CONVERTING TO MODERN FLASHERS

A SUMMARY OF A DA7C TECHNICAL FORUM

Click HERE for the wiring diagrams

See below for overview

How many of us “flash” already on our Austin?

From a show of hands it would seem to be between 50 – 70% but no doubt this figure is influenced by how much the individual uses his/her car in modern traffic.

How has it been done before?

Here we looked at hand signals, illuminated arrows, mechanical hands, semaphores, semaphores with thermal flashing lamps, brake lights doubling up as indicators and finally amber flashers arriving on the scene in the late 50’s.

Originality v Safety

Perhaps this came down to what other road users expect and what we choose to give them ! Hand signals sometimes worked on a mixture of curiosity and confusion for other motorists !

What choices do you have?

This heading led us into considering what was available in terms of lamps, switches, warning methods and flasher units. The availability and flexibility of parts for 12V systems is considerably more than 6V !

Lamp sources

Most car type lamps from say Morris Minors, old Landrovers and trailers required a flat surface for mounting and commercial types, although doing the job extremely well, with the exception of smaller side repeaters, were too large.

Many had turned to motorcycle accessory and custom lamps for use on their cars.

Here the advantages were availability, ease of mounting and the ability to use 6v bulbs. Most were quite large but the custom market produced some compact pod like lamps such as “Dinky Winkas” although often with only 10 watt bulbs.

Some suppliers were providing adaptations for period lamps consisting of double lamp holders and replacement red/amber lenses. Finally you could consider modifying your own lamps but this applied mainly to front sidelights.

Vintage lamps

“Divers helmet” Rubbolite with amber lenses were available from Tim Hodgekiss but were without reflectors and more suitable for larger cars.

Small amber Rubbolite with a bracket seemed a good choice as they could be tucked away and yet still do the job. Willie McKenzie told us of his kits which would incorporate these.

Vintique Model “A” Ford available from that excellent company Stafford Vehicle Components were good for specials but did need a flat surface or mounting bracket.

Paul Beck did an amber large lens version of the AT101 rear lamp found on many vintage Austins.

Post Vintage

Suitable for specials SVC did modified Lucas 1130 torpedo sidelights.  SVC also do a modified ST 38 “porkpie” lamp seen on the rear of Rubies etc.

Modify your own

Here I demonstrated how you can incorporate the high efficiency reflector from a modern halogen household bulb by cutting out the bulb section using a Dremel with a cheap diamond cutter. These will fit into a Ruby type sidelight and can use an amber pygmy bulb in a RS lamp holder held in place with self amalgamating rubber tape – could be the subject of another article !!

Switches

Here we looked at face mounted lever type, panel mounted lever type, lever panel mounted incorporating a clockwork flasher , panel mounted toggle , toggle with a lever and finally a column mounted lever .

Conclusions were that a simple black face mounted bakelite lever switch was  best suited to the Austin as you did not need to drill a big hole and if you used a clockwork type you might make another turn in the other direction while it was still going !  Willie McKenzie is putting them into stock.

Warning method

The options here were a lamp on the switch (usually only 12V) a lamp mounted elsewhere an/or an audible buzzer.

SVC do a good range and the only source of a vintage amber warning light is from an Aerojumble.

Maplins do 6V and 12V buzzers at about £1 each but may need to be connected via a diode to prevent feedback.

Flasher Units

Here we looked at clockwork, tubular 3 pin thermal, vane type 2 pin thermal click clack, relay and electronic.

Motorcycle 3 pin tubular give you the best choice in 6V and the miniature Lucas 8FL click clack is only available in 12V but mounted in the right place gives audible warning as well.

If you were thinking of using amber LED bulbs incorporated into a bayonet base as supplied by Paul Goff  these would need to be swiched by a relay or electronic flasher as thermal flashers are wattage sensitive.

Wiring

We looked at the basic wiring circuit, where warning lamps and buzzers could be fitted and the need for quality wiring to avoid voltage drop.

 Phil Whitter

AUSTIN SEVEN FLASHING INDICATORS

With the impending trip to Normandy looming, I decided to fix up some di rection indicators to my 1932 crossover RN/RP box that a gendarme might recognise – and not rely on arm waving out of the window! My plan from a while ago was to fit semaphores, and I got as far as procuring a couple of Lucas ones in external covers from Minorparts of Oxford – rewired for 6v supply. But after careful consideration of how well these might be seen from various angles, I chickened out of drilling 5/16” holes in the sides of the scuttle, and instead have now successfully installed flashers.

The flashers are as sold for motor bikes, and the brackets I used at the rear are bolted to the existing transverse chassis bar that carries the number plate and rear lights – these brackets were predrilled with 10mm holes which accept the stalk of the flasher unit, and I drilled 4mm holes for the f ixing to the bar. At the front I wanted to display the flashers as close to the headlamps as possible, and not fit them to the number plate. Down there I think is a bit invisible to traffic, and not really far enough apart to inform which way I am going! I found a useful clamp-on bracket, which is sold as ‘Hasaller LED Light Bar Mounting Brackets’ by Amazon, typically for use when mounting spot lights to the rear edge of the bonnet on hunky utility vehicles, without the need for drilling. These brackets have a range of adjustment that allows for their use to clamp onto the front edge of the front wings of the A7 and al lows the flasher to point forward just below and slightly inboard of the headlamp centre. The brackets have the necessary 10mm holes to accept the flasher stalks, and Allen key clamp adjustment with a rubber pad that protects the shiny surface of the wing, and a metal pressure plate that clamps up from below. They seem secure enough – I have road tested that!

Classic LEDs provided the electronic 6v positive earth flasher control, and I found a suitable switch (left-on centre-off right-on) which I mounted using a previously drilled hole on the dashboard just to the right of the Austin patents plaque. It is all wired up to my new fuse box using a supply controlled by the ignition switch. I have used motorbike 3.9mm bullets (crimped and soldered) for connections because the flasher’s wires came already terminated using these. And it all works! I have two surplus Lucas semaphores.

Richard Palmer DA7C