Flashing Trafficators

[swithland]

Ive recently finished restoring a split screen convertible and as I was shipping the car out to my home in Hong Kong, I felt it would be sensible to have flashing indicators. Rather than fitting obtrusive looking flashing indicators, I wanted to convert the trafficators so they would pop out and start to flash. This would keep the trafficators original but make them practical for modern day use.

So I took a close look at the trafficators to try and work out how to do it and it really was very simple ! I made a few mistakes along the way ( which I will share with everyone ) but the result is fabulous.

If you take a trafficator out and study it, you will find there are in fact two power feeds to the trafficator. One feeds the magnet / coil that pushes the trafficator arm out. The other feeds the power to the light bulb in the arm. As a unit, there is one connection point for the power, but that splits into two feeds.

Look for a very fine black wire that runs from near the main power connection point ( at the bottom of the trafficator ) and goes along the back edge of the trafficator along one side of the coil. That heads up to the top of the trafficator and connects to a crimped brass / steel connector at the top.

What would normally happen, is the traffcator would pop out, and once it pops out, the power to the bulb is then made and the bulb lights up.

By carefully cutting the thin black wire from where it connects to the bottom of the trafficator main power in section and then joining to a longer piece of new wire, you will have separated the power in for the poping out function and the light function.

This is where it gets interesting. I bought two Two Prong flasher units ( each 18W power....one for each side of the car ) and fitted them with one terminal to the extended wire going up to the bulb connection, and the other to the power lead that normally comes up to the trafficator. The power lead that normally comes up to the trafficator must be split into two. One going straght to the main trafficator connection, and one going to one of the flasher unit terminals. The other terminal of the flasher unit ( relay ) goes to the other split off main power cable.

I tested everything and the light came on but did not flash. I could not understand why. But then it dawned on me that the flasher bulbs are about 3W, and the flasher relay units were 18W. I realised that the flasher relay units must match the power of the bulbs otherwise they wont work. I then googled 3W flasher relays and nothing came up except a company that supplies after market LED flasher relays. I bought two that promptly arrived a few days later and fitted them. They were rated from 1w - 10w. After fitting them they didnt work. I then tried swapping over the terminals to see if the direction of the power makes a difference on the flasher relay and......BINGO !! The trafficator popped out, lit up and started to flash perfectly. Wow, they look fantastic.

I was so chuffed with the result, I forgot to take any pics of the modified trafficators, but hope the above explanation helps everyone to understand how its done. The link to the flasher relay units is here :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-PIN-LED-FLASHER ... 5193cc7b45

If anyone has any questions.....pls feel free to ask. Its really a very simple modification and the result are well worth the effort.

Cheers
Charles

[mike.perry]

The main problem with trafficators is not that they do not flash but that their position makes them invisible from many angles, particulary on the 2 door, but well done for working out how to make them flash.
You can fit indicators unobtrusively under the bumpers

[PSL184]

Other drivers fail to see mine let alone trafficators.....
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[swithland]

I did originally want to fit some small flashers under the bumpers and did see a photo of a car in the States that had been modified to a decent standard, but I searched everywhere and could not find similar units. Does anyone know where I could obtain similar fittings ? Pic of the one I saw below.

The car caused a lot of interest when I drove it through Leicester last week and everyone seemed to see the trafficators, because everyone was giving way !! My last moggie was in 1992 and people didnt seem to bat an eyelid back then, but this one now seems to attract a lot of attention. I suppose its possible that people were giving way because of the car and not the trafficators........

I think I will have to see how I get on once its registered and on the road in Hong Kong to establish if the trafficators are being seen or not. If they are not, then I will have no choice but to fit some kind of under bumper flashers.

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[mike.perry]

It is easy to make a set of under bumper indicators. If you use Taveller rear indicators, being Morris Minor parts they do not look out of place. You will need four metal sheets with a hole at the top to hang on the bumper iron bolt and a hole at the bottom to fit the light unit into.

[bjm38]

If they drive in Hong Kong anything like they do in mainland China then I don't think flashing trafficators (or flashing anything!) are likely to make a blind bit of difference!!

Bernard

[Shawn]

http://www.morrisdownunder.com/forum/vi ... afficators

Here's what I've done.

[swithland]

Hi Bernard

Im not going to drive the car on the mainland because :

(1) You are right.....they drive like nutters and it will get pranged
(2) It costs about £20,000 to buy a registration plate to allow it on the mainland China roads ( how mad is that ???? )

Driving in Hong Kong is a bit like driving in Central London. Every man for himself. Dont give way to anyone, especially taxis !!
Having said that, the interpretation of the Hong Kong (British Rules) road system is different to that in the UK. Solid white lines in the middle of the road are never crossed unless you want the car behind you to honk angrily at you. Pedestrian crossings are ignored completely.....as are the first three seconds of a red light......but still a lot better than mainland China where anything and everything goes.

[dockerman]

hi there i have just fitted two new led trafficator bulbs all you do is take the old bulbs out and put the new bulbs in and your ready to flash

[swithland]

Ive done the same with another of my cars....the LED flashing bulbs were quite expensive though...I think I paid around £20 for a pair. At the time I modified my other car to flash without the special LED bulbs those flashing LED blubs were not around.