'37 Special Turn Signal Woes

[AACA Library]

Hi Guys,

For the past couple weeks I've been trying to get my turn signals working on my '37 Special. I have a Signal-Stat 7-wire unit with a brand new flasher. I am using the front fender lights (disconnected from driving lights) and want to use my existing tail lamps as signals too.

Here is my problem -- when I wire the rear turn signals to the brake light terminal or left side of the bulb bracket I get proper flashing when turning the left signal on but when I turn the right signal on BOTH the right & left lights flash (front & rear). Also, when I step on the brake pedal my front left signal lights.

To fix this I've disconnected my taillight lead and installed the signal leads onto the right-side terminal. When I do this I still get a front-left light when braking but the rear lights flash properly. Fortunately the front-left will still flash when I signal to the left; it just stays solid when braking & signalling a right turn.

Obviously this setup is getting me by, but it won't do me any good should I get caught out in the rain or after dark and need to turn my lights on.

I've checked to make sure my wiring out of the signal unit is correct about 10 times. I've also read the May/June 2003 Torque Tube (pgs 22-25) and it mentions something about cutting the left rear light wire but it is unclear to me.

Any thoughts? Perhaps a bad signal unit? I have individual wires running to each light which makes the front left lighting-while-braking even more mysterious. The only thing that lamp is connected to is the signal switch so somehow power is back feeding while braking?

Installing turn signals is supposed to be one of the easiest things to do but it is quite frustrating for me right now. I really don't want to attach separate lights on my bumper.

Thanks in advance!

-Chris

[Mark Shaw]

Although you indicated separate wires for each light, I suspect there is a jumper wire that connects both brake/signal lights somewhere in the old wiring. You need a test lamp & probe to find it independently without using the existing signal/brake system to power the lights.

Trace each wire through the system to see where the jumper feeds power to the other lamps.

[trp3141592]

Hi,

My 37 Roadmonster doesn't have turn signals. Were these an available extra-cost factory option? Just curious.

--Tom

[Guest Grant Magrath]

I recall my father having similar issues when he wired up some Guide B-31 backing lights up to use as extra rear indicators on the 39 coupe. The brake light circuit was causing problems from memory. I ask him how he got around it.

Cheers

Grant

PS Tom, 39 was the first year for indicators, but only on the trunk lid. We wired the accessory front parklights up to be front indicators. Works great!

[eric_b_1937]

The 1937 Buick did not come with turn signals. However in the manual it states that you can out run most drivers. So at night or on a cold day when hand signals will not work, then you were to out run the car behind you then turn. Or brake and give way to anyone making a left turn in front of you. The traffic density was much lower then as well.

I got honked at a lot for using hand signals in modern traffic, people think you are waving, so I installed turn signals.

Check the turn signal wires and diagram again. Check the grounding of all lights, You can also use dual filament bulbs and sockets on the rear.

[jeff]

I have successfully done this with my '38. The seven wire solution should work with your exisiting rear lights, and dedicated fronts. Better yet, you can later upgrade to dual filament front fender sockets and get both parking and brake functions in the same fender light.

1. Make sure you have the correct dual filament light bulbs in the rear, and the correct single filament in the front. This could very easily be your issue.

2. Confirm that you get both parking light and brake light functionality from the rears, and that the brake light is the brighter of the two. You may need to swap the two wires going into the rear tail light assembly.

3. Make sure you have a good ground from the base of the assembly to the frame. I ran additional wires with eyelet terminals from the mounting screws of the base to the mounting bolts of the fenders. This killed the grounding issue, once and for all.

Jeff

[Marty Roth]

Hi Chris,

I agree with Jeff's assessment.

My 1937 Roadmaster has the aftermarket Signal-Stat 7-wire unit, likely added while it was still owned by New york City as Fiorello LaGuardia's parade car, or some time soon afterward, but before it was aquired by the Crawford Museum in Cleveland, OH.

The wiring seems straightforward, but originally both left and right brake lights worked together, as you no-doubt have discovered.

Check for correct type bulbs, and for proper grounding.

If you still have problems, wait for really foul PA winter weather, and make an excuse to visit New Orleans this winter to check mine out.

See you in Philly,

Marty

[AACA Library]

Hi guys, thanks for the help. It turns out that my problems were the result of a bad unit. A new one is installed and I am now signalling away. Thanks again!

[buick4547]

I recall my father having similar issues when he wired up some Guide B-31 backing lights up to use as extra rear indicators on the 39 coupe. The brake light circuit was causing problems from memory. I ask him how he got around it.

Cheers

Grant

PS Tom, 39 was the first year for indicators, but only on the trunk lid. We wired the accessory front parklights up to be front indicators. Works great!

Grant,

I'm going to show my ignorance here, but it won't be the first nor last time - so why not? As you noted '39 was the first year for indicators and only on the trunk lid, and might I add that most drivers are unaware of their location because that isn't where they would look for them, and in addition, they aren't bright enough to really be noticed by some drivers.

Also, as eluded to by other posters, I 'm not sure some twenty something little chick who is following me closely while texting to Madge, her best friend, has a clue that my extending my arm and hand horizonally out the drivers window means I'm antcipating and signaling a left hand turn and she should so anticipate the same. I mean handsignals went out of style about 40-50 years before she was born, and she probably thinks I'm some old fossil in an old fossil of a car suffering from some early form of rigor mortis. It truly is scary sometimes to peek into my rearview mirror.

Given the aforementioned situations, I would like to have my brake lights double up as turn signals but I'm unsure as to how to go about that. You mention Guide B-31 backing lights, but - and here is where the ignorance raises its ugly head - what are Guide B-31 backing lights? So could you please advise me as to what those lights are and as to what the simplest and easiest methods there are to add turn signals to my brake lights? I assume I wire them into my existing flasher some how , and I guess I use two filiment bulbs, ( a part number here would help), but what else do I need to know and do?

Thanks to Grant and others in advance for sharing their valuable knowledge. I know I can count on you as I always do.

Jim

[McDar]

I put motorcycle turn signals on my 37 Special. Dual filiment (1157) bulbs in both the park and tail lights. The cycle unit has a solid state module and two momentary push button switches (Radio Shack--$2) that when you push once will blink 10 times, twice 20 times, and three times 45 times. The modules are usually Kawasaki and on ebay for around $35. If they still made the column mount unit with the rubber wheel that rubbed on the underside of the steering wheel I'd go that way but my memory is so bad anymore I'd leave a non-self cancelling one blinking away and I hate that. The tiny momentary switches can be mounted completely out of sight and ALWAYS turn themselves off.

[chstickl]

I have after market (old time contemporary) turn signals in both my 37s (as it is a precondition to get a car licensed in Germany). Here is how it works:

Use dual filament bulbs and bulb sockets. They fit in the original places, available at Bobs. In the rear you combine rear lights with turn signals, in the front you use the parking lights. It is necessary to have a separate wire from your turn signal unit to each of the sockets and connect it to the terminal at the sockets that belongs to the turn signal. Don´t combine it with brake light lines or any other lines etc.

Chris

[Guest Grant Magrath]

Grant,

I'm going to show my ignorance here, but it won't be the first nor last time - so why not? As you noted '39 was the first year for indicators and only on the trunk lid, and might I add that most drivers are unaware of their location because that isn't where they would look for them, and in addition, they aren't bright enough to really be noticed by some drivers.

Also, as eluded to by other posters, I 'm not sure some twenty something little chick who is following me closely while texting to Madge, her best friend, has a clue that my extending my arm and hand horizonally out the drivers window means I'm antcipating and signaling a left hand turn and she should so anticipate the same. I mean handsignals went out of style about 40-50 years before she was born, and she probably thinks I'm some old fossil in an old fossil of a car suffering from some early form of rigor mortis. It truly is scary sometimes to peek into my rearview mirror.

Given the aforementioned situations, I would like to have my brake lights double up as turn signals but I'm unsure as to how to go about that. You mention Guide B-31 backing lights, but - and here is where the ignorance raises its ugly head - what are Guide B-31 backing lights? So could you please advise me as to what those lights are and as to what the simplest and easiest methods there are to add turn signals to my brake lights? I assume I wire them into my existing flasher some how , and I guess I use two filiment bulbs, ( a part number here would help), but what else do I need to know and do?

Thanks to Grant and others in advance for sharing their valuable knowledge. I know I can count on you as I always do.

Jim

Sorry for the late reply Jim, I've been very busy with the Stingray lately.

The best thing you could do is to wire up some accessory park lights on your front fenders as indicators. You could put amber bulbs in, or leave them clear, as long as they flash.

For the rear, we have a 6v LED high stop light mounted in the rear window. It's required by law on imported cars here in NZ regardless of their age. Good insurance against the chick you mentioned!

Then there's the rear indicator setup. You could really use any 6v lights. It just happened that we had a good Guide B-31 accessory backup light from 1940 onwards GM cars. We got another from eBay, then found some amber clip-on plastic covers for the clear bulbs. We tapped into the indicators on the trunk lid, and viola! 3 brake lights, 4 indicar lights and a pair of tail lights! There are probably people shaking their heads and muttering something about dual filament buls, but we're not that clever!!

Cheers

Grant

[Guest Grant Magrath]

Grant,

I'm going to show my ignorance here, but it won't be the first nor last time - so why not? As you noted '39 was the first year for indicators and only on the trunk lid, and might I add that most drivers are unaware of their location because that isn't where they would look for them, and in addition, they aren't bright enough to really be noticed by some drivers.

Also, as eluded to by other posters, I 'm not sure some twenty something little chick who is following me closely while texting to Madge, her best friend, has a clue that my extending my arm and hand horizonally out the drivers window means I'm antcipating and signaling a left hand turn and she should so anticipate the same. I mean handsignals went out of style about 40-50 years before she was born, and she probably thinks I'm some old fossil in an old fossil of a car suffering from some early form of rigor mortis. It truly is scary sometimes to peek into my rearview mirror.

Given the aforementioned situations, I would like to have my brake lights double up as turn signals but I'm unsure as to how to go about that. You mention Guide B-31 backing lights, but - and here is where the ignorance raises its ugly head - what are Guide B-31 backing lights? So could you please advise me as to what those lights are and as to what the simplest and easiest methods there are to add turn signals to my brake lights? I assume I wire them into my existing flasher some how , and I guess I use two filiment bulbs, ( a part number here would help), but what else do I need to know and do?

Thanks to Grant and others in advance for sharing their valuable knowledge. I know I can count on you as I always do.

Jim

Sorry for the late reply Jim, I've been very busy with the Stingray lately.

The best thing you could do is to wire up some accessory park lights on your front fenders as indicators. You could put amber bulbs in, or leave them clear, as long as they flash.

For the rear, we have a 6v LED slim line high stop light mounted in the rear window. It's required by law on imported cars here in NZ regardless of their age. Good insurance against the chick you mentioned! We have plenty of them here, and some not so young!

Then there's the rear indicator setup. You could really use any 6v lights. It just happened that we had a good Guide B-31 accessory backup light from 1940 onwards GM cars. We got another from eBay, then found some amber clip-on plastic covers for the clear bulbs. We tapped into the indicators on the trunk lid, and viola! 3 brake lights, 4 indicar lights and a pair of tail lights! There are probably people shaking their heads and muttering something about dual filament bulbs, but we're not that clever!!

Cheers

Grant

[1937 Buick 66C]

Chris,

I'm a bit late to the party here; Have you resolved your turn signal problem? If not please advise (and send an email copy to kanas@qadas.com so I be sure and see it) and I'll walk you through resolving this. I added turn signals to my 1937 66C when I did the restoration. I am guessing that your brake lights are still on one circuit, either at the brake light switch or in the trunk. They must be on separate circuits for turn signals to work.

Let me know if you have not resolved your problem, and we can work through it.