Date:         Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:37:21 -0500
Reply-To:     Alan Felder <dieseldoofus@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Alan Felder <dieseldoofus@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Brighter Headlights
In-Reply-To:  <00c101cc4bd4$e0d1fd70$a275f850$@windstream.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Mike - welcome to the list, and I also have an 82 diesel westy.  As for
headlights, there are several relatively easy things you can do to improve
light output and/or make for a safer wiring setup.  The wiring your wife was
reading about was probably the dual relay setup.  This is pretty easy, there
are several different approaches to this but the simple-est doesn't require
cutting of any wire.  Essentially it routes the power for the lights thru
the relays instead of the light switch, taking a huge load off of the light
switch.  I would really recommend that one, regardless of what else you
might do.  Write-ups abound for that modification.  The relays were already
installed in mine when I bought it.  Eventually, I will source the power for
them from a secondary battery with big fat wires in between, and more
importantly, good ground connections.

You may want to check (you will do this eventually) the ground connection on
the A pillar behind the fuse block.  Many electrical gremlins are slain
right there, but be careful of pulling wires loose from your fuse block in
the process.

Once you have the relays in (you could do this before but the relays are an
essential mod, I think) you can get some more modern 7" rounds.  Bus Depot
may still have a sale going on a pair of Bosch H7 reflectors and the lamps
are cheap.  They can be had in the same wattage as stock, but the difference
in performance from those crappy DOT bulbs is night and day (pun intended).

Good luck!



On Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 3:44 PM, Frederick M. Wasserstein <
wasserstei@windstream.net> wrote:

> Thank you everyone for responding about the charger, I will bring a good
> automatic charger with me. Next question, the lights on "Sammy" seem very
> dim even though they are halogen bulbs. My wife was reading somewhere about
> a kit to rewire the light that they are brighter, does the kit work and is
> it worth the price. Any suggestions about the best place to purchase said
> kit .
>
>
>
> Mike Wasserstein
>
> Proud owner of "Sammy"
>
> 1982 Vanagon Diesel Westfala Camper
>



--
Alan Felder
Austin TX
82 Diesel Westy