Adding turn signals on my 47 pickup

Lklemm1

Im looking for advice, pictures and or parts to install turn signals on my 47 pickup. I have a housing off a 50? Hudson to install on my steering column for turn signals. But that's all I have at this point. I don't want a clamp on unit or just a switch under dash. I think this is the way to go but don't know what else I need to make this happen.

Jon B

I used a '52-53 on my 1937, so I'll bet that the one you have, will work.

Get the one with six (or is it 7?) wires, that is the switch that works when you only have one taillight socket per side.  (It routes the wiring through your brake switch so that each bright filament does double duty as brakelight / turn signal).  The other type has three wires I think, and works with those Hudsons that have 2 lamps on each side, one of them dedicated to turnsignals only.

The control box fits neatly around the steering column.  You may not have it, but there is a metal raceway that clamps to the column to carry the wires neatly down the column, then there is a cast-metal piece that holds the bottom of the raceway, and it conducts the wiring up under the dash so you don't see it.  All in all, a very neat set-up for older Hudsons.

Your front parking lights will serve as the signal lights.  If you have no fender lights, you can improvise by using foglights, accessory lights on the bumper, or even LED lights semi-hidden in the grille.  Get creative.
The taillights will serve as the rear blinkers (see second paragraph, above).

Finally, you can make this setup self-canceling by cutting a small hole in the side of your steering column jacket, to correspond with the the location of the canceling fingers that protrude from the switch box.  Thus the fingers will stick into the cavity within the steering column jacket.  Then, merely get a small hose clamp and fit it around your steering shaft.  (You must pull the steering wheel and slide out the rubber bearing, for access).  Tighten the clamp just enough that it won't slide down the shaft, but you can still move it.  Then push it down the shaft until the screw (on the clamp) aligns with the canceling fingers on the switch box, and tighten the screw to hold the clamp right there.  Whenever the shaft turns, the screw acts like a cam, hits the fingers, and releases the turnsignal lever, canceling the blinker.

That leaves the indicator lamp.  Hudson put these on the dash at the extreme left side, and you might get lucky and find the original type light fixtures, and mount them to the correct position on the dash.  If not, you get get creative (again!) and come up with a tell tale light, that sits in some unobtrusive position on your dash.  Or hook the blinker to a buzzer for an "audible" warning that the turnsignal is on.

Jay_G

My steering wheel had a place for the two canceling pins.  Instead of the screw and clamp discussed above I put two rods in the appropriate length and there you have it.  I will say that I had an issue with the system canceling correctly until I got everything adjusted to the correct height.  I believe I had to put a layer of electrical tape between the column and the switch to get the spacing correct.  But no issues for the last 7+years......other than the typical corrosion and grounding problems found with the old sockets.

Jay    

Jon B

Actually, I totally forgot that -- of course -- the '47's would have been equipped for turn signals (unlike my '37) .  So, disregard my suggestion on the hose clamps and just install pins in the holes that probably already exist on your steering wheel!

LanceB

I used the turn indicator setup from the stock '46/'47 on my pickup.  Before I had the front fender turn indicator spears I used motorcycle turn lights and mounted them in the grill.  I also added running/brake lights to the rolled ends of the truck bed for safety.