> Was the dimmer on the 3 an option or did it just come later, after 58?
May have been an option for awhile; but in general earlier TR2-3A had only
the simple switch; while later 3A and 3B had the dimmer. You can tell which
one your car originally had, by looking at the holes in the instrument
panel. The panel switch was installed in the top hole, and takes the same
size hole as the wiper switch. When the dimmer was used, it was installed
in the center hole (where the wiper switch was on earlier cars); and the
required hole is somewhat larger than the wiper hole. IOW, if your top and
center switch holes are the same size, that panel is for a car with only a
switch for the panel lights. If the center hole is larger, it's for a
dimmer (or possibly the mythical two-speed wiper switch).
IMO, the dash lights on a TR2/3 are dim enough anyway; no need for a dimmer.
There have occasionally been times I wanted to turn them off entirely
though, like when driving at high speed on a moonless night with no opposing
traffic. Under those conditions, the dash lights can interfere with my
night vision enough that I like to turn them off.
> of course, I will have to
> secretly push both push-starter switches to crank her.
Problem with that is, it's only secret until the first time someone sees you
do it (not to mention the thousand or so people you've just told your secret
to).
BTW, as I recall, the starter switch takes a much larger hole than the other
switches do (even the rheostat). Seems a shame to butcher your instrument
panel just for that ... maybe you could hide it under the dash instead ?
That way, even if someone sees you start the car, they may not notice the
second switch.
I use a kill switch instead, since the car is so easy to push-start anyway.
And of all the times I've had to push-start my own car, no one has ever
suggested that I was stealing it !
Randall
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