Signal-Stat 170 Flasher - Dates?

[Larry T.]

I have a couple of Signal Stat 170 flashers for a V74 option on my 66. Does anyone know how to decipher the date code? I want to believe that the first two digits are the week of the year and the last is the year, but I have read that the numbers may be year/month/week. But since all I have seen have 3 digits, and there would have to be 4 digits (or a letter in the first position) for November and December that does not make sense.

I hope someone knows definitively.

Thanks.

Larry

[Sal C.]

[Larry T.]

Re: Signal-Stat 170 Flasher - Dates?

Thanks for confirming that.

While on the subject of flashers I have a Tung Sol 224 flasher that is stamped 409. This is the light blue metal cannister that I believe was replaced with a plastic one in 1967? Any wisdom on how to decode that date, if that is in fact a date? Year/Month, in this case September 1964?

Thanks,

Larry

[Terry M.]

Re: Signal-Stat 170 Flasher - Dates?

Larry,
You heard about two different date codes because there are at least two codes. You have to use other features of the flasher to determine about when the flasher was produced in order to determine which code to use.

And no I don't know those features -- but there are those who do, if they chose to come forward.

[Peter L.]

Re: Signal-Stat 170 Flasher - Dates?

Larry - Stick with Sal. The 375 is the 37th week of 65 because there is no 75th week in any year as far as I know and by 1975 the SS 170 flasher was not embossed on the top and had a silk screened logo. Pete

[Peter L.]

Re: Tung-Sol 224 Flashers

Larry - In 1969 or so maybe 1970 Tung-Sol changed the format of their 3 digit manufacturing production code sequence from the last digit of the year being the first number followed by the 2 digit number of the week to the last digit of the week being the 3rd number and the first 2 digits being the production week. Also around that time the holes in connector legs appeared on the Tung-Sol flashers where previously there were no holes in the connector legs.
So if your 224 has holes in the connector legs it is a 70s vintage, if not it's a 60 vintage flasher. It will be interesting to find out because the Tung-Sol flashers from the earlier 60s were not painted. FYI, the blue plastic T/S 224 did not replace the blue metal cover 224. In fact both the blue painted metal cover and the blue plastic cover Tung-Sol 224s were manufactured into the 70s. Pete

[Larry T.]

Re: Signal-Stat 170 Flasher - Dates?

Peter,

Here are a few more shots of it. So, the date would be 9th week of 64 since this is an older version, correct? As for the paint, when did they start painting them? The 1966 TIM & JG calls for blue metal early (my car is first week of November, 1965), blue plastic late for the Tung Sol, or possibly silver. Or a Signal Stat 175.

The paint on this part is actually lighter than it appears in the pics. It is more of a baby blue. I have looked at it under a 20x loupe and see nothing unusual with the paint that would lead me to believe it was not original.

[Peter L.]

Re: Tung-Sol 224 Flasher - Dates?

Larry - Looks like painting started some time early or at least prior to the start of calendar year 1964 from the example you have.

As far as the 1966 Corvette flasher is concerned the TIM&JG indicates as you said either the Tung-Sol metal 224 (early) and the plastic 224 (later) and it should also indicate the blue metal cover Signal-Stat 144. The TIM&JG is in err with regards to the Signal-Stat 175 because the 175 is a variable load flasher that can operate up to 8 lamps and GM never put variable load flashers in the turn signal systems. The turn signal systems had fixed load flashers. So, for 66 Corvettes it was either the 224 or the 144 which are 2-lamp fixed load flashers. The fixed load flashers were used because if a turn signal lamp failed that turn signal would not flash so you would know the check the circuit and replace the lamp. The fixed load flashers have that safety feature so you know that a bulb is not working whereas a variable load flasher will keep on flashing and you would have no indication that a lamp had failed. Pete

[David L.]

Re: Signal-Stat 170 Flasher - Dates?

While looking for some other parts in my garage attic this afternoon I came across a complete dash harness from a 1966 Chevrolet that I found in a junk yard back in the 1980's. Attached to it was gold color metal flasher embossed "SIGNAL-STAT 170 12 FLASHER" with "S" and "236" (23rd week of 1966, I assume) stamped on the side in very small digits.

Dave