Effigy's history - Page 6 - Cut-Weld-Drive Forums

**tattooed_pariah** · June 24th, 2015, 04:55 AM

Got a few things lined up in the "waiting-for-money-so-so-I-can-do" list..

Need about $450 for a quad-channel digital pyrometer and 4 leads so I will know the temp of each cylinder at all times..

Need another couple hundred dollars to buy an LM-2 kit so I can really dial in my Webers and make use of the O2 bung on my sidewinder..

and I'm also looking at upgrading my headlights..

I think I'm gonna do the headlights first, was wondering if anyone had experience with the following stuff:

These are the buckets I'm using:

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/7-Round...ach-p/3530.htm

Right now I just have standard H4 headlights in them, I want to buy some H4 glass enclosure things (that require changeable bulbs instead of what I have now, when it burns out you replace the entire assembly..) and put these in:

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/H4-HID-...id-kit-35w.htm

I'm thinking the 5000k ones.

Anyone wire HIDs into their rides? It looks easy enough. It's been a looong time since I've messed with my headlights though, so I can't remember how much space is in those bucket, I'm wondering if they can even accommodate the different style of headlight. I know they are still H4 sized, but I don't know about the backspacing..

cybernotchback · June 25th, 2015, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8Transporter

I love toe classic 'Two Tone' look of your cover. To keep the wheel cool while parked (if wood and chrome, how 'bout a small towel to cover it, or maybe get some fingerless 'biker' gloves. :)

Instead of sewing fabric and foam around the wheel, how about bicycle handle bar tape? Comes in several colors, and different fabrics. And it's probably on par difficulty wise as sewing up a new cover. I'm liking the towel idea too for when parked

**V8Transporter** · June 25th, 2015, 07:16 PM

I can't find a cover for the Single Cab's new steering wheel and the tape is a neat idea.

Thanks for the suggestion.

**SCOTTRODS** · June 26th, 2015, 04:49 AM

Skip HID, and Go LED on the headlights if you "upgrade"... and maybe something Projector type too.

**d3ghia** · June 26th, 2015, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8Transporter

...maybe get some fingerless 'biker' gloves. :)

Out here in sunny AZ - that is what I use. Steering wheel gets super hot - no matter what the material is.

Plus, having the fingers exposed keeps my "horn" working!

**V8Transporter** · June 27th, 2015, 11:16 AM

Plus, having the fingers exposed keeps my "horn" working!

Um....

**tattooed_pariah** · July 1st, 2015, 04:52 AM

Had an interesting event yesterday.. spent about 75 minutes in traffic to travel 11 miles home, I got off the freeway, and was halfway to the first red light when my engine died. Guy in front of me helped me push it to the shoulder (I was in the left lane..) because it wouldn't restart immediately..

I've got oil, got fuel pressure in the line so I knew I had gas (gauge isn't really reliable anymore..), it's cranking over fine, but not starting.

I figured sitting in 95* heat and not going anywhere for an hour, maybe I overheated, so I decide to sit and wait for a bit..

wouldn't restart after a while of waiting, numerous cars had stopped to ask if I needed help, I waved em all away, but one guy insisted on getting out and looking.. turned out he works on Chinooks for the Army and is an electrician. He was on his way to an auto parts store to buy a new water pump for his car.

We start poking and prodding at shit, pull a plug wire, no spark. pull the coil wire, no spark. puts a DMM on the coil leads, no voltage. Then he spots the fuse I forgot I installed. I had blown the 25 amp fuse feeding power into my ignition box

He popped the distributor cap off and noticed a bit of corrosion on the contact points and the rotor and starts scraping it all clear with a wire brush while I'm going through my glovebox and tool box for extra fuses. I have no extras, but I remember I used the same fuses to wire in my fuel pump and my powerpoints, so I yank the fuse from the powerpoints, swap it out and i'm up and running again!

Who knows how long I would have been troubleshooting before noticing that fuse! So glad he was there to help

**V8Transporter** · July 1st, 2015, 08:32 AM

Hey Matt; 'Looks like the VR Goddess is watching over you!

**tattooed_pariah** · July 1st, 2015, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8Transporter

Hey Matt; 'Looks like the VR Goddess is watching over you!

No kidding! I never even got the guys name but he was really cool, he actually had to drive home to get his DMM, and came back (he lived about 2 blocks away, but still..)

Thrilled JJ told me to put a fuse on that power feed too! Whatever happened probably would have blown my 6AL box if that fuse hadn't popped.

Gonna head out on my lunch break and pick up some spare fuses and some high temp dielectric grease.. funny, being a stupid California kid, I've NEVER used dielectric grease on anything, battery terminals, nothing.. Now that I live where the humidity is high enough that you can drink the air, I know better.. haha!

metalmaster1766 · July 2nd, 2015, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tattooed_pariah

I've NEVER used dielectric grease on anything, battery terminals, nothing.. Now that I live where the humidity is high enough that you can drink the air, I know better.. haha!

I seem to have that same sort of trouble except with my rear tail light connections, they are in line with the rear tires & when it's wet those connections stay wet, I hafta clean & regressed them every time I adjust the valves
I should try to move the tail lights, but that would be to easy

Ron

**tattooed_pariah** · July 3rd, 2015, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metalmaster1766

I seem to have that same sort of trouble except with my rear tail light connections, they are in line with the rear tires & when it's wet those connections stay wet, I hafta clean & regressed them every time I adjust the valves
I should try to move the tail lights, but that would be to easy

Ron

or just build some kinda shield for the lights, cover em with a piece of sheet metal or something..

**tattooed_pariah** · July 15th, 2015, 01:21 PM

ordered this last night:
http://vwparts.aircooled.net/H4-HID-...id-kit-35w.htm

Genia found a job that involves doing what she wanted and will basically double our household income.. When she got hired I warned her, "so now I can blow money on the bug?" and she said that I had sacrificed a lot over the last year.. i'm taking that as a green light :P

We gotta get caught up on some bills first, but expect more soon..

The next thing I'm saving for is a digital aviation CHT gauge that can monitor 4 thermocouples. I want to be able to check the temp of all four cylinders at once. I'm pretty sure I'm running hot right now, but it's not like "gonna-kill-the-engine" hot.. but who knows, i don't have a temp gauge at the moment..

**tattooed_pariah** · July 23rd, 2015, 05:21 PM

I got my HID conversion kit in the mail today. It's going to require some work.. the cables to the ballast are factory made and only give me about 10" total length..

I eyeballed it, and assuming that I can even fit all the wires/connectors inside the dunebuggy headlight buckets I have, I'll only have maybe 8" to play with to run it into the trunk so the ballast won't be exposed to weather..

I think I'll be able to pull it off, but the connectors will be exposed, so I'll probably buy some 1" heat shrink tubing to cover them up..

Again, this is assuming I can fit HID bulbs and both a male and female pigtail connector INSIDE the headlight bucket..

If not, I'll have to figure out a way to cut the bucket and add a compartment on the back or something..

**SCOTTRODS** · July 24th, 2015, 04:31 AM

After getting everything situated really well, and fitting to the final resting place, Make sure the heat shrink is pretty long and squirt a little urethane caulking in the tubing before shrinking it. It's make a mess, but the seal will be permanent and water tight at the connectors. Any kind of caulking would be better than none, unless you buy the self sealing heat shrink that's available... That'd be a better choice anyway. but typical heat shrink does not seal very well, it looks like it would but it doesn't.

**tattooed_pariah** · July 24th, 2015, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCOTTRODS

After getting everything situated really well, and fitting to the final resting place, Make sure the heat shrink is pretty long and squirt a little urethane caulking in the tubing before shrinking it. It's make a mess, but the seal will be permanent and water tight at the connectors. Any kind of caulking would be better than none, unless you buy the self sealing heat shrink that's available... That'd be a better choice anyway. but typical heat shrink does not seal very well, it looks like it would but it doesn't.

good point, my only concern really is that the connectors look like this: (first image I found on google, but same style..)

So they should be self sealing themselves, but if I ever need to unplug it, I have to carefully cut away the tubing..

I used spiral wrap for the headlights I have now, but that's just three loose wires and some spade connectors.. I'd use spiral wrap again but these connectors are a lot bulkier..

I want something that will make them not as obvious

tequilla · July 24th, 2015, 10:41 AM

I hate to tell you this Matt but it's not going to work.........

Just pack it up and mail it to me and I will get rid of it for you

**tattooed_pariah** · July 24th, 2015, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tequilla

I hate to tell you this Matt but it's not going to work.........

Just pack it up and mail it to me and I will get rid of it for you

haha, fuck off Joel!

Actually, I just lookd again, and lengthwise I should have almost a perfect amount of wire, just the connectors are in inconvenient places..

I've got a board in the bottom of my "trunk" to cover the hole created by hacking the front end off.. so I'm going to mount the ballast under it with the capacitor box thing, that way they'll get cool air from the road and be protected by the fiberglass front end..

I just have to buy some bigger grommets (biggest I have are for 1" holes I think..) and a hole drill so I can make it look a tiny bit cleaner..

Current wiring:

Probably use a 2" hole drill here:

Wiring harness:

the top connector is actually two seperate ones, I think I MIGHT have enough length to push them through the grommet so they will connect under my trunk instead of outside.. that way it will just have the thinner wires visible and I can spiral wrap those..

oh, also going to use a 1" hole drill on the back of the buckets so the wires exit straight out instead of through the bottom of the bucket like they do now..

Daddy o's 67 · July 24th, 2015, 02:52 PM

You can disassemble those connectors. Look up Deutsch connectors and you should be able to find a link on how they come apart so you don't have to drill any extra holes

unclefargo · July 24th, 2015, 06:47 PM

I'm sorry I have no experience with these headlights BUT plenty with building harnesses. Why not throw the connectors you have in the trash. Fit a set of STANDARD splay connectors to shortened wire inside the headlight housing, then new a wire (of any length) to make the mounting easier, to another set of standard connectors on/near the capacitor box. No joins or connectors in the wet, everything mounted in the best spot. To paraphrase, it's only wire.

**tattooed_pariah** · July 25th, 2015, 04:41 PM

got em installed.. took maybe an hour, and most of that was spent cleaning out the trunk, and looking for tools..

I intended to take more pictures, but you know how it goes.. you start working and forget to stop to take a pic..

I also did the poser thing and put electrical tape X's on em.. :P

a 1" hole saw bit got me a hole int he buckets, this is the passenger side, driver's side is also inboard..

Driver's side ballast and resistor:

Passenger side ballast and resistor:

The strip of tape in the middle of my grill was used to hold the ring together after I pulled the screw out to fit it around the bulb and bucket..

They weren't aimed at this point, but they do light up:

For the first time since Rob put welded those buckets on my beam in 2007, they have been aimed :P

I used the back wall of my garage which was about 15-20" away and put em just under my workbench (about 2.5" off the ground), so maybe now I'll actually be able to see at night when there are no streetlights around :P

On a side note.. I had ordered 5000K lights, but ACN sent me 8000K.. I don't want to deal with return shipping, and lately, John's been kind of a dick.. I hate that blue tint, I wanted straight white, but oh well..

psychopork · July 27th, 2015, 09:25 AM

looks killer brother.

**V8Transporter** · July 27th, 2015, 03:09 PM

Looks great and you now have the ability to reheat cold pizza in your garage.

**tattooed_pariah** · July 28th, 2015, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychopork

looks killer brother.

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8Transporter

Looks great and you now have the ability to reheat cold pizza in your garage.

haha, I always had that ability, I got an old microwave I hardly ever used in the garage :P

I can't believe the lighting difference, I had no idea there was that much reflective shit on the freeway between my house and work!! lol

RatRansom68 · August 3rd, 2015, 10:17 PM

To add to the steering wheel comments, im about to do the paracord wrap on my truck, its looks really trick but its really time consuming, but i guarantee youll love it, look it up on youtube

**tattooed_pariah** · August 4th, 2015, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RatRansom68

To add to the steering wheel comments, im about to do the paracord wrap on my truck, its looks really trick but its really time consuming, but i guarantee youll love it, look it up on youtube

seen it, thought about it, i know some fanciwork from spending time with Boatswain's Mates.. just not my thing..