Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 23:46:57 EST
Reply-To: SBate82659@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Sam Bateman <SBate82659@AOL.COM>
Subject: Retrofitting 5X7 H-4 Lights - Another Method (long)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Vanagoneers,
Some time ago I voiced a question on the list about the feasability of using a
standard 5 X 7 in. headlight bucket to mount 5 X 7, H-4 lights on the late-
model Vanagons.
As I got no replies on this I assumed that no-one had tried it so I gave it a
go and here's what happened.
Before I get to the details, I must say that I have read with much interest
the posts about Randy Bergman's mounting kit.
Although I have never seen one, it sounds like a very sturdy design that will
also allow the owner to go back with the stock Vanagon lights if the need ever
arrises.
There were a couple of things that bothered me about this design, however.
The first was the price - I know that at least half of the $200.00 was in the
cost of the lights themselves so $100.00 for two well-made brackets is
probably not that bad but I'm basically a cheap guy and wanted something that
I could build myself without the need for brazing.
The second thing that concerned me was the necessity to drill into the light
reflectors to mount them.
To my mind, the fewer holes into a light of this type whereby moisture can
enter - the better.
Also, if I were to break one of these lights in Bum____, Egypt (or some
equally remote location) I wanted the ability to go to any local FLAPS and buy
a Mc-light (H-4 or no) which would drop in the hole and enable me to get home
with a minimum of fuss and no drilling or tapping of the reflector.
With these considerations in mind, my trusty tool bag in hand, and $25.00 in
my pocket I got me down to my local junkyard.
Wherein I soon spied a retired Chevy Chevette (don't shoot me yet!) with some
interesting inner headlight buckets.
What caught my attention was the fact that these were symetrical with both
right and left brackets for adjusting screws as well as a top adjuster
bracket.
These I forthwith purchased for..........$2.00.
Back to the ranch I removed the driver's side (left) headlight bracket
mounting pan from my Vanagon and then removed the hi/lo beam light making sure
to preserve the plastic, threaded things that snap into the back of the
bracket in case I ever wanted to reinstall the original lights.
With the empty headlight bracket and my Chevette headlight bucket on the bench
in front of me, I began that 3 beer, 2 hour process of determining how to
mount the thing.
What I ended up with was 1 NAPA headlamp adjusting screw with nylon base (part
# 665-1041) mounted on the top and another on the outboard side of the back
pan which corresponded to the adjuster brackets on the top and outboard side
of the Chevette bucket.
The nylon bases I mounted to the Vanagon headlight bracket's mounting pan with
two, #8-32 X 1/2" brass machine screws and nuts (after VERY carefully
measuring the resultant headlight position to make sure it alligned properly
with the inner hi-beam and didn't protrude any farther outboard than the
original light had).
It was also necessary to mark and drill a 1/4" hole in the mounting bracket
pan for the adjuster screw itself to pass through as required.
Since the inner adjuster bracket on the bucket would have interferred with the
tight fit against the square, hi-beam light, I removed it (the adjuster
bracket) with a grinder leaving the bucket with top and outboard adjuster
brackets which corresponded with the above-mentioned adjuster screws.
For the third mounting point I used a Stanley 1 1/2", inside angle bracket
with two #8-32 X 1/2" brass machine screws and nuts securing it to the
inboard, bottom of the headlight bucket in such a fashion that a long machine
screw could be run horizontally in from the front, through the angle bracket
and into the back mounting pan.
This long screw was a #10-24 X 2" machine screw with 3 nuts and lockwashers
arranged so that the screw head was locked tight to the front of the angle-
bracket with a nut and lockwasher on the back side.
The remaining 2 nuts and lockwashers were used to secure and locate the end of
the screw into the back mounting pan.
By using these 2 nuts, I adjusted the headlight bucket so that the face of the
new 5 X 7" light would be approx. flush with the face of the square, hi-beam
light mounted next to it - then these nuts were locked-down.
At this point I was feeling pretty good about my concoction so I trial-fitted
it to the van and installed one of my junkyard H-4 lights.
All looked well until I tried to mount the grill - I found that it needed a
bit of releaving on the trim around the top and bottom of the new light.
I removed approx. 1/8" of the trim strip along the top and bottom above and
below the 5 X 7 light only (grill was left as was around the inner, hi-beam
light).
This was acomplished with a Dremel tool basically triming the protruding lip
on the grill flush with the horizontal support above it (top) and below it
(bottom).
The result was a remarkably good-looking installation (IMHO).
The 5 X 7" light does not slope away towards the outside of the van as the
original did so there is approx. 3/8" of the outboard side of the new light
protruding past the grill edge but, to my mind, it doesn't look at all
objectionable.
At this point I had a van with a 5 X 7", H-4 light on one side and the
original light on the other.
An impartial observer (my wife) was called upon to see if she could determine
which light was original and which wasn't - the only way she could tell was by
the "H-4" stamped into the front of the new light!
The other side was modified in the same fashion only using the opposite side
adjuster bracket on the headlight bucket.
The end result is a mounting arraingement whereby the vertical aim is adjusted
with the top adjuster and the side-to-side aim is adjusted with the outboard
adjuster on each side.
The only drawback is that the headlight alignment must be done with the grill
removed to get to the adjuster screws.
Once everything is adjusted the grill goes back on and it looks essentially
stock until I switch on the low beams!
I spliced-in NAPA headlight connectors (part # LS 6235) to the original
wiring harness and used a couple of Hella relays and sockets salvaged from a
late-model Jetta that snapped in to the top of the Vanagon relay panel to
power the high and low beams.
The output of the low beam relay goes to pin A-21 on the relay panel and the
wire that once went to this pin now triggers the low beam relay.
The output of the high beam relay goes to pin B-22 and the wire that once went
to this pin triggers the high beam relay.
Hope this helps someone in their quest for better lighting,
Sam Bateman
Fork Union, VA
'87 Vanagon GL (brite eyes)
|