go up and down.  I don’t think I would like to rely on them as today’s drivers would never be looking for them.  You are likely to be going slower than they want to and turning right is the biggest danger as they will try to get past you anywhere, junction or no junction coming up.

It all depends really on how much you want to retain the originality.  The route that I have taken would be easily reversed but cutting holes for, say, 60’s Lucas indicators would be rather more difficult to reverse.

I am sure that there will be members who will be horrified by the VW lights, but that was my reasoning.

 

 

[Martin de LittleParticipant]

Indicators  and or stop/brake lamps  are a very personal choice!  For myself I   have tried to keep things as original as possible on our Normale  but  have recently  felt it necessary to upgrade the  rear lights,  and indicators in particular.

Originally there were the 6v  tungsten  festoon stop/side lamps and the 6v tungsten  bulb indicators on the C post. I quickly discovered (here in Surrey) that ladies who were – apparently – late for their post yoga, prosecco and cheese parties never even saw the indicators!!

To upgrade the stop/ side lamps I put in LED 6v festoons. I also removed the reflector  within the lens unit because it blocks out much of the stop lamp illumination. Separate reflectors (a legal requirement) were mounted on the bumper.

The  indicator feeds  were then disconnected  from the C posts and I installed Lucas motor bike  indicator units on the bumpers.  They  looked ok, they worked,   but frequent  iffy connections and a general lack of “grunt” from 6v meant they were never overly bright. Fellow Tractionistes following me in convoy confirmed that they were often difficult to see.

So to LED lamps.  Bright enough you can probably see them from the moon. See this link for  a short video, pictures and diagrams.  You may have to copy and paste it.     https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0o27gbkd0feq7ix/AACj1XeXzdrJHPm_rXDPRQAQa?dl=0

I purchased a  small but powerful LED unit comprising indicator, stop and side LEDs. As the car is still 6v and as the indicator units are 12v it was necessary to  make up a small box of tricks. See diagram via the above link.

From the front of the car a fused 6v  supply powers the DC/DC converter sitting in a box in the boot. The feed to the  indicators L & R  goes into 2x separate 6v relays – also in the  box. As the indicator switch/arm is moved, the 6v relay for L or R side  is caused to flick on and off  by the flasher up front. The relay then “drives” the LED unit.

If the output from one relay is linked to the output of the other relay then you have  a hazard warning flasher. Hurrah !    A switch between the relays will disconnect the hazard function. Running a wire up  from each  relay up to the front indicators   will cause all 4x lamps to flash in hazard mode.

Meanwhile there is the problem of where to mount the LED unit? Underneath the bumpers would seem to be the best option. Down there they are not obviously visible, and they do not detract from the lines of the car. The electrics have all been “potted” in resin so no amount of rain, salt or grit can upset them. When activated they  are  clear and bright, even for the “ladies that lunch”.

 

MdeL

 

[Editor FPParticipant]

 

I too have fitted self contained LED ‘Rubberlite’ indicators under the bumpers front and back. As Martin says, they are visible in use, but not excessively obtrusive in terms of the overall feel of the car and could be removed without any trace, if required in the future. I also have LED side and stop bulbs.

If you go LED you will need a compatible  electronic flasher unit too. If you go for Beetle indicator units, don’t buy the very late ‘Elephant’s Foot’ type, they look a touch bizarre, the ones in Martin’s photo are probably earlier, 60’s or 70’s. You can buy flashing LED festoons for your trafficators, but I suspect that the average UK motorist simply would not see a semaphore arm in modern traffic.

I have also fitted a motorcycle brake light in the rear window to give a high level warning to any dreamers behind me in a queue.

[David SelfridgeParticipant]

Two very Lovely Cars.

Davy

[Rod RobbinsParticipant]

Well, thank you all for your contributions. They all look good and efficient. I think it is really a matter of personal taste, as there is no one definitive answer. Sort of Win Win situation, as long as they are legal and acceptable to all concerned, go for it,but I do like the idea of not drilling any more holes in the old girl !

Rod.R.

 

[Larry LewisParticipant]

On my Light 15, I had electronic flashers for each side’s lights coming out of the fuse box (one fuse for left, one for right) that I installed so I could have flashing lights and working Trafficators. I did have to switch the battery cables to negative Earth. The guy where I bought the flashers said there was no warranty on them and a positive Earth would short them out instantly. There was no way I was not going to have working Trafficators. Had the flashing Trafficator bulbs been available I would have used them. I did use the two-filament sockets on the front wings and small lights under the rear bumper that didn’t look too awful.

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