Electrical Upgrades - Early Car

[j-dub]

I added a relay under the rear parcel shelf that handles the key on duties like powering the ignition box and the unilite module, and a second relay for the external oil cooler fan which is triggered off an oil thermo switch.

For my blinker relay, I gutted the oval era bakelite relay box and used an EP35 flasher relay, I had to slightly modify it to fit. The EP25 is capable of doing LED or incandescent bulb flashing and then I later fitted LED taillight bulbs.

I added 4 extra wires from the front to the back for gauges. I am using them for oil pressure, oil temperature and tach, the 4th is yet to be used. I tried LED speedo bulbs but did not like the color of the light output, looked too white and modern to my eyes.

The fuel pump is small and simple, wired off of the brake light switch positive post. I have added a small cigarette lighter plug that for now is laying on the front parcel shelf, considering a more permanent mounting solution however I don't want to drill any more holes. I use this to charge my phone, bluetooth speaker or power my wideband when I am playing with my carburetors.

The oval era wipers have two styles, band barake and non band brake. One of the takes a two wire switch, the other takes a three wire switch. I forget now all of the differences, but I do now have the wiper park feature working .
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1957 Oval rag
"POLICE STATION TOILET STOLEN ... Cops have nothing to go on."

[Mike-O-Rama]

[esde]

[Tobias Bylund]

I just received notice that my order of the Pro Street Wiring board from Leash is shipping, i am re-wiring the entire car and getting rid of all factory fuses, boxes and relays and gathering everything in the same location, along with the fuel injection, under the rear seats. I have had too many electrical gremlins in the past in old cars, i want a clean and reliable installation this time, so i am starting from scratch.

Early cars dont really have that many things that need to be wired, i wont even have a stereo in this car, and it has semaphores so only half the blinker circuits.

https://leashelectronics.com/products/pro-street-wiring-board

[Clatter]

Keeping on with this (slightly)..
Had a little detour thru bodywork hell.

Got some stuff in to try out/mock up:

Had four different used horns and all were bad.
Only way to get a croaking sound out of them was to loosen the adjuster until the whole thing was falling apart.
This one was held together with screws so I decided to try and open it up.
Then saw a new Hella on the CIP1 site for like $20.
Life is too short to waste dicking around with another junk horn.


See also a small 4-fuse box that takes factory fuses and has a little cover.
It matches the early-car style with screw terminals and all,
So we’ll be sitting it different places and trying to get it a place to live.

OK,
Dumb post, but tells the story.
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Clatter]

A few things started happening.
Figured I’d do the obvious stuff like dome light and horn first.

Hella horn they sell now is small and lightweight for racing!
New Grant button kit for my old Superior wheel plus an early brush kit from WW.

It doesn’t take those normal wire boots,
And since it’s going to get blasted from behind it’s whole life from rocks and muck up under the wheelwell,
I used some adhesive-lined shrink wrap on the connectors.
Still on the fence if i should leave it tapped into the red ‘always hot’ or move it over to black ‘switched hot’.
Always hate bumping the horn when working on stuff,
But then again, it might come in handy when someone is backing at you in a parking lot before you have the car started..



Since i had the drill out and was now that PO,
Drilling where i filled so many holes years ago..

Squirter on the left, line-lock toggle next to it, and a bigger fuel pump toggle to the right of the column.
Also shown is my new horn wire brush kit from WW.
Drilled a new hole for it, as i was using the old hole for the fuel pump.

Here’s the same switches from the top.
Also shows this big support(?) bar used to hang the flasher.
Notice i also put a big lug on it as well as a 4-way spade prong for ground.

It’s getting pulled for to clean any/all paint away from contact surfaces once again for good measure.
Might seal it up with dielectric grease afterwards to keep the connection corrosion free.
With a re-painted car, grounds end up being a bigger source of grief than wiring..!
Think I’ll also be using this bar to hang a relay or two like was done with the flasher.


Moved on to figuring out how to get the new wires from under the back seat up front;
There was this old hole from a PO that fortunately went not only up to under the dash but also forward to the steering area.

It’ll pop up here next to the other going to the dimmer switch.
Woulda just made the dimmer hole bigger and used it if i didn’t already have this other PO hole already.

Got under there with a tiny long-shank burr on a die-grinder and widened the top so a grommet will seat correctly.
Also cleaned up burrs and modified a brake line grommet for the wire going forward to the steering area.
This will run fuel pump and line-lock wires.

See also wiring diagram downloaded from this fine site,
Printed large, full-color, and laminated.


Last item was chopping battery cables for use with my cut-off switch.
6ga. cable ends were available at my local West Marine.
Good friend William is a pro mechanic and has the big crimpers to swedge these new ends on.

So,
Nothing really creative or interesting yet,
But some basic layout done and holes drilled.
Will keep going with circuits one at a time until i have to get creative..
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Lingwendil]

You're lucky the early cars diagrams are in that easy to read format! My 73 it's got that stupid "logical" current tracks style, gives me mental constipation trying to glance at it to get an idea of how it all interacts.

Nice thoughtful modifications. Reminds me I need to redo my battery cables
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73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[chrisflstf]

Anybody looking for custom battery cables - any size, any length, any gauge with any termination ends go here:

https://www.batterycablesusa.com/battery-cables

These are #2 gauge, was about $20 for both. Excellent quality, very flexible also

[Clatter]

Some really great input form members here, and i was hoping to keep rolling with this thread..

New taillights meant that i couldn't stand them in the wrong place anymore.
Chinese holes are drilled WAY wrong.

Since the body/paint stuff was out i re-did the whole car, including cut/buff.
Painting outside in wintertime..

Rust under the battery to fix, bunch of PO holes to weld shut, front beam was too low. Aigh! Rabbit-holes!

Anyways, back to wiring.
Stuff came back from powder-coat.

These are the parts made for my under-seat bracket.

The whole assembly just sits in place under its own weight on the floor,
But it also got two attachment points.
One is from a bracket i welded to the tunnel, and the other picks up a pan bolt.
Also decided to drill a hole and weld a nut here for a big M8 ground lug.

Yes my welds suck. Welding outside in the wind is no fun.


Here it is riveted together, and you can just see the other mount bracket picking up a pan bolt.

Still not sure how it will lay out yet.
Probably only need one relay now for ignition.
Not thinking the washer pump will need a relay, but will leave space for another for an oil cooler, or?
Not sure i really want to use the terminal block either...

Either way, i have some options and a place for stuff under here.
Going to probably put headlight relays up under the dash by the flasher.
Fuel pump/line-lock relays will likely go up under the tank.

Hope to get actually rolling with wires here soon.
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[67rustavenger]

Wait! I missed something here. Water pump? What's that gonna be for?

[Clatter]

OK,
Finally back on this..

Started wiring up the line lock.
Got a button knob from Speed Dawg for my Hurst shifter.

Here's how they suggest it's wired up:

Had a few different ideas;
First was to use a little stealth LED instead of the big chrome indicator light.

Since this was a little tiny light from the electronics store,
I left myself room for the big chrome one in case it was needed.


i get to staring at things doing nothing,
So decided to go with grounds.
Start with the stupid part first, right?
A big hole that was already drilled got cleaned up and scraped down with sandpaper,
Then some dielectric grease and ring tongues.
Dumb blue crimp ends are to be avoided, but for now they'll have to do.
Next one will get proper ends.

Here's where we get technical.

Ooh! Aahh!

Bear with me here..

Because the button is on the side of the shifter it's very likely to get pushed.
Especially in a panic stop situation, maybe?

For that reason, I want two things:
1. Toggle to turn the thing off when not in use.
2. Indicator light to show when the system is armed.

The OG Hurst wiring diagram seems to turn the light on when you push the button.
I'm thinking I'll know when I'm pushing the button and if it's working or not.
More important is to have the light turn on to show the system is armed when the switch is on.

Don't you think?

And this wiring will to that, right?

Thanks again for your attention fellas.
Takes a village.
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Clatter]

[67rustavenger]

[FreeBug]

how's your ground strap?

[Clatter]

[Clatter]

[rosevillain]

Your armed light will be on when the unit is powered off, and off when the unit is armed.

[Jason37]

Put your armed light in series with the switch.

[Clatter]

OK, i think i get it..

The relay being energized by terminal 86 or not determines if it’s 87 -or- 87a
Not 87 -and- 87a

So,
Because the light is a tiny little LED,
Could i run both it and the button wire off of 87?

It seems kind of frail to be in series,
Like it’s a fuse that would blow..
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[rosevillain]

Yes, that lamp probably won’t make a difference.
85 and 86 are the coil, that when energized, switches the contacts. 30 is common or in, 87 is normally open, 87a is normally closed. No power through the coil, 30 goes to 87a, with power, 30 to 87.