Broken fan switch - replace the whole assembly?

[Krewe Chief]

[This is my first post outside of the intro thread so hopefully this is in the right spot!]

I have a 1973 K5 with A/C, but the A/C doesn't work (haven't tried to diagnose that issue yet).

So literally the day after I brought the truck home, I accidentally broke the fan switch (left side in the below picture). Do I have to replace the entire assembly or can I just replace the switch with a part from another junked assembly?

The whole assembly is like 80 bucks on LMC so I'd rather be able to replace the switch alone if possible! Thanks!

 

[Bent77]

[This is my first post outside of the intro thread so hopefully this is in the right spot!]

I have a 1973 K5 with A/C, but the A/C doesn't work (haven't tried to diagnose that issue yet).

So literally the day after I brought the truck home, I accidentally broke the fan switch (left side in the below picture). Do I have to replace the entire assembly or can I just replace the switch with a part from another junked assembly?

The whole assembly is like 80 bucks on LMC so I'd rather be able to replace the switch alone if possible! Thanks!

It’s been some years but I replaced just the electrical switch. At the time it was a stocked part at the parts store. You know when they still used books, so...

 

[obijuank5]

I bought one the other day. Switch only unclips from the backside. Bwd brand probably and was not expensive.

 

[Krewe Chief]

Ok it looks like LMC actually sells the fan switch for 15 bucks. I was just looking on the wrong page! Thanks everyone

 

[Blue85]

Mine's been broken for probably 10 years. I rifle-drilled both sides, put some kind of steel pin in there and glued it all together. This was a temporary fix, of course, but it has survived getting smashed by dash re-assembly a few times. I'm able to just bend it back straight afterwards. Maybe I'll get around to replacing it someday...

 

[Krewe Chief]

I rifle-drilled both sides, put some kind of steel pin in there and glued it all together.

That's actually not a bad idea. I might do that in the short term. I'd like to get the A/C diagnosed and working before summer. Louisiana summer can be brutal.

 

[diesel4me]

On the '77 GMC I had the switch handle busted off one frigid day,I tried super gluing the piece still in the knob back on,it lasted about 3 uses and broke again...I shoved a flattened hunk of 3/16" brake tubing over the stub,that worked longer,but the stub busted off again after a few weeks..(I think it got whacked by my hand accidentally).


I could have taken it all apart and put in another switch I saved from a parts truck,but since I rarely used anything but "HI" on the fan setting,I just ran a toggle switch to the heater motor and used it on HI until it warmed up enough to just let the air blow thru from driving without the fan on and it stayed warm enough..

I could have used a double pole switch to get "lo" and "high" but I didn't happen to have one handy..of course as soon as I got the toggle switch rigged up,I found a genuine under the dash "universal" illuminated heater switch in my parts stash a few days later I saved from some other vehicle at the junkyard..