Switch to fit blank dash holes?

You can go to alliedelec.com. But they do have a minimum order. You'll need a switch that has a body that is not more than .5 inches wide. Using a rocker would require a square hole and since the surface of the dash plug is curved it might not sit flush. I used a small rotary switch (a push buton switch can also work) and I used a small 3mm LED as a pilot light. Drilling round holes is easier.

 

The switch I used came from a company in Milwaukee, WI, called "Del City":

Illuminated Paddle Toggles

It required a fair amount of Dremel-cutting of the back side of the "blank" and also cutting the edges of the switch's retaining nut to make it fit - but it worked and looks very nice.

They also have a number of rockers, both rectangular and round - but I was looking for a stubby "paddle" switch, so I got the one above. Just search for "LED rocker" on their site.

 

These single pole (SPST and SPDT) rockers from Del City fit fairly well in the hole left when you remove the blank but could do with being 2 mm wider for a good snug fit.. You don't need to drill the blank (or use it at all). Just pop the blank out and push the switch in.

The switch mounting hole sits in a recess so when the switch is fitted, it too sits in the recess. This does mean you can't accidentally knock the switch on.

Non-illuminated Appliance Rockers

The only trouble I had was the shipping from Del City. The website failed to calculate the shipping and said that it would be added when payment was taken. Never got any notification of what the shipping was until the switch arrived and I had been billed $154 for shipping. Moral of story. Get a shipping quote from Del City before you order.

 

Yes, Since I have the II I have 4 blank spots and really would like a reasonable switch in it's spot.

Call me cheap but I can't pay $154 for shipping.

Can someone get a good measurement?
I want a second opionion if I measure.
Do you remove from behind? or pop out from front?

Thx.

 

If you can get round the back, you can pop them out very easy. Just push them. If not, you can use a flat plastic blade to lever them out from the front but be careful not to scratch the soft plastic dash!

Suggest to get Del City to quote for shipping before placing order if you want to use them. It might be a lot cheaper to ship to the USA (I am in the UK).

Measurements:
Panel hole (for the switch body to fit through) h=27mm w=17mm.
Recess size h=31mm w=20mm d=6mm
Blank outer edge size h=33mm w=22mm

Here is photo of switch mounted in the centre dashboard blank (where IPA would go).
As you can see, the switch could be 1 or 2mm wider to be perfect.
Also pictured is the blanking plate (removed) with dimensions.

 

Reviving old thread as I didn't find a newer one. I think I found one that fits the blank well. It's on order so we will see.

This is what I just bought from eBay.

12V 35A Car Fog Light Headlight Rocker Switch 4 Pins LED Dash Dashboard Blue | eBay

 

I bought a green one, I have already received it. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to test fit it yet.

 

The one you have ordered is listed as having 22 by 38 mm dimensions. That's bigger than the dimensions given above in #6, so it will be interesting to see which set of measurements turn out to be right.

If the hole will accommodate a 22 by 37 mm switch body, then you are in the very happy world of standard interchangeable switches like the Carling Contura family. Those you can use to suit just about any need you might have, because you have a lot of choices for the switch bodies (one pole, two poles, one throw, double throw, momentary, momentary in one direction, momentary both directions, one light, two lights, incandescent lights, LED lights, choose LED color and voltage) ... then you choose your actuator (the handle, rocker, whatever) by color, style, lens type and position (lights showing through from the switch body), and any actuator will attach to any switch body.

The spare holes in my Gen 1 really are this standard size, which is very cool. But from #6 it sounds like Gen 3 could have gone to a smaller size, which would be kind of a drag as far as switch availability is concerned.

Back to the Carling size, if that actually works ... once you know the type of switch body you need (# of circuits, positions, lights) and the corresponding order number from the Carling data sheet, you probably have lots of choices on line to pick up that exact switch body, and many of them will deal with you without a crazy minimum order.

Getting the actuator you want for it can be harder; there are so many possibilities that no distributor has them all in stock, so even if you find the exact look you are after in the catalog, there's no guarantee you can actually find someone to sell it to you, unless you bring an order for 200 of 'em to the table.

And then I found rockerswitchpros.com ... they can sell you the switch bodies, they have a decent but not complete selection, if you need an unusual body you might still need to order that somewhere else, but the real magic at rockerswitchpros is they do small-order, custom-legended Carling actuators. They don't have every actuator style either, but they have a good versatile one, the Contura V style in black, which won't look bad anywhere, and they will engrave it however you want. It is black on the surface, translucent inside, so the lights on the switch body will illuminate whatever you engrave (in whatever color you chose for the light).

For what it's worth, I think the usual way these would be laid out on a panel, if you had switch bodies with both top and bottom lights, you would wire the top lights to the dash dimmer, and engrave the rocker tops with the word or symbol identifying what the switch is for, so that's always illuminated with the dash lights. At the rocker bottom you'd just engrave a small rectangle or oval, and wire the bottom light to light when your accessory is on.

Those guys will happily sell you one actuator, engraved with anything from their online choice of words and symbols, for like $10 plus a buck or two postage. It's a little more if you supply the design to engrave.

-Chap

 

Based on this thread it seems an aftermarket switch that fits is hard to find. I believe the crucial dimension is the body which is 20 x 31mm. Any larger, the panel opening will have to be trimmed which I don't want to do. I don't mind trimming the switch down though. This one is 20 x 28mm so it should fit into the opening just fine. I'm pretty sure the issue will be the face plate of the switch. We'll see.. should be fun.

 

Interesting ... I went back again to the eBay link you supplied, and this time I see that where you scroll down to the description, it says 22 x 38, but clicking through the images at the top, you get a dimensioned drawing that says 20 x 28. I was looking at the description last night ....

-Chap

 

yes, I based on the image dimensions. Based on the photo, it appears to 20x28 more so that 22x38. 38mm would make it look quite long.

I should be able to confirm in a few days.

 

OK, I still don't have the dashboard apart, but I did bust out the digital micrometer and took some measurements:

OEM blank, inside measurements:





OEM blank, outside measurements:





New LED switch, inside measurements:





New LED switch, outside measurements:





The inside dimension on the long axis seems to be too large. However, there is a tab and two spring tabs, on both sides of the switch body on both sides that look like this:



The switch body itself, measured on the long axis, without the tabs is this measurement:



So, it would seem that by shaving off the tab(s) on one side of the eBay LED switch, or shaving a little bit off the tabs on both sides, the switch should fit into the dashboard switch cutouts.

Here is a macro shot of the two face on, the eBay LED switch is longer, but it shouldn't look too bad:

 

Nice! The size of the body of the switch is key. No larger than 22x32 is key. As you measured, the switch is 20x28(base of tabs). As long as the thickness of the tab is no more than 4mm, it should even slip in! A little trim of the face plate and it should work...

thanks!

 

I'm thinking it would be extremely hard to trim the length of the eBay LED switch face nicely enough so that it wouldn't look horrible. An uneven, ragged edge would bug me more than a slightly long switch. I'm going to leave the length alone and keep all of the hacking on the back (hidden) side of the switch.

 

The difference is 6mm which is .23" or almost 1/4". I'm not saying it's preferred but needs to in order to fit.

With the right tools, the face plate can be trimmed done nicely.

 

Got this switch to fit fairly easily. The crucial area is actually further back on the blank. I didn't measure it before I trimmed it down but basically here what I did to get it to fit.

On the switch, need to minimize the height by trimming off the tabs. Then on the panel, the opening needs to be enlarged. Not the face size of the opening but the step right behind it. I simple use a dremel to open this area up. It's mainly the width that has tie interference. the top and bottom only needs to be trimmed sightly. If you trimmed it just enough, the original blank will still clip in.

iPhone ?

A few photos.

Untitled by

 

For anyone searching for a switch and landing on this thread.....

The Scion switch does NOT fit, with dremeling of the switch. I'm not going to Dremel the car!

The OEM ventilator switch looks promising (8489-47010) however, don't be fooled by the websites that you can order it from online. They will eventually tell you that it has been "discontinued." You CAN order it through a dealership, but it comes on a boat from Japan. You will need to find a dealership who is willing to take the time to do this.

 

This family of switches from Air On Board will fit just fine.

Drawback is, they have a large selection of pre-engraved legends/clipart to choose from, but they do not offer engraving of a legend/art you supply, or a blank switch front for you to engrave yourself. Switches from rockerswitchpros can be custom engraved, but last I checked with them, they didn't carry this size and weren't interested in adding it.

-Chap

 

I did see that group. Unless I missed it, they don't have just a plain black switch. Everything is label/graphic. That seems very odd and I would love to be wrong.