Dick, the old car hobby would be better off in a number
of ways if you were to come out of retirement! But in
any case, there's money to be made for *somebody* who
can rebuild those '67-68 headlight switches. Here's
why I think they're in such demand:
-- They contain an internal circuit breaker, which
apparently deteriorates over time and develops a
"hair trigger". This causes the headlights to start
flashing on and off or perhaps to stop working
altogether, after the switch has had a chance to
heat up.
-- They were an Imperial-only part, and only for '67-68.
(Actually, I think the part numbers may be different
for '67 and '68, but they appear to be identical.)
-- The headlight switches from other '67-68 Chrysler
cars, although functionally equivalent (same-labeled
tabs and everything), are difficult to adapt for use
on an Imperial because of mounting and threading
differences.
-- Considerable hassle is involved in pulling one of
these switches out of a parts car -- and that switch
is liable to have the on-and-off disease too.
So yes, that $200+ NOS switch on eBay raises my eyebrows
a little, but not a lot. I must admit that I might have
been willing to pay that much, back when I was struggling
with the wonky switch on my '67 and had to beat the
bushes to find *any* replacements for sale, let alone a
NOS one.
At that time, I didn't know there were services that
would rebuild electrical parts like that. But even if
I had used one, I'm sure this would have been the first
of these particular switches they had encountered --
and they're not terribly amenable to disassembly. If
there were someone with experience in rebuilding this
particular switch, I bet they'd get some business!
Tim Klein
'67 Crown 4DHT
Rye, New York
>From: "Dick Benjamin" <DickB@xxxxxxxxx>
>
>I rebuilt two of them in about an hour each - maybe I should come out of
>retirement?
>
>Dick Benjamin
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Don Savard" <res03r3f@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>> Following a bid on a 68 Imperial Headlite switch. It's up to $202.50!!!
> > Am I missing something here? Is this for real? Ebay Item # 2401111009.
>> Don Savard (With these prices,questioning the wisdom of owning a 68
>> Imperial)
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