I am finally getting around to installing my rear window defogger. After an extensive search I hit the jackpot thanks to 69firebirdman (Terry) last Nov at the Turkey Run.

Guy had the motor, housing, grill, plastic diverter plate, wiring harness & switch in a box marked for a Chevy model and thanks to Terry's quick thinking and hawk eyes, we quickly realized it was the one for my Bird.

Anyway, I bead blasted the grill, primed and painted it and have it installed. I must say it looks really cool as I have NEVER seen one installed in any FGF or FGCamaro. The unit works great and all but I have one question regarding the switch itself.

I beleive it mounts on the left side of the steering wheel with the shaft pointing towards the floor. I think this is the same place the power conv. top switch gets mounted. Am I correct about this location?

I am also going to post a pic of the switch knob as I am not 100% certain that it is the correct knob. The holes in the little mounting bracket for the switch do line up with the two holes under the dash but the shaft of the switch is not long enough for the knob to attach with the set screw etc.

Does anyone have a rear defogger with the correct switch/knob that could also post a pic or two? I would appreciate it very much.

Once I get this project completed I am then on to my four wheel disc conversion project. Trying to push myself to move forward with my plans despite this whole vision issue...

More pics of pieces:

The '68 coupe I owned back in the early '80's had a rear defrost. But going from memory, I don't think the switch you have looks correct. (the fan and housing do though)

But my memory has been known to fail me at this old age...

I was pretty sure the switch was a round knob.It does mount where a convertible switch would mount.

Side note, i had one in my 69' and it was cool to have.

David

In the 1968 Pontiac Service Manual section 15, page 16, the knob looked like a Camaro Dash knob and it is mounted as you guessed. I have the unit to install in my car, just need the switch. If you have the ability, could you find the details on the resistor/capacitor looking thing, so that I can wire mine in without frying the motor?

I don't see any markings on the resistor. I would think the resistor is for the low speed setting only, in the high speed setting I would guess the motor receives a full 12v. Again this is just a guess, I hooked the motor up to my battery (without the switch) to see if it worked and it ran just fine. Did not get hot etc.

I may be wrong about the resistor, anyone else have any ideas?

Yeah a round knob does ring a bell as I did see one of these units on line once and it showed the switched mounted and it did in fact have a round knob. Great, now begins a search for the correct knob. LOL That's the biggest pain about trying to keep things stock. Dumbest little details screw you up...

(You once again will have to copy and paste the pics in a different folder to see them enlarged...)

A switch knob that comes pretty close - at least MUCH closer than the one you have - is the Camaro headlight switch knob, although I´m afraid it attaches a little bit different on the shaft:

http://www.rickscamaros.com/product.asp?pf%5Fid=RP%2D6&dept%5Fid=3363

Cheers

Thomas

BTW - the one shown above together with the box is NOT a Firebird defogger switch, I once bought it at ebay´s being advertized for a Chevelle...(the other pics are showing a correct Firebird defogger switch with correct switch knob). Not sure if this one´s really for a Chevelle but at least it´s missing the attaching plate... The other parts look equal.

Thanks for the pics/info. I think the washer knob might work it also looks the same. I'd love to see a pic of the correct knob for our cars just so I know what it looks like...

BTW - just looked closer at your pics... What did you do to keep your package tray down? Mine´s coming up with time (see arrows). Did you glue it down to the jute padding or do you have any headliner material surrounding it?





Then again some additional pics concerning the defogger switch I found on the web some time ago.










If you want I can take some high resolution pics this weekend showing exactly where this switch will be located...

Washer knob looks different but will work, too:



Correct looking Camaro headlight switch knob - but I don´t know anything concerning fixing it to the switch´s shaft.

Thomas, my car has a metal lip that the package tray thing slips under. That's what you see in my pic. Don't all of our cars have that?

Funny thing, never heard about this lip but - obviously - would make sense. My car doesn´t show it but then again it wasn´t equipped with the correct package tray when I bought it nearly 10 years ago. The metal part of the package tray was hacked up for bigger speakers - done very unprofessionally - but on the other side there was no single trace indicating a shoven off metal lip... Strange.

In my car there´s only this sort of slightly rounded endplate but you couldn´t push anything below it - at least not together with the jute padding.





Mine is ending where I´ve drawn the red lines in your picture - no lip at all. Unfortunately...
Will have to find a solution to keep this package tray down...



BTW (and not meant to hijack the thread) - when just speaking about the rear sections: does your car have a cover for this small part between the rear side panel, the sail panels and the rear package tray corner trim? As you´ll see in my pic (after enlarging it) within my markings there´s plein sight on the glued down headliner... Is this the way it had been 1968 or do I miss a part?



Thanks for looking and now back to the defogger switch knob...

Now you have me wondering. I am going out now and taking a closer look. I'll snap a pic or two as well...

That would be fine! Thanks for your help. Just have to go to bed now, it´s 3.36 a.m. over here in Germany... Should at least sleep 2 and half hours before getting up again...

Cheers

Thomas, I looked at my back deck/package tray area tonight. Basically I don't have an extra lip so to speak, however, there is a gap on the three sides between the metal below the rear window and the actual metal deck. The gap is more than enough to allow the cardboard package tray thing to slip in between the two, thus making disappear so to speak. And now with the defogger grill holding the package tray thing in place, it looks even nicer. I still have to cut out the cardboard to make the unit functional and I've got to find the correct knob for the switch...

maybe we can meet up next year at the turkey rod run joe and find one for you.

Once again thanks for the info. Will take a look at mine this weekend and - as promised - will take a high resolution picture of the correct Firebird rear defogger switch knob...

Great. I think I may pull the package tray thing out to cut out the holes for the defogger, if I do, I'll take a pic or two so you can see what I am talking about with the gap.

Terry, the Spring swap meet at Daytona is coming up, you coming up for that one?

Joe,

I saw this car with factory rear defrost and speakers. (supposedly)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pontiac-F...5fCarsQ5fTrucks

Maybe this will answer some questions.

Craig

Some more... Not mine but mine looks the same. Will post some own pics this weekend...

68tps, thank for the post. Ames sells what they call rear "stock type" speaker grills. They look nothing like the ones in this car...

Thomas, great pics, thank you!

Interesting topic. For the '69 rear defogger, the switch is a two position toggle moved to the bezel face. Instead of a resistor on the switch, a resistor wire from the switch to the fan is used.

Interesting topic. For the '69 rear defogger, the switch is a two position toggle moved to the bezel face. Instead of a resistor on the switch, a resistor wire from the switch to the fan is used.

Here we go. Some pics concerning the correct location of the rear defogger switch knob.

There´s a small notch in the left lower side of the instrument carrier - see red marked location in this pic -



where this switch is meant to be installed.


Here are some "in place" pics:










(as usual: copy and paste these pics into another folder to see them enlarged)

BTW - I just checked my package tray and I think I know what I´ve done wrong: the tray is not pushed under this wide broad endplate. With time its rear part is curling up and that´s what caught my attention. Problem is: my rear defogger already is installed so I can´t change the position of this tray anymore (holes are cut and defogger bezel is fixed -- pushing the tray under this thick metal lip and reinstalling this bezel will then show the holes outside of the cover...).
So I will have to bite the bullet and buy + reinstall a new rear package tray...

S... happens.

Yeah sounds like that is definately the problem that you are having with the package tray. Luckily they are not that expensive to replace. I know Ames has a couple to choose from, they have one with a jute backing and then the heavier cardboard with the small holes drilled to allow for the speakers (this is the one I used)...

Thanks for the detailed switch pic, I beleive I may have found one.

Ok, dug through my totes and found a knob that I can use for now. It's a wiper switch knob as Thomas suggested. Fits the shaft of the switch nicely and looks nice as well.