Re: Pole Light Base for Older Glastron
Thanks for expanding the manufacturer list. I could only think of Perko and Attwood. While awaiting your responses, I took a shot at 'rebuilding' the old one.
I had already bought an Attwood, the 4" one that wouldn't reach the rear mount hole. I took that apart and 'pressed' the contacts out of it. Turns out they exactly match the dimensions of the contacts in the old base.
After removing the 'set pin' and getting the guts out of the old one, I pressed the old contacts out and pressed the new Attwood contacts into it. Perfect fit. Putting the guts back in the housing, I replaced the set pin with a small screw for easier maintenance 'next time'. I put the finishing touch on by 'polishing' the chrome of the base housing with a soft brass brush. BTW, brass brushes are great for polishing weathered chrome, as they work faster than rag/polish and won't scratch the harder chrome surface. On re-installation of the base, I used grease-filled clamp on crimp connectors (from 3M) on the wires to ensure no corrosion/contact problems in the coming years.
The problem with the old base was that corrosion was affecting connectivity of the wires where they come into the light pole contacts at their base. Then again, I guess that's the usual problem in these lights.
With the new conductors pressed into the original housing, it's a 'new' light again, and I kept the 'vintage' hardware intact. I could consider having it re-plated, but its plating is still good enough to leave alone.
This is a good, permanent fix. For those of you who made an adapter plate as an alternative, this is a good way around that if you still have that original housing on hand, 'cause they don't make 'em like they used to....'
Thanks for the posts..... Uminchuman
