Converting Z52 tailcaps to clickies

[KevinL]

I've got a number of SF E-series in harder-to-come-by finishes and thus sourcing Z57 tailcaps is going to be literally impossible. I dislike twist switches, much preferring a clickie. The Netkidz and Oveready clickies for C-series are AWESOME

Just stumbled across this product:
http://www.lighthound.com/McGizmo-McClicky-Switch-Module-with-rubber-boot_p_1232.html

Does anybody know what I need to do with a standard Z52? Based on my experiences with the other clickie conversions, remove the spring, unscrew the hex bolt in the center, unscrew the plastic housing from the metal of the tailcap, then pop the new clickie in?

Sometimes I wonder if I really should have been such an E-series collector, now I have a ton of them to upgrade I'll need at least 3-4 clickies!

no, scratch that. Six to seven!

 

[M I K]

Well, I guess I can add my .02 here. I picked up a modified light a while back. It happened to have a Z52 switch that had a McClicky click switch installed in it. I prefer a click switch and the McClicky works fine. But to me, I think using the Z52 shell makes for a stupid conversion. The Z52 shell is too short by a 1/16th of an inch. When you install it on an E series bod and tighten it all the way down to where the threads bottom out, you have this big dumb looking gap that is open to let dirt into the side of the O-ring. Yea, the button end of the switch is nice and rounded, but the gap sucks. I hope this helps you.


By the way, if you would like a good deal on a converted Z52 switch, MAN, have I got a deal for you.

 

[carrot]

If you have some Z52s in normal finishes, you should SELL THEM! Because you cannot get a Z52 anymore, there are some who want them (for instance, for an IMR-based hotwire), and then you can pick up some Z57s elsewhere.

 

[KevinL]

Well, I guess I can add my .02 here. I picked up a modified light a while back. It happened to have a Z52 switch that had a McClicky click switch installed in it. I prefer a click switch and the McClicky works fine. But to me, I think using the Z52 shell makes for a stupid conversion. The Z52 shell is too short by a 1/16th of an inch. When you install it on an E series bod and tighten it all the way down to where the threads bottom out, you have this big dumb looking gap that is open to let dirt into the side of the O-ring. Yea, the button end of the switch is nice and rounded, but the gap sucks. I hope this helps you.


By the way, if you would like a good deal on a converted Z52 switch, MAN, have I got a deal for you.

Thanks for the tip, now I see why it's not a great idea. Does the metal still cover the O-ring or is the O-ring actually visible? Would you have any pics to show me how bad it is?

 

[KevinL]

If you have some Z52s in normal finishes, you should SELL THEM! Because you cannot get a Z52 anymore, there are some who want them (for instance, for an IMR-based hotwire), and then you can pick up some Z57s elsewhere.

Hassle, inconvenience.....

I neeed to trade for:
2 x Z57 in satin gray (and I want them to be like-new condition)
1 x Z57 in winelight (can you even get this?)
1 x Z57 in nickel-plated finish (impossible)
1 x Z57 in HA-nat, but mine is kinda beaten up and nobody will trade you a nice new Z57 for it.....

Looks like my E-series lights are a real pain....

 

[M I K]

....... Would you have any pics to show me how bad it is?

Here's what you do, and this is better than pics. Simply take an E series light that uses a click switch, and unscrew the tailcap until there is a 1/16 inch (the thickness of a penny) gap between the cap and the shoulder of the body. That's what it would look like.

 

[RyanA]

Like others have said, please don't do it. For some strange reason Surefire no longer makes the Z52. Which is a shame since many people prefer a momentary switch to a clicky. I know I do. It's becoming a difficult feature to find on many lights, especially of such a narrow diameter. I'd hang on to them, or sell them (to me).

 

[angelofwar]

I'll take one!!!

What these guys said...Worst case, you cant get regular clickies and get them coated/anodized to your specs. I was lucky and was able to get my hands on one twisty...doubt If I'll ever be able to get another.

 

[KevinL]

Thanks M I K, it doesn't seem that bad actually. I will test with some of my other lights when I get home. It would still provide adequate dust/water resistance, and I could add another O-ring as a gap filler - maybe even a GITD O-ring (or should I really decide to get crazy, pot it with epoxy to a suitable height so that it mates flush with the tailcap, taking care not to bond the tailcap to it permanently in the process!)

But, as the rest have mentioned, and I hear the community loud and clear - the Z52 is a rarity now, I never thought I'd see the day, so I have changed my mind. I will think about a plan to release some Z52s back into the wild in exchange for their Z57 cousins, and let you guys know.

Does any of you know whether the Winelight ever had a Z57? AFAIK this purple-colored (wine colored, specifically) E1e and E2e only have twist switches.

As for the nickel-plated one, don't get me wrong, I'm not showing off, but apparently PK only made five of these, so I can also be very certain they were never made in Z57. Now, knowing its extreme rarity as a collector's item, but also knowing the fact that it will never get a matching Z57, should I *******ize it with a McClicky? I am already changing out its frontend to a Veleno Designs E2e tower so maybe I should go the whole hog while I'm at it, yeah? :naughty::devil:

 

[KevinL]

Anybody wants to rescue a light from a McClickie destiny?

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/forumdisplay.php?f=123

E2e-SG with Z52 (technically Z53 because of the color) and teardrop bezel on top of that!

 

[Kestrel]

Anybody wants to rescue a light from a McClickie destiny?

Hi KevinL, while I very much appreciate your sentiment, you might want to replace the pointer link to your specific sale thread with a general link to /BST/WTS/, for example.

 

[cm_mtb]

I'll take one!!!

What these guys said...Worst case, you cant get regular clickies and get them coated/anodized to your specs. I was lucky and was able to get my hands on one twisty...doubt If I'll ever be able to get another.

Complete E2e's with a Z52 actually turn up fairly often on ebay; that's where I found mine. If all you're looking for is the TC, I'm sure you could sell the rest of the light on the MP.

One seller has several variations of 2 cell E-series lights, all with twisties, although most of them have LED heads that I've never seen before. I'll PM you with a link to his page, as I'm not sure if posting ebay links here violates the rules.

 

[KevinL]

Hi KevinL, while I very much appreciate your sentiment, you might want to replace the pointer link to your specific sale thread with a general link to /BST/WTS/, for example.

Ooops hehe got it! :thumbsup:

Complete E2e's with a Z52 actually turn up fairly often on ebay; that's where I found mine. If all you're looking for is the TC, I'm sure you could sell the rest of the light on the MP.

One seller has several variations of 2 cell E-series lights, all with twisties, although most of them have LED heads that I've never seen before. I'll PM you with a link to his page, as I'm not sure if posting ebay links here violates the rules.

No kidding, there is even a E2e with a McGizmo PR-T head! I used to own a PR-T a long LONG time ago so I do recognize one when I see one.

Many thanks for the tip. I may pick up my E2e-BK from there since I'm not getting much response for specific lights on B/S/T.

I even saw an E2e-HABK which I WANT

 

[cm_mtb]

Cool! I'd never heard of the PR-T before. There's also an E2D with a Z54 and what looks like a PR-BK to me.

I wonder why that guy decided to have someone auction off all his rare E2's on ebay. I would think someone with McGizmo parts would know about CPF and the MP.

 

[KevinL]

Yo guys! I actually McClickied some of my lights including my treasured nickel-plated E2e. Oh come on, the Z52/McClickie conversion is nowhere near as traumatic or as irreversible as it is believed to be!

(in short: you ain't finding me a Z57 for this little 'denied' piece of equipment: "there is no such product as you describe.")


A Z52 can be disassembled almost exactly like its Z41 C-series cousin (I did a few with NO regrets!).

Pop the spring off. There will be a hex screw in there. Hold down the button so it doesn't rotate, and unscrew it. A Leatherman Charge Ti with Bit Kit does just fine, it has Everything you need.

Once unscrewed, the metal part should drop out. If it is a little bit stubborn, wrap the Leatherman in thin cloth and use the pliers to encourage it by plucking it out.

It will now expose a plastic retaining ring. Stick the Charge Ti pliers into the ring, and they fit PERFECTLY. Unscrew everything. Pop out the boot if necessary. Clean tailcap if desired. Install new boot, screw in McClicky. Close up light and enjoy.

100% reversible - just put the retaining ring back in, metal tailcap conductor, screw it back in, put spring on top, close it up.

I kept the bits in case I ever want to go back, but I have my doubts. I now gotta pick up another half dozen of 'em......


I gotta thank RyanA for a beautiful mint condition Z57-HA-Nat for my E1e though. Most appreciated.. I hope you like the Z52-HA-Nat in exchange. Do let me know when it arrives. Many of my other shipments have already made it to their homes in the US, so I'm hoping you get yours quickly.

 

[Chrontius]

Hassle, inconvenience.....

I neeed to trade for:
2 x Z57 in satin gray (and I want them to be like-new condition)
1 x Z57 in winelight (can you even get this?)
1 x Z57 in nickel-plated finish (impossible)
1 x Z57 in HA-nat, but mine is kinda beaten up and nobody will trade you a nice new Z57 for it.....

Looks like my E-series lights are a real pain....

Have I got a deal for you...


First, the SG ones are possible. Winelight, not so much... convert it into an IMR-E2. Nickel? Never seen one. But that HA-nat one? I'll swap you my dinged up Z57 for your dinged up Z52, pending pictures (on both sides).

Ooops hehe got it! :thumbsup:




No kidding, there is even a E2e with a McGizmo PR-T head! I used to own a PR-T a long LONG time ago so I do recognize one when I see one.

Many thanks for the tip. I may pick up my E2e-BK from there since I'm not getting much response for specific lights on B/S/T.

I even saw an E2e-HABK which I WANT

Someone outsniped me on the Tranquility Base body...

 

[KevinL]

Have I got a deal for you...


First, the SG ones are possible. Winelight, not so much... convert it into an IMR-E2. Nickel? Never seen one. But that HA-nat one? I'll swap you my dinged up Z57 for your dinged up Z52, pending pictures (on both sides).




Someone outsniped me on the Tranquility Base body...

The Winelight is a 1-cell running a LF 100 lumen extreme output (R123) bulb at the moment. Gonna be McClickied soon

RyanA beat you to the HA-Nat-Z52 and offered me an offer I could not refuse I have a beautiful new Z57 as a result of that..

Someone else has taken me up on the offer to trade a Z52 (really Z53) gray for a Z57 Gray (would that be a Z58? Actually.....who cares?)

The nickel is supposedly one of five in existence. Apparently, I'm the only one of the five owners who actually discusses it. It's a pity, I missed out on its E1e-nickel sibling, well maybe good for my wallet but I would have liked to keep them together.

They are not stripped-and-re-plated projects, because they have completely no lettering at all. That means they must have been plated and never etched. Even if you strip and re-ano/re-plate/Cerakote, there are marks.

PK actually provided a nickel-plated M6 to CPF for a benefit auction. The M6 has since disappeared into the mists of time, nobody knows where it went.

 

[ampdude]

KevinL, very nice light. I have one of the black hard anodized, three flats, round bezel E2e's with the black hard anodized twisty.

I wonder why couldn't a Z57 be nickle, or chrome plated, or type II anodized in winelight color the same as a Z52, Z53, Z54, ect could be? The come apart easily enough, the switch mechanism in the latest versions is self contained and just basically drops out.

 

[Chrontius]

RyanA beat you to the HA-Nat-Z52 and offered me an offer I could not refuse I have a beautiful new Z57 as a result of that..

Gaah!