Date:         Mon, 22 Apr 1996 09:52:08 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         dlytle@as.arizona.edu (Dyer Lytle)
Subject:      '66 progress, questions about wiring, lights



Hi all,

Just a progress report on the '66, and a couple questions.

Over the weekend I replaced all the light bulbs in the bus. (switching
from 6 to 12 volt.)  I had ordered new rubber sealing gaskets for the
headlights, tail-lights, and front blinkers so I replaced these also while
I had the lights apart.  Also the head-light buckets needed a good cleaning,
the lenses got a good rubbing out on the front and look much better now.
(I'm not sure why these headlights have the extra glass covers over the
sealed beams.  Looks like the glass covers disappeared around 1967-1968
or so.  Anybody know the story here?  Was it just the body style change
or did it change when they went to 12 volts?)

I replaced the small lamps inside the headlight buckets that are mounted
in the side of the bucket although I don't know what these lights are used
for.  I assume the front blinker lights are also the "parking" lights.
Anyone know about these small lights inside the headlight buckets?

The most difficult lights to replace were all the instrument panel lights.
To replace them I removed the steering wheel mount, dropped the parcel
shelf, disconnected the speedometer cable, reached around behind the dash
and loosened the two screws on either side of the speedometer, twisted
the speedometer slightly, and dropped it down below the dash where I could
easily get at the 6 small lamps that needed replacing.  (Is there an easier
way?)

Also, it seems as if there are wires going every-which-way behind the
speedometer.  Has anyone ever spent the time to get these wires well
organized and neat?  I'd like to hear any stories about that.  I'll wait
to get my Bently manuel w/ wiring diagrams before I try anything.

I replaced the radio antenna and pulled out the Sapphire-I radio out of
the dash.  I hooked the radio to a small power supply and a speaker but
couldn't get anything out of it.  It's an interesting old radio so I'll
try to have it fixed locally or maybe send it off to be R&R'd and maybe
converted to 12 volts.

I took all my sheet metal and heat exchangers down to a powder coating place
Friday.  They sent me to a sand blasting place where the stuff will all
be sand blasted before powder coating.  The powder coating guy says he has
a new, special, coating to use on exhaust systems.  He said prolly about
$90 for the whole works (but an extra $40 for the sand blasting).

Discoveries this last few days:

  I can't use my 6-volt generator pulley on my new 12 volt alternator, need
  a new pully.

  12 volt dome light bulbs are longer than 6 volt dome light bulbs and just
  *barely* fit.

  Finding all the correct bits for the doghouse thermostat setup is sometimes
  a pain.  There is a rod that connects the two set of air-vanes behind the
  fan shroud.  The old, non-doghouse, rod doesn't clear the doghouse fan
  shroud and there are two alternatives.  One is a rod with a single hole
  in each end that requires two small fittings at each end that connect to
  the air-vane actuating levers. The second is a rod with two holes in
  each end that doesn't require the two small fittings and clears the 
  dog-house fan shroud.  Of course I managed to get the former but not the
  fittings.  Yet another trip to the junk yard....

  Wiper assemblies changed in 1966 to a new unit that can't be dissasembled
  and upgraded to 12 volts by replacing the armature.  I'll need to get a
  1955-1965 wiper assembly.

Thats all for now,

 -Dyer


------------------------
Dyer Lytle              
dlytle@as.arizona.edu   
HST NICMOS Project      
Steward Observatory     
University of Arizona   
------------------------