TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Aug 18, 2007 9:59 am

Hello,

After I gutted my 77 westy I noticed there was a hole for another Fluorescent light over the sliding door.

Has any ever tried to mount a second light there? Seems to me like it would be easy enough to run another hot wire to that side. Convenient too, you wouldn't have to climb in and get over to the sink/cabinet to light up the room. You could just hit the switch while standing outside.

Thoughts?

Sat Aug 18, 2007 11:59 am

I did that about a month ago. I went to a vw salvage and retrieved the piece of white headliner board that the original westy light is in. I had an extra flouresent light in the garage. I spliced into the power supply behind the original light and ran the power wire to the other side. I had to drill one hole behind the new light for a ground wire to attach to the body. It took about an hour to do and I really like it. I will admit I got the idea from busboyjake. He did the conversion about a year ago. The one part that is not quite finished yet is the headliner board. For it to fit correctly, the contact paper (white) side has to be facing the inside over the sliding door. The reason I did it like that is because all the holes for all the screws line up perfectly. I guess you could just cut a hole in that piece of trim that is all ready in the bus, but I chose to take my original piece out and save it so that it can be converted back to the original with little effort.

By the way, my ballast on the new light just burned up, so if anyone has an extra and is looking to get rid of it cheap, please pm me.

Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:16 pm

yep, we did the same thing, but we just copied the hole from the drivers side and then cut out the hole on the existing piece of trim.

Works great and really makes a difference at night, whether reading or playing cards or just getting the kids ready for bed.

I would say it probably took me 2 hours or so. I spliced the new wire off the light above the front seats, as that light is spliced off the same wire that runs to the other florescent light. Took some time getting the new wire through and around, but very doable!

Good luck!

Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:41 am

NUKETROOP wrote: Hello,

After I gutted my 77 westy I noticed there was a hole for another Fluorescent light over the sliding door.

Has any ever tried to mount a second light there? Seems to me like it would be easy enough to run another hot wire to that side. Convenient too, you wouldn't have to climb in and get over to the sink/cabinet to light up the room. You could just hit the switch while standing outside.

Thoughts?

Several years ago, I retro-fitted to my British specification, 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, a second, matching Hella 8W fluorescent light, above the sliding, opposite the original, Westfalia factory-fitted, Hella 8W fluorescent light. However, I did heve to cut a suitably-sized hole in the birch, plywood headling, in order to accommodate the secong lamp.

Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet