Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Indicator / Wiper stalk bending?

Mark (who also restores a Morgan 4/4 - made just a couple month before my car) - was to kind to send me a picture from his indicator stalk. It looks exactly like mine. Therefore, I believe that the "bending angle" is a factory feature.I hope that the tool I ordered now will help.

You can bend them between finger and thumb, no need to waste money on bending tools

Arwyn

I bet you don't use one of those girly metal things when taking the top off your bottle of beer with digits like that !

That's what your teeth are for, crown cap shaped..

No the window sill or the side of a door. Or even if female and in Bangkok another part of your body (or so I am told )

You may try this. I had to replace mine. I bended it using a small 1/8” flat bar held in a bench vice. I drilled on the perimeter a hole of the same size of the indicator diameter. The flat bar maintain the indicator's tube in place and you bend it by hand.

Alright - I got the tool but especially for the bending close to the base you cannot use it as it will need something to grip to.

Arwyn must have fingers mad out of steel. If we should meet someday after Covid-19 I will make sure to stick to the "corona elbow check" as greeting - I would be too concerned that you break my fingers on a normal handshake

PVC tape wrapped around the plastic a small vice worked wiper/washer stalk - which only needs a slight bend.
Next, I will give the flat bar method that Mike suggested a try.

Thank you again MikeCVH85 for the idea with the flat bar.
I used a 3mm thick alloy piece that I had laying around. Wrapping the stalk with a couple of layers of PVC tape helps protect the material.
Bending requires quite a bit of pressure against the flatbar. At the same time, you need to do it slowly and careful not to push it too far. It is important to really secure the vice tightly.

During the entire process I had to think about Arwyn. He is right - no special bending tool is required - but it scares the heck out of me if he can do this between thumb and fingers

I would be tempted to bend same against a larger radius softer surface such as a piece of wooden broom handle held in a vice. A half round peripheral groove could be cut in the handle to hold the stalk whilst bending. Hollow metal tubes have a habit of kinking very easily.

Fitting like-for-like Lucas indicator and wiper switches wouldn't be so bad if the tactile qualities of the replacement switches didn't match the quality of switches made from chocolate. Lucas' over-use of cheap plastic (instead of metal) for the switch components gives them an extremely unreliable, 'bendy' feel when used. In my view, these switches are a CASE STUDY in how not to design such switches. Well done Lucas.

I have always considered the switches used in German vehicles to be of much better 'quality' and to provide a very reassuring reliable feel when operated. No bending and no doubts about whether the indicator switch has latched ON. My thoughts at the moment are to adapt the switches used on a Mercedes Sprinter commercial vehicles which exhibit far better tactile qualities, are readily available and at a much lower new price (especially pattern parts).

Has anybody already attempted a similar adaption project? If so, your advice would be welcome.