Hi, Due to dried out and broken plastic, I am in the market for a replacement stalk for my late 71 E series Dino. I found a stalk at Dinoparts (and the same one at Mr Fiat); Superformance does not appear to have one. I have two observations; for reference, see photo of my stalk below. 1. My stalk has a bend in it, whereas Dinoparts' appears to be straight. 2. My stalk has the following marking: VITALONI SAS TORINO ITALY ART. 745 - not sure if Dinoparts' stalk bears the same. Would anyone know where I could obtain the correct stalk for my late 71 Dino? Many thanks! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Try with Autoricambi d'Epoca di Castellani Sergio. You can contact him : [email protected] He usually have that parts. In the States, Verell can make the broken part and install it. Regards, Alvaro
And if you really get in a jam, I have a great condition US column switch assembly I took out of my Euro Dino.
Many thanks for your responses (and Ron: see PM). I checked the autoepoce.it site and found the stalk to be a straight one too (same photo as the one used by dinoparts.de), so I dropped him an email to see if he happens to have the right one for my Dino. Refurbishing the stalk, obviously, would also be an option, and in light of keeping things original, probably the preferred alternative, too - so I am trying to find out whether that is possible. Please let me know if you have any further pointers... much appreciated.
depending on your chassis no. three different column switches were put in the cars... late 1971 E-series, would be the same as M-series, your windscreen wiper rheostat at the dashboard! correct?
Why not just buy the straight one and give it a little bend? Shouldn't be all that difficult to do. Build a little wooden jig from the existing stalk, and then slowly, carefully and gently bend the other stalk to that shape. Easy peasy. D
The only correct stalk for your car is the Vitaloni 745 and all others will be a compromise. Problem is that a replacement unit is very expensive. Expect to pay near $2K for a used one. That said if your only problem is that the plastic on yours is broken then Verrell @ Unobtanium Supply will re-mold the plastic onto your original arm for very reasonable money. You can send him your whole assembly and he will re-build it good as new.
+1 on attempting a repair of the original rather than a new one as it seems yours is a rare type. What does the broken off end look like and is it a clean break that can be cemented or pinned back together? Simpson at ODD repairs the plastic or machines the same out of aluminum Exotic Switch Repair - O.D.D Parts This is a common failure point on Dinos. Thanks much to DMAN550, Dario, who alerted me about cracks in his Vitaloni. When I looked closely at mine I saw them also so filled them while I had it apart cleaning the contacts. The materials used 40+ years ago are aging You'll need to separate the steering column from the turn signal group, depending on how handy you are and if you have the ring nut tool this can be a bit of a task. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank you so much for your thoughts. The ODD repair site looks to be a very interesting one indeed, thank you. I am with Nuvolari and others, that the only correct stalk would be the Vitaloni one, which - so far - I was unable to source (Sergio/Autoepoca has the same straight stalk as Dinoparts, and not the bended & scripted one). Dinoparts advised they will have the bent version soon (next month), but it comes without the script. Matthias, would your records be as detailed as to be able to confirm whether the Vitaloni stalk is indeed the right stalk for Dino #02782? The metal is broken too, as per the detail photo attached/below. So, the work is slightly more than just re-molding the plastic. I will ask around whether it'd be possible to repair the metal and then get the plastic re-molded, please let me know if there is already experience with this sort of work... Many thanks! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Contact Verell Boaen at Unobtainium Supply Co. - HOME - he is the go-to expert for these switches and has or can make all the parts. Pricing and contact details are on his website. He did a superb job on the complete switch on my Dino. I have known Verell for many years and he does excellent work.
Send me the broken stalk & any bits & pieces you have. I will braze a new internal metal reinforcement onto it, & then cast a new pivot end around it. Most likely the stalk will have to be refinished satin silver due to heat from brazng the new reinforcement on.
To the OP, I would definitely repair the one you have as the 745 is difficult to find, reproductions are not even close, and repair is the most cost-effective option. I went through this entire process with my stalk assembly (a 745 as well). Mine had failed in exactly the same way on the same stalk lever. In my case I had Verell re-mold the plastic end but I had the metal part repaired before sending it to him. As Verell pointed out, traditional welding or brazing can damage the silver finish on the the stalk arm because of the heat involved. Your stalk arms use an electroplated satin nickel finish which is both hard to replicate and hard to match to the other 2 arms so its best to preserve the finish if possible. (BTW in the photos yours looks to be in really nice condition and only in need of a cleaning). I took my stalk lever to a place that does metal repair on plastic injection tooling. These shops have equipment that allows them to weld under a microscope and to add tiny amounts of material with virtually no heat affected zone. If you've never seen this type of work, you'll be amazed at what's possible. Lastly, should you decide to get a new stalk assembly be aware that there are at least 2 variants of the 745 stalk. In my experience few people know this, even experienced sellers. These are virtually indistinguishable in photos and even in person but there is only 1 that is correct for the Dino. Many Daytonas use a 745 for example, but the wiper arm is 3 position (off, slow, fast) whereas the Dino uses a 2 position variant (on, off) with the wiper speed controlled by a rheostatic switch. The lever angles are also ever so slightly different. I learned this the hard way and ended up buying and restoring 2 complete lever assemblies. On the plus side I now have a concours ready Vitaloni 745 for a Daytona PM me if you need any more info. Best Regards, Paul
Would appreciate help finding a replacement for the attached stalk lever. Can one be found? Or should I get the part re-cast? What are the options - Any suggestions on the best way to proceed? Thanks Image Unavailable, Please Login
We now have the late light stalk available as well: Ferrari 246 GT / GTS: Electrics: Switches: Light Lever 246 GT, E-Serie And also wiper and inidcator levers: Ferrari 246 GT / GTS: Electrics: Switches: Steering column lever, 246 GT, E-Serie The outer plastic part of the light lever will be available soon. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I recently had Jim at O.D.D Parts rebuild the entire assembly on my 365GTC. I had talked to Verrill also and both were very knowledgeable. What I liked about Jim is that rather than doing things piecemeal, i sent him my entire assembly, including black crinkle coated surround, and he rebuilt everything. I think he said the plastic shrinks approximately 2% a year so if one breaks, it's just a matter of time before they all go. i think he charged me $1350 and that included shipping. Everything looks new and polished. And his turnaround was 2 weeks versus 6-8 with Verill at the time called. Just plug everything in and reassemble. Hope that helps.
Unobtainium's turnaround has been significantly improved, typically 2 weeks or less. BTW, we have been supplying new wiper & turn indicator levers for 10 years or so.
Hi, I have the same problem. The damage is identical and so is the stalk. DINO PARTS link is not the same stalk. Infact it appears to be like Ferrari 246 GT / GTS: Electrics: Switches: eering column lever 206 - 246 GT, L+M-Serie but with a bend in the stalk. Any chance you could confirm this DINO PARTS. Thanks
Does anyone needs a fully, restored by Verell, complete a/b/c/ switch, I have one available. If there is any interest, kindly send me a pm. Regards, Alberto
Send the stalk to me at Unobtainium Supply. We can cast a new pivot and onto it. Turnaround would be one to two weeks.
Hi Albertros, does you stalk not look like this one? That should be the same as the thread openers. The link you selected are the early ones. Do you want me to picture any details? Btw. also the outer knobs are available now: Ferrari 246 GT / GTS: Electrics: Switches: Olive Rotary Knob Lights 246 Best regards, Stefan Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi I ordered a Light lever 206-246 GT, L+M-series. from Dino parts The Light Lever 246 GT, E-Series lever has the wrong plastic end. I copied the bend in the shaft with a 6mm universal hand bender. Widened out the hole that the spring and ball bearing fits into using 5mm drill bit. I magnatised the spring which helped a little to keep the ball bearing in place while I pushed it in place with a hollow tip centre pop. I had to also replace the switch innards. The 2 screws supplied, which are used to replace the rivets on the original fitting are too large. They push the end out of square and prevent the inner plastic pushing into the outer sleeve. I trimmed the switch inner with a model knife, only very slightly, screwed the wires into place then ground the corners off the screws with a dremel. I had to paint the 3 stalkes as maching the new to the old was impossible. I eventualy found a matt silver. Etch primed the 3 stalkes first. Warm up the stalkes with a heat gun but not too much. My adise would be to take LOADS of pictures, I didn't. Its not a job for the faint hearted.
Great post Albertros. Had to replace my broken 246 Headlight switch. Obtained new parts, Light Switch with contacts Dino 246, Olive Rotary knob, and Fixing clip for olive knob. Sourced from Dino Parts. Could not make the switch work. Rotary knob would not rotate properly... the above post saved me. The brass screws are indeed too large, preventing the olive rotary knob rotating properly. Using a Dremel, as above, I ground down the screw heads a bit. I didn't need to trim the light switch itself, but did enlarge the spring / ball bearing hole just a little bit - used a 4mm drill. Now works a treat... So there is a trick! It's a black art until you know how. Then it's simple. Many thanks
