Esprit V8 Interior Round Light Switch Replacement...Starting with the mount

[Jason Rushing]

So I'm going to be replacing all of the 5 upper light switches, ok so actually 4 real switches on a US spec car since we don't have rear fog lights here but that ugly blank is getting replaced as well. I've ordered a switch with the Lotus emblem for that blank switch that will have a backlight instead of just the dead blank switch, but it will not control anything on my US car.

 

Given the near impossibility of sourcing factory replacement switches, and even then they are just more cheap plastic that will not last. Since I got this car a few short months ago I've been researching and trying to find the best way to go about this and have settled on the round 'halo' or 'billet' aluminum switches whatever you want to call them.

 

I've sorted out the wiring around 90% and will probably create a new thread to discuss that once I get that done but for now I'm going to start with just how to mount the little suckers. Because, if you know, they are round switch push buttons but actually square bodies where they mount into the switch mount frame. How French, or British, to put a round peg in a square hole....lol

 

Due to this round peg/square hole dilemma I could not come up with any way  to mount the new round switches in the factory square hole mount frame so I had to come up with something from scratch.

 

I purchased some aluminum angle bar from a hardware store, in the end had to add an additional piece to the bottom which didn't bother me since it gave me more material to tap into when tapping the screw holes for bolting it to the car. 

 

I went to a machinist and had him fabricate some small tubes that are internally threaded on one end to accept the new switches and externally threaded on the other to screw into the mount frame. 

 

The biggest challenge so far is getting the holes drilled as centered as possible but luckily there is some left/right for/aft play in the mounts holes in the car so it is a little forgiving. What follows is my first attempt, which I can live with but think I can get a little more precise. Also, I will go back to my machinist, now that he knows what I need and how to make the pieces, and probably shorten the front internally threaded end by 1/8" and the aft externally threaded end by 1/4" to save a little room behind and give a little more adjust-ability of the depth of the switches in the front. 

 

I need to paint the new mount frame black so it blends in better but today was just a test fit and not the final product.

 

I'm curious in knowing how many others would be interested in this. If it is something that others are interested in I can get the machinist to make some more switch mount tubes and I can make the mount frames for them. As is without the switches, just the mount for new round 'halo'/'billet' aluminum switches it would probably run between $175-200 US before shipping.

 

 

[Jason Rushing]

I got all of my switches in today, painted up the new mount and temp installed the new switches. I couldn't resist plugging the new blank replacement that I had them make with the Lotus symbol on it to a 9 Volt battery just to see how it will look and I can honestly say I love it. It will not control anything since my car is a US spec with no rear fog lights but it will be lit up in the car and look much cooled than just the factory plastic blank insert we US spec owners currently have.

Next it to start the wiring process which will take me some time since I'm going out of town for a week and have to go over my drawings and the wiring diagrams again. I will get it all temporarily wired in to make sure it all works then start a new thread with how I did it.

More to follow....