Date:         Sat, 4 Sep 1999 22:00:42 -0500
Reply-To:     "Roy O." <keepsake@PANGEA.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Roy O." <keepsake@PANGEA.CA>
Subject:      Additional Interior Lighting and Fresh Air Vents -Westfalia
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I finished adding two additional 12V interior lights to my Westy. Although I
took it slow and easy, probably about three times what it would normally take to
do the job, I am very pleased with the results. Thanks go out to the listees who
generously shared their tips and suggestions with me!

This was my first attempt at any kind of automotive electrical work (outside of
changing blown headlight connectors due to over-wattage bulbs). I picked up two
driver's side courtesy lights at a local used automotive parts emporium. I
installed one light in the head liner over the front passenger seat and the
other over the sliding door. The rear light isn't actually over the sliding
door--after some experimentation, I decided the light would suit my purposes
best if positioned in the channel just before the first vent behind the
passenger seat. Positioned thusly, the person entering the van via the sliding
door doesn't step into his/her own shadow. Both lights are switched, finally
providing interior light as VW should have provided in the first place.

Taking advantage of the fact that the passenger side channel was partially
removed, I decided to block the inlet for the first fresh air vent, hoping to
improve on the anaemic performance of the two fresh air vents. Simply closing
the directional vanes on the first vent doesn't seem to improve air flow through
the rear most vent. I also inserted some foam pieces in the end of the channel
at the rear most vent. The channel actually extends about two inches past the
vent, thus allowing air to smack into the end of the channel and bounce around,
impeding the uninterrupted flow of air through the rear most vent.My theory is
that the air flow coming through the channel will now flow more smoothly and be
concentrated solely on one vent (the one closest to the rear seat) instead of
being distracted by interruptions in the channel...a similar theory to what
Steven Sittser expounded in his A/C cowling project. Hey, it couldn't hurt,
right?

That's it for "planned" projects until spring 2000.

Roy O.
'87 Westfalia
('till death us do part)