Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 14:48:15 -0800
Reply-To: Undetermined origin c/o LISTSERV administrator
<owner-LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Undetermined origin c/o LISTSERV administrator
<owner-LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Subject: Re: Golf II instruments fit Vanagon cluster? White faces?
Backlighting?
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I believe, unless the Japanese market is very different, that the speedo
cable should plug right in. All that cable does is count tire rotations.
The only thing that would throw that off would be tire size differences
between the 2 vehicles.
As far as converting to Backlit guages, the only way I can see that working
is to swap out the whole cluster for one from a car that had backlit
gauges. The current gauge faces are just sheets of tin or aluminum or thin
steel. the gauge innards were never meant to be backlit.
Now that you have a gauge set up from a Golf II, you have a few options as
far as the faces. Check out http://www.4130products.com/overlays/a2/ . I am
still in the process of getting the white face gauges for the stock
Vanagons, but I need to get a hold of a set of stock gauge faces to send to
the guy so that templates can be made. If I had another vehicle, I could
just use mine, but unfortunately, that van is my daily driver.
andrew.grebneff@stonebow.o
tago.ac.nz (Andrew To: sbirkner@earthlink.net
Grebneff) cc: <subaruvanagon@yahoogroups.com>, <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
Subject: Golf II instruments fit Vanagon cluster? White faces?
03/20/2001 05:27 AM Backlighting?
I scored an instrument cluster from a Mk II Golf CL today, used import from
Japan. It has a 220kmh (138mph) speedo and a 7000rpm tacho which
incorporates fuel & temp gauges. Just about right for an SVX engined van,
though 8000+ rpm would have been better.
I remember being told that the Golf II tacho can be made to fit the Vanagon
pod and look like it is made to fit there.
BUT... can the speedo be done likewise? It is cable-driven, not electric,
and can either be recalibrated to run from the Caravelle's drive cable
(odometer will still be inaccurate however) or an inline gearbox can be
fitted to the cable to correct it (best option). But will the speedo fit
the cluster?
What about the wiring? Anybody done this? The Golf instrument lighting is
the same crude indirect setup as the Vanagon. No backlit faces here.
Regarding Sean Birkner's idea of getting white faces done for listees'
instruments, it should IN THEORY be easy to convert to backlighting. This
would require fitting of (say Toyota) holders into the back of the
instrument housings; cutting the holes should be easy as long as you know
where and what shape exactly. Plug fittings in from behind and turn to
secure. For this application the new white (or whatever color) faces should
be uniformly translucent, to allow the light to shine through; tacho red
(or green or whatever) zones should be translucent also. Lettering should
be opaque, to show up at night. Bulb color can be owner's choice; could
even, given enough room, install several different sets of light fittings
with different colored bulbs, with a rotary or slide switch to select the
different colors!
Like Sean, I think blue in particular would be really neat (the Nissan
Presea has intense blue backlit instruments, and they look amazing).
Of course if there are shadow-producing obstructions within the
instruments, the backlighting idea may be in trouble.
Thoughts?
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin, New Zealand
fax 64 (3) 479-7527
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
VW van (something for every man), Toyota diesel & seashell nut
Macintosh 7500/200/64, 6116/60/24, LCIII, LC, Classic, Plus
Even though Mac Users may be only 10% of the market,
always remember that we are the TOP 10%
