Now that the engine is in Arizona, the body in Tennessee, and the interior in Massachusetts, I can resume work on the various sub-assemblies such as the electrical system and its components. The Alfatross came with six toggle switches. Electrical appliances in those days were minimal:
- Headlights and running lights
- Dash and interior lights
- Heater fan
- Windshield wipers
- Driving and fog lights
- Electric fuel pump switch?
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| The Alfatross' six toggle switches were mounted "upside down" beneath the dash. |
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| The dashboard layout for one of the Alfatross' brethren shows only four toggle switches, with one of them operating the electric fuel pump. |
The switches themselves are a study in the evolution of automotive electrical engineering. Compared to today's solid-state, "no user serviceable parts inside" electrical switches and appliances these switches are prehistoric art. When I removed them from the dash I was surprised to see that their internal workings were completely exposed. No attempt was made to shield the contacts from the elements or accidental short-circuiting. But they are rugged in spite of each switch being made up of no less than 23 individual parts! They were deceptively simple-looking and fairly easy to disassemble (the toggles needed cleaning up and refinishing), but fiendishly difficult to reassemble. It took hours for Jeff and I to figure out how to reassemble the first one, but only minutes for the rest.
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| An assembled switch. All of the toggle switches are open-sided and unprotected, like this one. Even after 60 years they work perfectly. |
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| Is it a switch or an example of industrial art? Counting the rivets and fasteners, there are at least 23 parts per switch! |
Comparing the Alfatross' circuits and appliances with the electrical schematic in the repair manual for 1900C Super Sprints, revealed some important differences. The manual shows that one of the toggle switches activates the "auxiliary heater." Being a race car with only basic creature comforts, The Alfatross had a simple heater and small electric fan, but no auxiliary heater. So what did that switch operate? I think the switch dedicated to that circuit now controls the driving and fog lights on either side of the central vertical front grill, but I will have to compare it with the actual wiring harness to be sure.
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| Electrical schematic for the 1900C Super Sprint, the chassis modified by Zagato. 41 is the heater switch. 38 is the windshield wipers. 54 is the aux heater/driving and fog lights. 8 is the dash and interior lights. 9 is the headlights and running lights. |
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| This list, along with the schematic drawings above, identifies all the electrical appliances in The Alfatross and provides hints to their location. |
Another surprise gleaned from the repair manual schematic was the presence of an engine compartment light, "portalampada" on the list and 46 in the schematic. No. 47 is listed as the switch for the light, but it seems to be in the engine compartment rather than on the dash. Perhaps it was a mercury switch. The existence of this light was a complete mystery to me until I took the time to closely examine the list and schematic. A large, round hole in the aluminum plate that holds the Alfatross' fuse box to the firewall may have been for this light, but I still don't know exactly what it looked like.
Can anyone out there in the Blogosphere give me a clue?
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| The arrow points to what I think is the engine compartment light. I found this image on the Internet and do not know which 1900 Z it is, but it is the only one I have ever seen that had a light under the hood. The Alfatross has the same mounting plate on the firewall for the square fuse box to the right of the light, and a hole where the light should be, but no light. |
