FOUND! 308 Door Jamb Switch

Many congradulations! I know this has been a major PITA for you and I am sure others thank you as well for sharing your source. That's funny, I used to own an X 1/9---a 76, very fun car but too small of an engine. Now driving around the X 1/9's bigger brother

Going to have to post some pictures of a small plastic piece for Verrell to fab---the "Z" shaped plastic connecting rod that goes in between the two air diffuser slats on the top of the dash. I just spent $50 for a complete new air diffuser to get the new Z shaped rod, popped it in and now the middle of the 3 diffusers are now correctly working for the first time in over 20 years.

 

Well, congratulations! $2.75? Did you laugh and laugh...?

 

Great detective work on the door switch!

BTW,
Unobtainium Supply has a mold and has been making new 308 emblems for over a year. Available in either black plastic, or can be special ordered in black chrome.

I can also strip & restore an existing emblem with mirror black powdercoating & new white lines. The powdercoating stands up to the sun much better than the original black lacquer does.

 

Can you likewise restore the "quattrovalve" emblem? And what's your cost and turnaround and/or cost of the new 308 emblems?

(sorry for hijacking the thread...)

 

Just the man I wanted to see---can you make me around 5 of these Z shaped connecting rod things that join together the two slats in the air diffusers on the 308's? The GTB's, GTS and GT4's are use the same TYPE with the exception being the "Dino" logo is on the GT4. The z shaped rod is made of plastic, about a inch long with a plastic pin about one eighth of an inch long protruding out at each end of the rod. I will post a picture in here on monday of the part, I just don't have access to a dig. camera right now. I can mail you a part to use as the mold if necessary.

 

Steven,
What did you find out about the #31601 switch? It's the one that really looked to be close. [see pic below]

Yes to both. Assuming the QV emblem is also lacquer coated white metal. I believe it is, but haven't tried stripping one.

New QV emblems:

5BC-UUS Emblem, '308' Black Chrome Plated Plastic 308 $ 75.00 (Special Order)
5B-US Emblem,308 Black Plastic 308 $ 55.00

quattrovalvole emblems would be similarly priced.

I haven't priced restoration, but probably $55-$75 range.
It'll have about 45min to 1-1/4 hour's labor in it. (strip, polish, powdercoat, hand fill lines.)

When I have an existing mold, I usually need 1-2 weekends to turn an order around, depending on what else is already committed. A new mold usually adds an add'l 1-2 weekends.

Making molds is an art. Sometimes takes several iterations to get a good one.

Chromed parts have to be sent out & typically take an add'l 30 days depending on my supplier's schedule.

I'll need to borrow your master part, sounds pretty straightforward. No chg for the mold provided I own it to make add'l parts.

Hmm,Is the diffuser you pulled the rod out of a Ferrari one?
If so, I'll trade you the 5 rods for it.

Have been thinking about buying one as a master part.

I'm getting very close to being able to supply just about every interior plastic part for the 308! The diffuser, A/C vents, & shift handle are about the last ones!

Send eMAIL to:
[email protected]

Yup, we definitely hijacked this thread, sorry Steven.)
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Steven -
When I joined the group and saw your plea for this switch back in Jan (I think), I checked my X1/9 jam switch against my 308 and did not think they would be compatable. Did not have your vision for adaptation!

I have to echo the Fiat is a fun -underpowered car. My problem is that parts are hard to get and usually expensive. I realised that after pouring a large amount of $ into the car for up keep - at the end of the day.....it was still a Fiat. I figured that if I was going to spend the $$ I might as well have a car worth the cost. Thus the Ferrari idea was born. We are spending now!

Now I cant figure out how to get rid of an orignal owner, 81 X1/9. Maybe it's my sales pitch????

 

VERELL: No problem, I will lend you the Z rod. I paid 50 bucks for the brand new diffuser, I was hoping to get a refund on the part after mailing them back the part you used for the mold and the diffuser. I would be happy to trade with you. It is the diffuser with "Dino" embossed on it.
Yes, you can keep the mold and use it for others.

CARL: I agree, that is why I wanted to get rid of the X1/9. Overall, a poorly constructed car using substandard cooling parts and interior parts in general. Never had a car overheat so fricking much and as requently as the X1/9. Melted the overflow tank twice as the fiberglass couldn't take the heat. Crappy rubber quality on the radiator hoses. But nonetheless, that is the car I learned all of my skills on. Sold the X1/9 a week after buying the GT4.

 

I just made my order, enjoythemusic, you are a God. I'm having my door's painted and both switches broke when they took the doors off. I tried for an hour to put them back together with no success and a lot of cursing.
Thx
Kelly

 

I might have been able to save you $2.75 -- of course, it would have cost $6.95 to save it. Radio Shack's "Contact/Control Cleaner & Lubricant" spray (part no. 64-4315) is great at permanently fixing bad switches. If the switch was intact but not working, this spray would probably fix it -- if the switch was broken into lots of little pieces, then the spray doesn't work as well. My door switch was inoperable for the two years I've had my car -- I just sprayed it yesterday and now it works like new. I've posted about this spray before and I don't think anybody has called my bluff, but it is amazing. This product is very different than CRC or other types of contact cleaner. When you spary it on, you can often hear a mild popping sound -- I think it works better if power is connected when you spray it. It takes several hours for it to take full effect. I did not remove the switch, just sprayed into it around the button. As is typical, it did not have any effect initially, but when I got in the car several hours later, the interior lights came on for the first time ever. This stuff has fixed a Porsche blinker stalk, an electronic dimmer switch, and a remote control -- all of which I was sure were dead but that worked for years after spraying. Unlike most contact cleaners, this has a lubricant built in and I think this is part of why it works so well. In the case of the blinker stalk, regular CRC-type contact cleaners (which didn't fix the problem anyway) removes all of the factory contact lubricant so that, even if they fix the problem, the switch will wear out in a few months due to the lack of lubricant -- the Radio Shack spray with the lubricant it is a permanent fix. Be careful to get the exact part number listed above -- Radio Shack also has a straight contact cleaner (like CRC) that does not work as well. Great find on the switch, but I recommend trying this stuff first if the switch is still in one piece. If I can save just one switch with this message ...

 

Do you have door jamb switches on both sides? My '77 only has them on the drivers side so the interior lights don't come on when I open the passenger door. Only when I open the drivers side.

 

Now that is strange...is there a hole cut into the forward panel where a switch would normally be? Either way, I would remove the panel (held by two Philips screws) and take a look and see if the wiring is there....

 

Well it was dark when I looked (no pun intended) but I've washed the car several times and if there were a hole there I'd have asked myself why each time, so No, I don't think there ever was one.

I'll look when I get home to see if it's there. The lights have never come on when I opened the passenger side door so I just assumed that's the "way Ferrari did it"...I mean, there are lots of strange things on these cars. People joke about how "that's what was in the parts bin that day" but I think that in many cases with the earlier cars (pre 1986 328) that it's probably true.

 

Oh I totally agree. I had a 78 308 GTS, and just during the production in 1978, there were a number of running changes in several details...with little rhyme or reason.

 

Sure seems to be true for my '82 Euro GTS QV. Front fenders have the round indicators like the GTSi instead of the rectangular ones for QVs. Came to me with an '82 GTBi/GTSi OM altho w/o records I can never be sure if that's what it shipped with. There are a few other injected model items that I can't recall just now.

 

Amazing what you see when the lights are on. There are TWO switches on the driver side and ONE on the passenger side. I did not take it off to see if it was connected, but I know it does not work properly.

 

Sean - at the significant risk of sounding like a broken record, I recommend that you try Radio Shack part no 64-4315 "Contact/Control Cleaner & Lubricant" on the passenger side switch (assuming it is connected). No disassembly required, just spray it into the switch around the push button, manually push the button in a few times and then spray one more time. It usually takes a few hours to take full effect. If it doesn't work, I will refund the entire cost of my advice.