[Roadsters] "B" dash light - circuit to nowhere? OT comment another prank

[E Scanlon]

That's funny!

Reminds me of a similar incident I pulled on an unsuspecting lady-friend 
back in college with a 76 Mercury Capri II.

Those cars had a switch and bulb mounted in the footwell, near where our 
dead pedal pad is.  This switch / bulb was the windshield washer system for 
the car.  If you pressed with the complete flat of your shoe, you'd actuate 
the ring and press on the bulb together and you'd squirt the windshield and 
actuate the wipers all in one movement.  If you pressed just the outer ring, 
you'd get wipers only, and if you were careful you could press JUST the bulb 
and only get the stream of water hitting the windshield.

Since the dash had a series of filler plugs in the middle for accessories / 
features that didn't get added to the U.S. market cars, it was easy to tell 
her that there were a pair of IR sensors that sensed the position and shape 
of your hand in front of it.  To demonstrate, I put my hand up with fingers 
spread --- the squirt hit the windshield.  Then I put up just one finger and 
the wipers came on.  Putting up all the fingers and waving them caused the 
squirt AND the wipers.

Since we were on a long highway trip at the time, and using my peripheral 
vision below my sunglasses, I kept her going for at least 45 miles or so, 
with her trying to "fool" or "surprise" the system. It wasn't until I had to 
exit the highway and was shifting that she caught on that my clutch foot had 
been doing all the legerdemain.

Any other unusual "accessories" out there?

Sharing a laugh;
E

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kerry and Kae Zariwny"

> Ahh The pretty red light.
>
> I have told the list this story a long time ago but years ago I told a
> friend who was riding in my  roadster for the first time that the s/brake
> switch was actually an early version of turbo power that Datsun had in its
> roadsters. He did not believe me, of course, until I pulled the switch, 
> red
> light kicks on and suddenly we accelerated down the freeway. Pushed it in,
> light goes off and we slowed. So he tried it. He pulls the s/brake,light
> goes on and we accelerate. He pushes it in, light goes off and we slow 
> down.
> I had him going for about 30 minutes until I finally told him that every
> time he pulled the switch,  I was stepping on the gas. He pushes it in, I
> let off the gas.
>
> He did not take it very well :-)
>
>
> Kerry Z
> Portland Oregon
> A "Rare Turbo" 1968 1600