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Don't throw away the aftermarket. The plastic in the NOS might be old and brittle and break. If so take the metal pieces out of the NOS and put them in the aftermarket. Just an idea. My plastic broke and I had to buy another one.

HudginJ3 wrote:

Don't throw away the aftermarket. The plastic in the NOS might be old and brittle and break. If so take the metal pieces out of the NOS and put them in the aftermarket. Just an idea. My plastic broke and I had to buy another one.

Hopefully this doesn't happen...

What do you guys think of the switch I purchased? Does it look NOS or used? Does it look similar to NOS that you have purchased?
Any tips on installation, so it lasts 50 years?

If it had been used, there would be wear marks on the canceling levers.

Question. When did Ford stop using bullett connectors and start using the plastic male female connectors.

It's my understanding is that the real issue of repos is the metal parts in them are not very good and give out. My original broke off a canceling lever. If I had kept the original I would have taken out the metal pieces and put them in the new plastic repo. I've had a repo apart before. Not hard to do just monotonous.

Knowing what I know now...
I would have repaired my original Ford turn signal switch. The reproductions I purchased failed terribly for me.

Last edited by Toploader (10/27/2020 5:53 AM)

Where did yours fail? I assume it was the plastic?

Update...
The NOS turn signal switch is now fitted. Far out!!! What a difference... The NOS item is so much better than the Scott Drake and Dennis Carpenter reproductions I fitted. There is no more annoying loud click and the turn signal stays on, until you exit the turn and the steering wheel comes back to centre.
The second reproduction switch that was removed was already failing, so I am very happy with the NOS part.

TKOPerformance wrote:

Good to hear.  The NOS stuff doesn't always look perfect; it is 40-50 years old at this point.  BUT it almost always seems to work like a new part should.  The NOS stuff I am buying for vehicles in the '80s and '90s often isn't perfect.  A little surface rust, the packaging almost always has changed color, etc.  The quality is still there though.  Unfortunately Scott Drake is now also screwing up parts for the Fox Mustangs.  The Dennis Carpenter stuff is better, but even some of it is not truly up to NOS standards even though its often made on the original Ford tooling.  If you want the best quality, if you can find it, and if no one else can help, maybe you can hire....wait, no, that's something else, but you get the point.

 
I am SO disappointed with the Scott Drake and Dennis Carpenter turn signal switches. The Scott Drake one caused a short straight up and the Dennis Carpenter one failed after maybe 2 years (it was a very noisy switch). The NOS one is so smooth and does what it should.

Yep, NOS just means its a part no longer made.  Part numbers indicate when the part was originally put in service, as well as any revisions to the part over time, but not when the part was manufactured.  Typically Ford continues to support new vehicles by manufacturing parts for 10-15 years, and this can extend if the part is still in use in newer models.  Once the part is considered outdated Ford stops producing it and the remaining stock hangs around until its all sold off.  There are dozens of places that buy old dealer stock which the dealer doesn't think they will ever sell, and also buy stock from dealers that are closing.  These are the various NOS parts sellers like NOS Parts LTD, etc.  Then there's the guy who bought the part for his car, never put it on, sold the car, and found the part cleaning out the garage and throws it on eBay. 

The biggest change in the past 20 years is that the accountants told companies that inventory is expensive, so most dealers don't stock much of it anymore.  High volume dealerships with big service departments will stock commonly needed parts, but rarer stuff is going to have to be ordered.