1959 Convertible Top Switch Question

[59-in-pieces]

I don't want to rain on anybody's parade here, but my personal opinion is given the age of the car - I would not risk using a 12 point socket on any nut or bolt.

Given the prior likelihood these cars have been worked on before over the years and the corrosion that happens over time, a 12 point socket may round the edges of the bolt head or nut if its it's in there good and tight.

A 6 point socket gets a better grip on the available surfaces and less chance of rounding out the edges, if it slips.

By the way, an 8 point socket is likely for square headed bolts or nuts - hard to miss the side count on them - regardless of the size.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[TJ Hopland]

The photo isn't at the best angle to see all the points but its clearly more than 6 and less than 12 so standard sockets are out for sure.  An 8 point would have still been pretty common in 59.   Maybe not for an auto mechanic but I would bet that if you went to the hardware store and asked for a 1/4" lag bolt to fix your gate pretty good chance they would have sold you one with a 4 point head on it.     That fact makes the whole security thing seem a little less logical unless there were extra twists to it like maybe the tips are pretty round?  Or like someone else suggested maybe metric?   

[goob]

The bolts in question are 1/4" 8 point...Craftsman part # 44341...still available, at least on ebay. You can also try a 9/32" 12 point or 7mm 12 point. They usually aren't that tight, just use light force with the 12 points if you go that route.

[smatarese]

The bolts in question are 1/4" 8 point...Craftsman part # 44341...still available, at least on ebay. You can also try a 9/32" 12 point or 7mm 12 point. They usually aren't that tight, just use light force with the 12 points if you go that route.

This is great, just ordered one. Thanks so much!

[smatarese]

So I got the socket and was able to take the center lower dash off and have a look for the wires. Couldn’t see any so we used a friends scope camera and couldn’t see the wire or plastic piece that connects to the switch. We also pulled the kick panel and didn’t find the right color wires among the many there. I need to take the door sill cover off and start to trace the wires from the top motor as well. My question is, does anyone sell or have the plastic piece that connects to the top switch?

[59-in-pieces]

The suspense was killing me for someone to post some pics.

I got out my shovel and dug up my 35 mm camera pics - from 3 different Eldo's - and found them all to be the same.

Out from the original pumps to the harness connection were 3 wires: RED - Green & Black (ground) with a 2 wire harness connector.

I also looked at some after market pumps of the time which had Red - Yellow & Black (ground).

I would suggest you simply get behind the rear seat back from inside the trunk - assuming the liner is still in place - and find the harness connector which should be on the left side, and strip back the wrap from the source connector half, and expose the wires to confirm their colors.

Ring each wire individually back to the kick penal bundles.  If you find continuity - you have the jumping off place to trace forward to the switch location (irrespective of the wire colors, as the 59 is notorious for broken wires, especially through the door jambs to its kick panel areas).

If you can't confirm continuity to both wires (likely a break), then pull out the rear seat bottom and the left harness should be there ahead of the branch to the pump.
to confirm colors - strip harness wrap - then remove the threshold - pull back the carpet and get ready to remove the steel plate that covers a trough in which the harnesses which run under the rear seat armrest for the pump & tail lights etc. in the trunk.

Good luck and I will wait for the next episode.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[smatarese]

That’s definitely the next step, although I’m holding out for the shop that last worked on the car to fit me in soon. It’s not that fun working in a driveway with the cold in NY right now. The thing that’s most puzzling to me is that I can’t see any part of the three wires that should be under the dash for this. I have a feeling the whole dash is going to have to come out again.

I did start off checking the wiring at the pump and found a poorly repaired break thinking that was my issue, but it wasn’t.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

That'll do it, as there it a lot of current flowing through those lines when the pump is in operation.   Connections have to be sound.

Bruce.

[smatarese]

So the wires for the top switch were found tucked between the gauge cluster and the dash frame. At some point in the cars history the connector for the top switch was removed and the wires just connected to the switch.

Does anyone have or know where I can buy the connector for the top switch? Haven