LWB Turn Signal Specs

[jaudette3 Really? Find all posts View Profile Close jaudette3]

Anyone up for a little detective work? I'm trying to definitively determine the specs of the LWB turn signals and what specs corresponded to what models and what years. Here are the variables:

• position of the drain hole: 1 for front, 2 for back
• color of the interior of the housing: A for white, B for silver
• Euro or U.S. versions: E for Euro, U for U.S.
• position of the city light bulb: 2 possibilities
• year of the car: 5 possibilities
• model of the car: 3 possibilities

So total number of combinations is 240. But we can eliminate the city light position as we have identified that, so that leaves 120 combinations.

A simplified way to get started is to determine assembly combinations, then we relate them to years and models. We have three configuration variables with two options each, so we have eight possibilities (2x2x2):

1-A-E i.e. front drain hole, white interior, Euro delivery, etc
1-A-U
1-B-E
1-B-U
2-A-E
2-A-U
2-B-E
2-B-U

With enough samples we should be able to figure this out. My speculation is that white or silver depended on Euro or U.S. because of DOT, so silver with U.S. cars and white with RoW.

Love this stuff.

Thanks,
John

[raspritz 2.0L Find all posts View Profile Close raspritz]

Not wishing to take turn my turn signals apart, the interiors in my USA spec '69T are silver.

[jaudette3 Really? Find all posts View Profile Close jaudette3]

OK, now let's hear from folks who *are* willing to do something...

[70SATMan 2.2L Find all posts View Profile Close 70SATMan]

John,
Of all the front signals I've had in my hands US 69-73 and ROW 69-73, none were white. That's from the earliest of castings with all of the BOSCH part numbers in the castings with the black painted arrows denouncing which was the final assy number (castings being generic across several part numbers) to the later production castings that removed some of the BOSCH production numbers.

I don't recall any versions of the fronts where the drain hole was moved. I've never heard of the little front city light bulb moving. That would really be apparent because the tits in the casting for swaging the city light bulb shield would move. Never seen that either in person or after many many years of looking at original parts on line. Only difference I remember in the forward part of the housings is the addition of the little plastic reflector for the city light bulb somewhere in the MY '73 signals.

As for the number of different configurations of housings, you only need to tally up the Porsche part numbers from '69-'73 and consider that many part numbers changed from 901-911 prefix in '71 for production reasons not related to actual parts differences. So, those really are not different 70-71 and If I were to guess without going back to parts manuals, I'd say no difference in the housings themselves '69-'73 US.

[jaudette3 Really? Find all posts View Profile Close jaudette3]

I think that these are all original. And the white looks pretty original to me??? Here's a close-up of the silver one with a fragment of white paint:



????

[70SATMan 2.2L Find all posts View Profile Close 70SATMan]

Hi John,
As I mentioned before, I've only seen the white on rears, just as you show and my recollection is that it was ROW and post '73. At some point in the Middies, it might have carried over to all across the board,, I don't know.

[jaudette3 Really? Find all posts View Profile Close jaudette3]

I bought some very nice taillight housings from Cees and asked him about the history. Here are some snippets from his response which deepens the mystery:

I bought them as NOS for about 16 yrs ago and had them on my RS for a short while. I think they are early G series, exactly same white interior as the ones on my 73RS, Italian delivery. The white vs silver discussion is interesting, all I can say that on my Italian delivery car both fronts and rear were white on the inside.

Is Italy a factor?

[Steve Shea 2.0L Find all posts View Profile Close Steve Shea]

My Italian 73S with original light housings are white in the rear and silver in the front with a white wire for the city light. The car has the proper H4s without the city light. Had the S since 1988.

[jaudette3 Really? Find all posts View Profile Close jaudette3]

Another one from Cees....

Here another front indicator light I recently found. Pre 1973 for sure (had lens with silver border) with the extra reflector (my Italian delivery inside white do not have those) on the city light. PET numbers on the back so definitely the early version. You can see clearly the silver peeling, some may say when it is white the silver has worn off but doubt that because the peeling is very irregular. Maybe the inside silver housing had always the extra reflector? I have seen quite many of those. White interior is probably just a few markets like Italy and ?

Sounds like Italian delivery had white interiors with no city light.