What classic has this switch come from?

[larrylamb11]

{edit} Mystery solved. Answer: Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 - thanks dig123

I have a mystery switch.... I have no idea what it has come out of.... All I do know is that it appears to be Italian, likely 1970s and quite a curious arrangement being two rocker switches Siamese'd into the same housing and marked to the rockers 'DR' and 'DL', suggesting the switching of handed items in a car... like fuel tanks or something.
Does the PistonHeads hive mind recognise this and know from which fine Italian steed (or perhaps Rover Maestro) it has come?

Edited by larrylamb11 on Friday 18th November 16:58

Edited by larrylamb11 on Friday 18th November 16:59

Edited by larrylamb11 on Friday 18th November 17:00

[PositronicRay]

A long shot, could DR/DL stand for Dash (map) light.

[foxoles]

I thought door right and door left - lock each one separately?

[larrylamb11]

It is possible... I have no clue what the 'D' stands for. The switch isn't a momentary switch, its a positive on/off switch that snaps into the on or off position and stays there until reset, so it is for switching something on or off. Judging by the size of it and the way it would fit into a fascia it would be amongst the main switchgear in a car, doing something functional. I wonder if they are fuel tank switches?

[MitchT]

No idea but if someone forced me to hazard a guess I'd say 1980s Fiat.

[PositronicRay]

larrylamb11 said:

I wonder if they are fuel tank switches?

Why would you want both on/off at the same time? I've never seen L/R fuel tank switches in a production car.

[v8250]

Larry, you're cracking me up, dude First the HOMA switch and now the twinned DL/DR. It does have an Italianate look and wonder if the 'D' could be door? Though if Italian the switch would be 'P'. Are the switches ON/OFF or press ON/spring OFF?

A quick search for 'DL DR switch' has come up with this interesting Ferrari link...

http://www.ferraripartsexchange.com/products/dashb...

[dig123]

I think it is the left and right fan, try this link. Ferrari 330GT

http://www.330gt.com/Literature/OwnersManual/33019...

[ncbbmw]

MitchT said:

No idea but if someone forced me to hazard a guess I'd say 1980s Fiat.

1960's- 70's, Fiat 124/125/126/127/128's had that style of switch.

From memory the switches had white plastic pins on springs that would push the metal spring contact to the on or off position, the ends of the pin used to melt from the heat reshaping the pin meaning you couldn't turn the switch off.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400852144766

Edited by ncbbmw on Friday 18th November 00:52

Edited by ncbbmw on Friday 18th November 00:53

[larrylamb11]

dig123 said:

I think it is the left and right fan, try this link. Ferrari 330GT

http://www.330gt.com/Literature/OwnersManual/33019...

We have a winner!

That is what it is, a Ferrari 330GT left and right heater fan switch. Impressive sleuthing (or geekery) dig123.


The mystery is solved

[PositronicRay]

dig123 said:

I think it is the left and right fan, try this link. Ferrari 330GT

http://www.330gt.com/Literature/OwnersManual/33019...

Good call, I think you have it.

[williamp]

larrylamb11 said:

dig123 said:

I think it is the left and right fan, try this link. Ferrari 330GT

http://www.330gt.com/Literature/OwnersManual/33019...

We have a winner!

That is what it is, a Ferrari 330GT left and right heater fan switch. Impressive sleuthing (or geekery) dig123.


The mystery is solved

makes you wonder what car the swicth came from though: Ferrari didnt make their own switches, so they would have used switches from somewhere else.

[sun.and.rain]

Listed as "Part 242-80-864-00: Switch Rh/Lh Heater Fan Switches".

From a Ferrari parts site so don't know if that's a Ferrari part number or a general motor industry one. Could it be a Lancia or Alfa part? The large Fiat 130 didn't arrive until around 1969 I think.
Aircon offered on the 330GT from 1965 to 68. What air conditioned cars were built by the large Italian makers during this period, or maybe a bit before??

Edited by sun.and.rain on Friday 18th November 09:55

[dig123]

Look like the ones on the 330GT (see photo), not sure why L & R is used and not the Italian version and what the D stands for. But probably used on other cars.

Photo on http://www.330gt.com/background.htmd

Formica Dash

[sun.and.rain]

D could be direction.
If it's from a Ferrari 330GT it's such an obscure part to be found in someone's collection of bits and pieces. Could we be looking in the wrong direction? I had a quick look at dashboard pics of airconned 1960s Fiat 2600, Lancias, Citroen DS, etc.

Maybe it's a bit for a 70s bus or something. Would like to find out though.

Edited by sun.and.rain on Friday 18th November 16:15

[larrylamb11]

No, the direction is right and the switch is a Ferrari 330 heater fan switch. It wasn't common to anything else that I know of (although all the Italian exotica of the time were using similar switches, together with the mainstream manufacturers). It isn't that obscure for my collection, which gets significantly more obscure than this!

[sun.and.rain]

Cool.

Wasn't sure if the switch had been found in a box of general 60s/70s autojumbly useful car tat.

Ok, it's from a Ferrari 330 GT which was broken for spares then. Best leave it there.

Cue ebay ad.

[MJK 24]

Original Iveco Daily 3.5 ton trucks used those switches in the early 80's.

[sun.and.rain]

[4rephill]

sun.and.rain said:

Try finding a picture of the dashboard to prove if they used the same switches or not!