Date:         Mon, 14 Oct 2002 09:50:30 -0500
Reply-To:     Bruce Nadig <motorbruce@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bruce Nadig <motorbruce@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      SA Round Headlight Install Notes - Long
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Follow Vanagonites,

I recently installed the South African dual round headlight grill on my '87
Vanagon GL. The installation went fairly smoothly, but here are a few notes
I'd like to share with the board. This e-mail doesn't cover relays and
wiring (separately I can send you notes and a picture of The Mother Of All
Wiring Harnesses if you request, but the subject of wiring and relays has
been covered pretty well recently), just the physical installation of the
other pieces of the kit.

1) Holes for the outer H4 lights are already in the body. You just need to
remove the old lights and bolt up the new lights to these holes. Sheet metal
screws will work fine in this application.

2) When replacing the rectangular headlights found on the late model
Vanagons, there is a tab that must be removed from the body of the van. This
tab is pop-riveted to the front of the bodywork. The lower inner corner of
the bracket for the rectangular lights was screwed into this tab. The tab
must be removed because it interferes with the mounting of the inner driving
lights. Once the pop-rivets are removed, be sure to treat the bare metal
area that is now exposed. I cleaned the metal and painted the holes with
some touch-up paint to prevent rust.

3) It will be necessary to drill 4 new holes in order to mount each of the
driving lights (a total of 8 holes). To locate these holes, place the
driving light in approximately the correct position on the van. Have an
assistant hold the light while you install the grill in its final position.
Adjust the position of the driving light until it is in the center of the
grill opening. Have your assistant hold the driving light in place with
absolutely no movement while you remove the grill. If the light moves, do it
again. Positioning is critical. After the grill is removed, mark the
mounting location on the body with a permanent marker. If you have a
strained relationship with your spouse or significant other I recommend
having someone else hold the light for you during this step.

4) Drill holes to mount the inner driving lights. No rocket science here.
Just be careful and patient. Once the holes are drilled, carefully remove
any burrs or sharp edges from both the front and the back of the hole.
Carefully treat the bare metal (as above) to prevent rust).

5) To secure the bottom of the inner driving lights it is necessary to use
nuts and bolts. There are two layers of sheet metal there so using a
self-tapping sheet metal screw just isn't a good idea. For the top you can
used either nuts and bolts, or sheet metal screws. I used nuts and bolts on
mine.

6) The bracket that mounts the inner driving lights has a very shiny
surface. Once mounted on the van, this shiny bracket can be seen even when
the grill is mounted. To eliminate this, carefully cover the lens and
adjusters with masking tape. Once everything is masked, paint the bracket
black. I used a flat black spray paint. It worked pretty well.

7) While on the subject of paint, there is another piece that is nice to
paint. The thin round mounting rings that hold the H4 lights into their
buckets have probably become corroded over time. Sand them a bit and then
paint them with flat black paint also. For a little bit of effort you get a
really nice finished look.

8) If you are going to be using high wattage bulbs, I highly recommend
getting some connectors that can stand up to the heat that can be generated.
For the H4 connection at the bulb, I sued some Hella connectors that I got
from Daniel Stern Lighting:  (http://lighting.mbz.org , Actually I got all
of my lights there. Great prices, service, products, and technical
assistance! All the standard disclaimers - I am just a very pleased
customer!). The Hella connectors seem to be made of a heat resistant
material similar to Bakelite. In the past I have melted headlight connectors
and harnesses - never again. Use the right stuff the first time.

9) To prevent corrosion, I used generous amounts of dielectric grease on all
of my electrical connections. It is easier to put the stuff on now than it
is to clean the corrosion later.

10) Aim the headlights properly. Very detailed instructions can be found on
Daniel Stern's site (above). The aiming process is easy and painless. I
think it took me longer to set up the measurements on my garage door than it
did to actually aim the lights. You can do the procedure by yourself. Just
adjust the light, then sit in the driver's seat to see where the light goes
with the added weight in the front. Be sure you have a full tank of fuel.
That really seems to make a difference on the Vanagons.

That's it. I was going to give some of the credit for this information to
one of the other list members also. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted his
e-mails to me and I have forgotten his name. For this I apologize. For all
that read this, please don't give me all of the credit.

Good Luck!

Bruce






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