Daytona dash toggle switches: Flip up, or flip down?

So today I discovered that the switches on my dash (for the blower fans and rear-defroster) don't all flip in the same direction. It's always something...

Not surprisingly, the owner's manual does not specify which direction that they are supposed to flip, and now that I think about it, unless one had access to a known original car, how could one know for sure?

So what do folks think? Should I make them all flip-up. or flip-down?

 

Well, perhaps they just follow same (il)logic (or haphazardness) the owners manual indicates for heater control lever operating instructions vs how the assembly personnel at Scagliettis(?) ended up mounting them on the dash vs the directions to which the actual heater control valves move when the levers are operated ?
Not to mention, how all this gets even more complicated or confusing if/when OEM heater control valves are replaced with commonly/currently available reproductions.

 

Mouse ear switch's Flip down for on.

 

Are you sure about that Grant ?

I’ve seen some examples with fairly convincing evidence contradicting this, but again I wasn’t there when every example received its final assembly and unfortunately, it seems both directional operations of these switches can be argued/explained to be logical.

Not to mention some examples in which the heater blower motors had appeared to have been (originally ?) wired to run backwards, presenting yet another dilemma for the “As it left the factory” vs “How it was intended to be” camps.

 

Not to address the Daytona question ( though I could go look at my car), the logical arrangement is DOWN for OFF. We always set up race cars that way, because in a panic situation, the easiest and normal motion is to sweep the hand DOWN. Trying to remember to sweep your hand up when the car is on fire or in a crash is not a easy or normal movement.

 

I hear/read you Dyke, but perhaps it would be best if we don't try introduce (or force) too much logic into something (i.e. Daytona assembly or production methods) that might've originally been lacking fair amounts of it (see my above references) ?

 

Fairly sure Timo, every uk car I have seen has been this way, even the LHD USA spyder I judged last year was this way. As for Usa cars that is the only one I have seen up close!

What we need is a few guys to check their cars if they have not been messed around with too much.

 

This is not a Daytona data point, but my unrestored 1968 GTC has all mouse ears flip DOWN for on, totally illogical. Same with the water heater switch in the center of the dash, down is on, totally lame.
The right and left vent levers are also counter intuitive. I can not tell you off the top of my head what they do except when they are centered, the air is directed to the footwells.
None of this is a complaint of course, I'm lucky to have such problems.​

 

I've personally "checked" a few "not-been-messed-around-with-too-much" examples and found aforementioned discrepancies, so coming up with an ironclad consensus might be a bit difficult, let alone one based on proverbial virgins(?)*.

* I even have couple of such currently in the shop and although both are fairly low mileage, two-owner examples, both have had their dashes previously (long ago) removed, disassembled, reassembled and installed at least once (by yours truly) and while all processes were fairly well photo documented (also by yours truly), it might now be inaccurate to refer them as un-messed with or "virgins".

 

OK, Timo, you shamed me into looking at the car. 17,000 miles, unmolested, original dash, mouse fur, etc. OFF equals UP. DOWN equals ON.

 

Dyke, while it wasn't my intention to "shame" you to do anything, I and am sure others too will appreciate the feedback.
OTOH, I'm a bit saddened to learn that you've managed to accumulate only +/-350 miles per year with your Daytona.

 

same in my car.

 

DWR:
OK, Timo, you shamed me into looking at the car. 17,000 miles, unmolested, original dash, mouse fur, etc. OFF equals UP. DOWN equals ON.

Do not Italian house lighting switches on the wall have down for on.

 

I just went and checked they all flip down for on on my car. I can't be 100% sure if they dash has ever been messed around in mine but it would be in the first 10 or so years of the cars life it was.

 

Lowell: Do Italian houses have lighting??? I learn something every day!

 

They had them in Rome many decades ago when I lived there for a year.

 

Many thanks to all, for the effort checking their cars, and their collective experiences.

Seems the general sense is that the toggles should flip down. So here are the before and after shots of my dash (if only all corrections were so easy!):
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I also took a picture of the back side of the switches before doing the rotation, and found some evidence that indeed flip-down is the original config:
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Note the accumulated dust on the *underside* of the wire terminals...

 

Scotch locks don’t belong on trailers...let alone a Daytona!!

 

I actually found that sort of "charming"... (though I still will fix that if I ever pull the dash to recover it)

Clearly my car spent a considerable amount of its life as "just a car"; it's actually surprising how "un-weird" it is given the existence of stuff like that connector.

Mind you, I found wiring that was a lot worse in a couple of "restored" cars that I looked at...

 

Alex, I see you opted not to "correct"(?) the orientation of heater control lever assemblies to match them with owners manual directions & likely inadvertently inaccurate operation of the valves themselves.

 

Hi Timo,

Well, I think at least the labels on the levers are oriented the right way. But I just looked at the manual, and you're right, it does seem to indicate that the red dots should be on the bottom. I guess if I have to choose, I would go with assuming the manual has a typo.

As the car is not running yet, I don't have any way to test whether the levers do the right thing; one battle at at time...

-- Alex

 

Well, if we are to "assume", apply Italian switch logic(?), i.e. down means on/open (= Hot/Red ? ) and combined it all with instructions given in the manual, where does that direct or leave us ?
More like this... ?
And again, we still haven't touched the actual heater valves "open/closed", i.e. on/off operational positions, let alone several other heater related OEM inconsistencies I've discovered and documented over the years on several cars.

 

Is the page in the Owners Manual, depicting the instrument panel/center console, such that the "static" position of said switches can be determined? As an aside, I love these switches..junk or not they're cool.

 

Not really, no, not that I can see...

I would assume that "off" is sticking straight out, however, since on the later label tags (as in my pics above) you can't see the labels when the switches are "down"...

 

Most electrical contacts in European houses is down for on so is the main breaker on my Italian coffee machine....Just for your info

Best, Peter