Vanagon light bar install

[86 for nix]

Got a 52"light bar and mounts from Vanagonlife for Christmas http://www.vanagonlife.com/theshop/vanagonlife-lightbar-brackets Finally got around to mount the assembly. The brackets are awesome! They look great, clamp-on securely without drilling, and install in 5 minutes using only the torx bit that comes with them. The curved "Auxlight" bar from Amazon follows the roof edge very nicely, and produces no wind noise at all.

I wanted to hide the wires in the A-pillar. Removing the passenger side handle to take a look, I saw there's more than enough room in those pillars to do that. So, I marked a spot as far up in the corner as possible. A 3/8" hole was going to hold the grommet with the shrink wrapped wires quite nicely. I overlapped the shrink wrap with the original insulation as far as I could (it was pretty snug even before I shrunk it). Picture shows the grommet placement with the wire prior to shrink wrap.

Running the wire is a kind of a PITA! I was going to install a handle on the driver's side, so I used this opportunity to do just that. The large holes necessary for that really helped fishing the wire throug the pillar. Be careful with the wires that are already there (rear speakers and dome light) when you drill the inside of the pillar. There are a number of posts on here detailing the process.

I used weed eater string to fish the wire from the bottom to the top. There is a hole somewhere above and forward from the fuse panel and facing forward towards the antenna that you have to get through, in order to get into the pillar. Then I was able to pass it up to the holes for the handle, just to see that I was on the right track. It was much easier to fish from the hole I made in the door jamb to the uppermost hole for the handle. Tied it all together to create one continues line and carefully pulled the wires back down. You can see the handle on the driver's side already back in place, while the one on the passenger side is still missing.

I'm happy with the outcome, even though it was a mess, including taking the cluster out of the dash, blindly fingering around, and the occasional choice word.

I have a wiring harness with the relay and switch for a simple install, but I would like to wire the bar through the fog light switch on the "2" position. I feel it would make for a nice, clean install and would give me the most amount of light down low and up high by switching one switch. Here's a shot with the wires just jumped directly to the battery.

[MsTaboo]

Nice looking install. Have you had the chance to try the light bar at night while driving?
I've been thinking about adding something up high like that for deer detection, but worry there may be light bleed into the cabin or other glare that may reduce driving comfort.
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Currently:
'90 Syncro Westy 3 knob w/Zetec

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[86 for nix]

Haven't wired it up yet. I'm hoping somebody has some advice for my plans of running it through the fog light switch (position "2") where the optional rear fog lamp would be switched.

[jimf909]

I'm interested in what this does to wind noise. It seems like it would add noise but maybe it won't be noticeable with your already installed basket.
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- Jim

[RoryGirl]

[jimf909]

^^^ Thanks. Reading is sometimes hard for me.
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- Jim

[86 for nix]

Wired it through the fog light switch All that was needed was to take the power wire from the switch that came with the harness and plug it onto the middle tab on the fog light switch. Very clean looking, works wired through ignition: Off - Fog Lights - Fog Lights and Light Bar. Each run through their own relay.

MsTaboo, it nicely illuminates the wipers , but doesn't seem to bleed too much into the cabin. I haven't been out in the pitch dark, and I may need to adjust the bar upwards a bit, but overall, it seems to work very nicely.

[Sker N SLO]

About to do the same install......52" curved LED Light Bar with OEM VW 3 Position Fog Light Switch.

Do you have anymore details on how you wired the light bar to the fog light switch?

I don't have fog lights but plan to wire a 12" LED light bar (placed on bumper bull bar) to the switch as well.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Vanagon Smiles]

I like the light bar and the look of the rack. One problem, I've heard with the overhead mounting wind noise is insanely loud from the grilles located in back of the lights. These grilles are there to cool the heat generated from the LEDs'. A remedy is to press-on door edge molding. Aside from looking unsightly, won't that impair the cooling of the lights??

Oh before I forget, the cost of the rack to mount the lights is insane as well and more than the cost of the light bar.

[SyncroHead]

At least in this application, the OP reported that there was no wind noise. Depending on the light you choose and the mounting method, that might not be the case.

You are right that sticking door edge guard on a cooling fin would significantly inhibit it's ability cast off heat. It's basically an insulator stuck on there. Now, I don't know if these generate all that much hear and the fins may be, in part, a look-cool cosmetic feature. One would need to run them and do some temperature measurements to determine how sticking the insulating edge guards on the fins would effect it.

Jim
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[rmcd]

[a2wolfsburggli]

[Steve M.]

[rmcd]

Thanks for the tips Steve. I will give them a shot.

Btw the vanagonLife brackets are absolutely top notch.
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VW LT40 build. Like a Vanagon but 30% larger in every direction and 40% slower even in metric.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=749359&highlight=

[Steve M.]

[rmcd]

[rmcd]

Guess I will try this first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=32&v=oVx9cHPoxyk&feature=emb_logo
_________________
VW LT40 build. Like a Vanagon but 30% larger in every direction and 40% slower even in metric.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=749359&highlight=

[Love77]

I found that adjusting the angle of the light reduced the whistling a lot. Originally the bar was completely flat but reducing the angle just a little but down made all the difference.
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LoviBus: 1990 Vanagon Westy 2.5 Subie

[Corwyn]

I just bought the GW light bar and mounts kit. its a brilliant install, as there are no new holes to drill.

_________________
'90 White Westy ("White Lightning")
FAS Gen V 2.0
The Annual Baja Rally
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604813&highlight=baja

"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~

[Corwyn]

Maybe a better angle:

_________________
'90 White Westy ("White Lightning")
FAS Gen V 2.0
The Annual Baja Rally
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604813&highlight=baja

"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~