57 cigarette lighter

[Harold R.]

Is the cigarette lighter supposed to pop out when it gets hot? If so how long should it take?

[Mike M.]

Re: 57 cigarette lighter

yes, it should pop out. it pops once the element is heated to a pink/red color. it shouldn't pop out to the extent of landing on the passengers lap. mike

[Richard M.]

Re: 57 cigarette lighter

Usually about 10 seconds or so IMO. You can actually adjust the tabs in the housing to change it. Power disconnected and reach in with a needle nose or small screwdriver to adjust the 3 tabs. Inward for longer, outward for shorter time. Just make sure you have the correct element in there.

Is the element the correct short type?

Why do I ask? It reminds me of when I was driving my '59 100 miles to the '08 Winter Regional after some last minute upgrades before I left that morning. I installed my NOS lighter element just got in and bought from ebay. No time to check it so off we went.

Driving along back roads in Florida having fun. Wife following right behind with her new(old) 68k original mile silver blue '63 PG A/C coupe the guys wanted to check out for Bowtie candidate.

Approaching a mile or so away from a parking lot for the airboat alligator tours, I looked down and said, "Oh crap, I forgot to test my new lighter!"

I pushed the lighter in........then.......Kaboom! The lighter exploded and shot out with a bright red/yellow flash and hit me in the arm! "Holy chit, what happened?" Just then wifey calls me on the cell. She says, "The air conditioning isn't workin' very good, pull over at the 'gator lot, okaaaay"? I thought she saw the flash of fire in my back window and was checking up on her favorite mechanic or something. Nope!

We pulled in the lot, smoke drifting out the side windows of my '59, and she says...."What's that?"

Well, stupid me, when I installed my pretty NOS white ceramic lighter element right out of the GM box, I didn't realize it was the LATER, 1963 up element. It's longer than the early types, and when you push in the lighter it's a dead short to ground. Because the oil gauge is right above the lighter, and probably years of little drips over time on the housing from gauge work, when it shorted, it also ignited that old petroleum residue.

It fried my harness red wire to the ammeter. I pulled my temporary fuse holder before trip for judging. Car was okay to drive on to Kissimmee so off we went. I was so mad at myself. In Flight Judging, I lost OPs points for the lighter, wrong element, deducts for fried wiring, and condition points for the element and housing and wiring. Dropped me one flight level becasue I was so close in points. Live and learn.....What we don't test in prepartion, will fail in judging.

Rich

[Peter L.]

Re: 57 cigarette lighter

Rich - Unfortunately as you found out the lighter heating element of the lighter assembly must match the lighter housing assembly. Hopefully, the damage isn't too serious. Please double check because the "later" 1963 & up (63-72) Corvette lighter heating element, GM p/n 3794302, made by Casco & stamped 63 CASCO 12V is shorter, ~7/8" long, while the "early" 55-62 Corvette lighter heating element, GM p/n 3710581, made by Casco & stamped CASCO 12V is longer, ~1" long.

Pete

[Richard M.]

Re: 57 cigarette lighter

Rich - Unfortunately as you found out the lighter heating element of the lighter assembly must match the lighter housing assembly. Hopefully, the damage isn't too serious. Please double check because the "later" 1963 & up (63-72) Corvette lighter heating element, GM p/n 3794302, made by Casco & stamped 63 CASCO 12V is shorter, ~7/8" long, while the "early" 55-62 Corvette lighter heating element, GM p/n 3710581, made by Casco & stamped CASCO 12V is longer, ~1" long.

Pete

Pete, You solved my problem, one that I never figured out...until now.

Here are pics of the elements in question. They both have white porcelain insulators.

The one on the left(1st pic) & 2nd pic is the 3710581 which is 1"long. This is the one that fried my wiring in my '59. It's outer edge(ground), shorted against the hot terminals in the housing when I engaged it. It appears my problem was that I had(and still have) the "later" housing which was meant to use the shorter element, the 3794302.

The one on the right(1st pic) & 3rd pic is 7/8" and is the "63 CSCO 12V" and must be a 3794302. This is what was/is in my car. All this time it looks like I've had the wrong housing in the car, the type for the 63-'72, which has been since I bought it 27+ years ago.

DSCN1105.jpg DSCN1111.jpg DSCN1112.jpg

Rich
p.s. Harold, sorry if I got off topic, but maybe it can help.