1943 Dodge Weapon Carrier Starter Switch Repair/Replace

I've mentioned previously the funky starter switch these old Dodge trucks have. It is a long rod in the cab of the truck that you push with your foot. That action does two things, it engages the starter pinion gear to the engine ring gear on the flywheel, and also transmits voltage to the starter motor at the far end of the rod's downward travel. The switch has to pass hundreds of amps of current to the starter motor during this operation, so the contacts in the switch are necessarily beefy. But they still wear out. This first photo shows the starter rod with a long spring wrapped around it (center of photo).

Here is an under-hood photo of the starter linkage.

This next photo shows the starter motor with the switch removed. You can kind of make out the thick copper lug bolted to the top of the starter.

Here's an inside look at the switch. That part in the center of the photo is quite worn, but it's not surprising as it is what carries the current to the starter motor.

Back in the good ol' days, they made things so that they could be disassembled and cleaned or repaired.

I was able to clean up the copper parts inside the switch but there was a broken piece that I didn't feel like repairing, so ultimately I bought a new switch on eBay for $21.

The reason I delved into the switch in the first place was because I was moving the truck off the car lift and out of the garage so my son and I could use the lift to change the oil in our cars. The old switch had always been finicky and difficult to engage. I did get the truck started and off the lift but then it died just outside the garage and I couldn't get the switch to function again. The truck was in the way so I had to scrounge up a starter solenoid and extra battery cable, then run some wire and a switch into the cab so I could get the engine started and the truck moved. It was a bit of a hassle, but fortunately the starter switch didn't give out when I was out driving the truck somewhere.

Here's a better photo of the starter lug after cleaning it up. It has some erosion but is still serviceable.

Here's the new switch installed. Pressing down on the starter rod now easily engages the starter motor.