Window Crank Knobs

I looked at the K-Gap web page and they only list a knob for a 1937 Hudson or Terraplane. Am I missing something or are they all the same?

As to creating the mold and such, I've seen that too but I'm not really looking to go into the repro business. I just need 4 pieces to put in my car. If I had a sample or detailed dimensions, I could probably model it in CAD and have four made in a day or two. The new stereolithography machines can produce parts in materials that you can use directly - no need to create a mold from a master.

1049superg wrote:

The blue window crank knobs on my '50 Pacemaker Deluxe! crumbled apart as well. For the present time I'm using the white replacement knobs that K-Gap sells. I'd sure be interested in a replacement set of blue knobs if they became available.

My father remembers mine as originally being blue as well. Did the interior color change with the exterior or were they all blue? My exterior was originally green.

He also suggested I look at the ones from the parts car (non-deluxe '50 Pacemaker) to see if the knobs had survived. Thanks to the inventory he and I did in Excel last year, I only had to look through one box to find them. Do they look like the right shape?





Are they the same shape as the K-Gap parts? If they are, I may just buy theirs and see about getting them painted. If not, I should be able to take enough measurements to model one and get them made.

Next question is going to be what is the correct blue color and while I'm at it, how about the trim piece (escutcheon?) that sits at the base of the crank? The ones from my parts car are green.

Here's my first shot at a CAD model of the knob. I'm not really happy with the 'dimple' on top. It's hard to determine what it should look like from my parts.

The color is a best guess based on memory so I know it's off. I forgot to grab an escutcheon for a sample to match to.

middletom wrote:

CPR3333,
The color appears to be very close but I've seen other knobs which, though of a different color, are the same shape as the Pacemaker knobs. They were slightly domed on the ends where you have the dimple and I recall two or three grooves molded into the sides about half way between the top and bottom. Perhaps someone on this site has some to check whether my memory is correct about the details.
Since none of the other green plastic pieces has deteriorated in my car, I wonder if the knobs were made by a different manufacturer or from a different type of plastic, one which did not stand up to aging.

Geoff Blake

If and when I do this, I'll probably get them color matched to my escutcheons since that is what they'll be close to. Do these look like the right color? They're pretty beat up so I may get them remade too.



As to the shape, the dimple is what my father remembered and what my very beat up survivors (pictured earlier) seem to show. I'd like to hear what others have to say as well. The good thing about the process that I'm looking at is that pretty much anything can be made. I would just need detailed dimensions.

As to everything else surviving, I'm guessing that the knobs were a different material. Maybe they wanted them to be softer?

Hudson308 wrote:

That's better. About that deep or a bit shallower, with the OD of the dish a bit closer to the knob edge. Sorry I've got no photos. My '49 is in "cold storage" offsite, and any spare window cranks are in a box out in the cooler. If no one posts a shot soon I'll put on the mukluks and go root around for ya. :unsure:

I'll try again, but actual measurments sure would help. Making changes on the CAD system is easy - making the right changes is the hard part.

onerare39 wrote:

Pictures of the knobs on my 50 Pacemaker 50A, hope that helps!
I think that they were made out of some kind of "green material" that wants to return to the earth.

John

Thanks. They look a lot like mine but in better condition. Still hard to see the actual shape of the dimple though. Do you think you could take some measurements and make a sketch for me?

As to the color, I'm assuming they should match the escutcheons. Is that correct? Also, were all 50 Pacemaker and Deluxe Pacemaker interiors the same color? Did other models share the same colors? In how many colors were knobs in this shape made? If it's only one or two colors and there is enough demand, I may just get the color matched material and run off a whole batch.

Hudson308 wrote:

Okay, CPR;

Here's what I've got. I found two slight variations in the contours of the '48-49 window crank knobs. One type has a dimple that looks alot like your first CAD attempt, and the other has a more gradual dish like I remembered. Maybe they were furnished to HMMC by different vendors. The type with the deeper dimple looks to have the same contours as the colored knobs you guys have posted. These measure 1.55" OD at the neck where it's attached, 1.87 at the widest part and have a 0.12" dish. The type with the shallow dimple measures 1.53" at the neck, 1.86" at the wide end and have a 0.09" dish. If you sliced them and looked at the profile, the deep-dimple type has a bigger edge radius at the dimple end. Both knob types measure 1.86" long.

Thanks, but are you sure on those numbers? They don't seem to match the picture with the ruler. I don't see anything that looks longer than an inch.

onerare39 wrote:

Here's the measurements I took. You would need compensate for shrinkage of the material also (I hate that!)

.49" OD at the neck where it's attached
.70" at the widest part
.07" dish
.70" long

Hope this helps,

John Forkner

Thanks. These numbers seem closer to what I'm seeing in the pictures. I'll have to check them against my CAD dimensions when I get to work tomorrow.

If I have time to play with it at lunch, I may have a new picture for everyone to review tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll be able to come up with something that's close enough that when seen in the car, no one will even question whether it's right or wrong.

On a similar note, my Pacemaker Deluxe has a blue/green knob for the lights and an ivory knob for the cigar lighter. Based on what I've seen in brochures and parts manuals, the lighter seems to be an option on the Pacemaker and maybe the Deluxe.

I'm assuming the ivory knob matches the Super or Commodore knob but I'm wondering if Hudson actually made a green knob lighter or if the option only came in one color. My father says that it is the lighter that was in the car when he bought it in '58. I guess my great uncle (the original owner) could have replaced it in the first eight years but it has me curious. Did Hudson make a lighter with a green knob for Pacemaker/Deluxe?

Hudson308 wrote:

Not sure why I added an inch to some of those measurements when typing them into the post. :oops: Glad John set you straight.

That makes more sense but the numbers are still larger than John's (which were close to mine). Could it be that the ivory ones were larger? I can't imagine them shrinking this far.



Here is another shot of my latest attempt with John's dimensions. Any suggestions? The radii at the top of the knob are hard to visualize from pictures so they probably need to be tweaked but I think we're getting close.



I just noticed that the dimensions are hard to see. If you double click the picture, it opens it and you can see them better.