Date:         Mon, 8 Mar 2004 03:37:35 -0500
Reply-To:     Alex Towner <altowner@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Alex Towner <altowner@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: instrument lighting
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi again.

Some people on the list have recently complained that they don't like the white-ish light in the Vanagon instrument cluster. 
A possible solution:

For the gauges at least, it might be possible to install colored bulbs in the factory bulb sockets on the back of the cluster. I noticed that the bulbs which illuminate the interior door handles of my family's '96 Ford Contour are identical to the ubiquitous VW dash light bulbs - except they are green. So perhaps this will work for someone who hates the color of the stock dash lights. 

I have confirmed that the bulbs will physically fit in both the white and black sockets (the two types common to '80's VWs), but it looks like the electrical contacts match up better to the white ones. I think most Vanagons came with black; if you get the white sockets they will attach to the Vanagon cluster just fine. 

I would confirm this modification will work myself, except my van is mothballed for the winter. If no one else has tried the idea by the end of April, I'll try it and inform the list.

Alex
living in VWGULAG