Self cancelling indicator set up

[Kevinrpayne]

Hi there. I’m just about to rebuild the front suspension but want to take the opportunity to hopefully get the cancelling indicators to work. I’ve swapped the indicator to the LHS but the steering has been so mucked around with in previous lives that the protrusion on the steering column that should cancel the indicators is I fear misplaced. Looking down when the wheel is suggesting straight forward, the protrusion isn’t either straight up or down. 
 

When I swapped the indicators to the LH S i maintained the uk spec switch but reversed the wiring so all works there but where should the protrusion be pls. What I intend to do is to set this in the right place then re set the wheels to about the right direction before having them properly aligned 

 

thanks in advance kevin

[DanMi]

With the wheel straight ahead the protrusion should be between the 2 lugs on the stalk ie at 9 o'clock if indicators on the left. I count the steering turns lock to lock then divide by 2 and turn the wheel to half way, then set the column in the correct place and then adjust the tracking to straight ahead. I adjust the tracking with 2 lengths of string on stands either side of the car which gets it very close

Edited May 16, 2023 by DanMi

[Mjit]

On the Mk IV Spitfire (so I'd guess most/all Herald based cars with the 'early'/pre-TR7 style switch gear) there are a couple of dimples in the upper steering column shaft that match with a couple of bumps on the indicator cancellation collar.  I've no idea if the dimples are at 180° to one-another but would have thought with the upper column loosened and disconnected from either the steering coupling or rack you'd be able to rotate it 180° so the cancellation 'hump' points to 9 o'clock rather than the standard 3 o'clock position if they aren't and you can't just force the the cancellaton collar out of the dumples and rotate it 180° around the shaft  Then just a matter of reconnecting everything (after removing the plug/grease nipple from the steering rack and poking something in the hole to align the rack centre dumple) and removing/rotating/refitting the steerign wheel to match.

[Casper]

https://www.tssc.org.uk/tssc/uploaded_files/160 - October 1993.pdf

Page 62

C.

[Colin Lindsay]

Just as an aside, I've come across two different types in my time: in one, the indicator stalk has two lugs and the column one, which fits in between. The other type has one lug coming off the stalk, and the column has an 'M'-shaped bracket which I assume the indicator lug fits into when in the straight forward position. I don't know if they're interchangeable, but if Kevin's just reusing the original fitments then it's immaterial. This is one of the single-lug stalks:

 

[Kevinrpayne]

Thanks for this. My switch is a Rimmer so nothing special. Not a clue what type. It never worked very well on the rhs hence swapping to lhs made little detrimental impact. 
 

I’ll take it apart this weekend and look 

any special advice for fitting the canley trunionless uprights ? 
 

thanks Kevin

[Mjit]

If your indicator switch is one of the new ones on the market the last couple of years you might want to inspect it - my original switch failed (after the best part of 50 years service) but the new one that replaced it barely lasted a year, and the one that replaced that was threatening to do the same in a matter of months.  In both cases the 2 sprung cancellation arms were held in place by cheap metal rivets pressed into soft plastic.  But soft plastics creep, so the rivets come loose, everything falls apart, and in the first case one of the springs went walkabout.  Think I glued the rivets in place on the second one and so far that's help together.

 

And when you say "never worked very well" do you mean "wasn't very good/reliable at cancelling" or something else?  If the former for the current new ones I've found the cancellation arms are on the short side and you really need to maximise how close to the steering column you can get them when tightening the 2 mounting screws to get a reliable contact between the arms and trigger collar.

[Gully]

5 hours ago, Mjit said:

If your indicator switch is one of the new ones on the market the last couple of years you might want to inspect it - my original switch failed (after the best part of 50 years service) but the new one that replaced it barely lasted a year, and the one that replaced that was threatening to do the same in a matter of months.  In both cases the 2 sprung cancellation arms were held in place by cheap metal rivets pressed into soft plastic.  But soft plastics creep, so the rivets come loose, everything falls apart, and in the first case one of the springs went walkabout.  Think I glued the rivets in place on the second one and so far that's help together.

I did the same with mine - fortunately it didn't come apart, so I didn't loose any pieces. Just glued the rivets into the plastic. That was probably 5 years ago now.

I had to realign the cancelling lug on my GT6. I simply undid the column UJ clamp, pulled the inner column out and rotated it until the lug was at the 3 o'clock position and slid it back into the UJ splines. Worked a treat ever since (aside from the replacement switch issue, which was a quick fix). 

Gully

[dougbgt6]

I have no problem swapping between left and right hand indicator stalks, never made a mistake. But twice my GT6 has kangarooed to a stall with me cursing "Why's it not changing down?!! .

Doug

[Mjit]

18 hours ago, Gully said:

...the replacement switch issue, which was a quick fix

  It was?!?  My experience has always been a royal PITA, having to slacking off the top mounting, so you can remove the little wire hiding strup, so you can fight to get the new wires to go down the correct path, all while wedged uncomfortably in the footwell.

18 hours ago, dougbgt6 said:

I have no problem swapping between left and right hand indicator stalks, never made a mistake. But twice my GT6 has kangarooed to a stall with me cursing "Why's it not changing down?!! .

Never had an issue with the indicators...but frequently give other classic car drivers a friendly single wipe of the windscreen as they drive past 😐

[Gully]

2 hours ago, Mjit said:

  It was?!?  My experience has always been a royal PITA, having to slacking off the top mounting, so you can remove the little wire hiding strup, so you can fight to get the new wires to go down the correct path, all while wedged uncomfortably in the footwell.

 

Changing the whole switch is a bit of a pain, but still easier than replacing the horn brush ring! No - what I was referring to was fixing the loose rivets: cowling off, undo the two screws holding the switch, pull out the rivets, dip in a bit of glue and replace (without losing the springs!). Then screw back into place and refit the cowling.

Gully

[Sue Franklin]

Useful to have an audible warning on your indicators too!

[Colin Lindsay]

I just use a very bright warning lamp... I reckon at night the car behind will see it, too.

[Peter Truman]

you just wanted to show off that great new dashboard you designed and fitted as you should it looks great! really like the three piece accessory gauge looks as it should always have been there.

[Colin Lindsay]

15 hours ago, Peter Truman said:

you just wanted to show off that great new dashboard you designed and fitted as you should it looks great! really like the three piece accessory gauge looks as it should always have been there.

Of course!! Sat in the garage last night and made vroom vroom noises (although the engine is now running) to see how bright they were in the dark. Very.... maybe too bright.

I'm just happy it all works, even the oil pressure.

[Mjit]

20 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

I just use a very bright warning lamp... I reckon at night the car behind will see it, too.

LED bulb by any chance?

I changed all my bulbs to LED, took the car for a test drive in the dark and almost blinded myself when I came to the end of the road and went to turn left!  All the others are still LED but the indicitor repeater got swapped back to incandescent