Meet my red-headed stepchild!

[echassin]

Any ready-made grille is out because while the spacing of the lights is the same as an S1, the lights are raised up to get the "brow" look. I'm set on the lights themselves, but the rest I have yet to work out.

I just got back from a road trip to Dan's place (Mr.Pill), and boy does he deliver!

Nice Dash:



Minimal work to make it awesome.

Perfect hood:



And a gorgeous set of Euro bumpers that Dan assures me are old, but they look factory fresh:



The bolts are still plated and the rebar is still totally black

Finally, this also came:



I was kind of surprised that the cost didn't include new strut housings, but thankfully I had a nice set from my hoarding days *phew*.

Tomorrow after work I'll try to get some of this stuff on the car, but for now I'm gonna walk off all these driving induced aches and pains.

A tout a l'heure.

[California 16v]

You've got some cool parts there
... looking forward to seeing them on your S2

[echassin]

Okey Dokey,

Suspension assembled:



Suspension installed:





And for a little levity, ridiculous liability sticker on door jamb (sp?):



I also spent more time on the front end:



The headlight brackets are done and installed for good, turns are working, and the headlight buckets are aligned (bulbs arrive tomorrow). I think I'll leave the stock grille off and make a fully inset grille out of welding rods to better emphasize the "brow".

The last brake parts arrive tomorrow, Ronals get here Monday , but I'm out of town till the following weekend, so they'll have to wait . I'm still hoping to have a running, driving, stopping car with functioning electricals by Independance Day.

At which point "all" I have to do is finish and install the other million parts

[TBerk]

I got a feeling, down deep inside, I cant contain it any longer....



MuHAhahahahahaha...



< cough > Keep up the Good Work!

[MrPill]

......
I just got back from a road trip to Dan's place (Mr.Pill), and boy does he deliver!

........

Good to see you again Eric. Glad you were pleased with the items and found them to be worth the drive. I felt I was just being a good stewart and holding on to them until the right home was found.
-Dan

[echassin]

I felt I was just being a good stewart and holding on to them until the right home was found.

I will try to do them justice

Mixed results today.

The last brake parts came and I put them on, bled the brakes with Petra at the pedal, got rock hard (the pedal, you perverts ), and adjusted the ebrake cables, all in about an hour.

This is the final setup at the rear:



The hard line is a straight shot, unlike stock where it has to wind around to the bottom of the beam with added bracketry to guide and hold it.

Then, with plenty of daylight left, I mounted the headlight bulbs:



So far so good, until I tested the lights. After 6 hours of ufcking with it until it was dark, no dice.

Low beams:



The high beam bulbs are getting low voltage and glow a bit when the low beams are selected

When high beams are selected:



Everything is off on the right and everything is working on the left.

After pouring over the Bentley schematics and jumping a bunch of isht, I can say unequivocally that the problem persists when the dimmer switch is jumped, when the wires out of the dimmer switch are jumped, and when the fuse box pins are jumped.

Which leaves the main harness in the engine bay, under the battery and the airbox

This is one harness I didn't touch because it looked fine and there was nothing in it to delete.

I don't recall if it worked right before I took the car apart...

The plan when I get back in town is to jump the output the main harness in the bay by going straight from the output pins to the bulbs, so I'll need to make up some long wiring. If it works, I'll try to pull new wires without undoing or removing the harness (not optimistic...)

So, in other words, this just sucks

[SciroccoPowered]

What about the turn signal switch?

[echassin]

(duplicate post)

[echassin]

If you mean the headlight dimmer switch, I jumped that as one of the tests and the problem persisted.

When I select "brights", the whole right side goes out. I know fuse S9 is getting voltage because the bright warning light comes on, but there's no voltage at the white wires where they meet the headlights. Tomorrow I'll check for voltage at pin C16, and if there is none, that would confirm a fault within the fuse box after the takeoff to the brights warning bulb, but before pin C16, and I would hopefully just need another fuse box.

If C16 is getting voltage, then the white wire is faulty (at the very least...)

[SciroccoPowered]

If you mean the headlight dimmer switch, I jumped that as one of the tests and the problem persisted.

When I select "brights", the whole right side goes out. I know fuse S9 is getting voltage because the bright warning light comes on, but there's no voltage at the white wires where they meet the headlights. Tomorrow I'll check for voltage at pin C16, and if there is none, that would confirm a fault within the fuse box after the takeoff to the brights warning bulb, but before pin C16, and I would hopefully just need another fuse box.

If C16 is getting voltage, then the white wire is faulty (at the very least...)

my S2 is the only one that hasnt needed a fuse box ive encountered, it's sad how crappy they seem to be, usually they have a problem with the turn signals not working cirrectky either because the fuse panel isnt giving switched 12v power to the hazard switch.

[MKVmyfast]

Just glanced thru a couple of pages of this thread and I'm hooked already looking forward to reading thru the whole thread thus far

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2

[TheTimob]

Actually, the problem is that the S1 headlights and the S2 headlights are actually wired slightly differently.







Basically, Mk2s have the headlight wiring different than the mk1.


EASIEST WAY TO FIX THIS:

Look at your S1's headlight wiring, and note where the colors are (on the ouside and inside headlight beams)

Look at the S2's headlight wiring. Use tiny screwdriver to disengage the terminal clips and switch the wires to match what the S1 had them like.

[echassin]

NO ISHT!?

REALLY?

Timbo, you're the MAN!

[scirocco*joe]

Allow me to offer one more suggestion:

RELAY YOUR HEADLIGHTS!

Since you have to re-route your wires anyway, it just makes sense.

Timbo's how to:

http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/t...ur-headlights/

You will only end up using the low beam and high beam trigger wires and running new power and grounds.

Also, get some Euro H4s. They are amazing!

H4 outer headlights with city light:

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=115

H1 inner headlights:

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=137

[TheTimob]

I actually relayed Leela's headlights after Cincy.





I initially hooked them up like a mk2, and weird things started happening, like the center lights glowing and such things.

[echassin]

Too late Joe

I do know about the relaying thing, but headlights are something I never cared about upgrading. Chicago is so bright at night from ambient light, frankly you don't need headlights at all . I'm happy as long as they work, which stock ones do.

So Timbo gets the prize for pointing out the wiring difference, which I wouldn't have even considered in a million years (hence the value of a "second opinion"). I have to say that overall this forum is a fantastic resource .

Low beams:



The dim glow from the high beams is gone

The right brights still didn't work, but that's a simple circuit to check. The C16 pin was getting 12 volts, so I knew it was the white wire to the high beams, somewhere in the bay. Probing the wire at the battery where the main harness splits up showed 12 volts, but near the radiator the voltage dropped to 3 volts. AHA!

Sure enough, a small crack in the white wire sheath had allowed water to seep in over the years and rot the white wire.

After unwrapping the harness and replacing the wire with a nice white wire from one of my junk drawers, here's the high beams:





And here's the harness rewrapped where the original failure occured:



I arranged everything so the harness are well sealed and have good support, so hopefully this won't happen again.

Anyhoo, I have to go pack for some R&R

[Lord_Verminaard]

I hate to nit, but relaying isn't just for upgrades. Sure, the added illumination you get when you are running straight power from the battery to the lights is nice, but I feel the more important issue that you correct with relays is preventing your stock switch from melting/catching on fire. It has happened many times, especially with those running H4/H1 bulbs- even happened to me in my Mk1!!!

Ok, getting off my soapbox now.

Brendan

[Mtl-Marc]

I hate to nit, but relaying isn't just for upgrades. Sure, the added illumination you get when you are running straight power from the battery to the lights is nice, but I feel the more important issue that you correct with relays is preventing your stock switch from melting/catching on fire. It has happened many times, especially with those running H4/H1 bulbs- even happened to me in my Mk1!!!

Ok, getting off my soapbox now.

Brendan

Yeah, a MK1 going up in flame is not that big of a deal, but a MK2 on the other hand...

[petebee]

Yeah, a MK1 going up in flame is not that big of a deal, but a MK2 on the other hand...

You had to go there...

[SciroccoPowered]

If the issue is just to keep the switch from catching fire, wouldn't it be much simpler to run one new power power from the battery to under the dash and wire 2 relays (high and low) to the headlight switch? I wouldn't relay my headlights in the way mentioned just because how much of a mess it makes.

[scirocco*joe]

I hate to nit, but relaying isn't just for upgrades. Sure, the added illumination you get when you are running straight power from the battery to the lights is nice, but I feel the more important issue that you correct with relays is preventing your stock switch from melting/catching on fire. It has happened many times, especially with those running H4/H1 bulbs- even happened to me in my Mk1!!!

Ok, getting off my soapbox now.

Brendan

I believe we talked about this for your Rabbit GTI, Mr. Chassin. Typical surgeon. Why prevent when operations to fix are so routine anymore?

[d-bot]

You had to go there...

Though he has it backwards

[echassin]

I believe we talked about this for your Rabbit GTI, Mr. Chassin.

That's DOCTOR Chassin to you, Sir .

We all can debate this POS ad nauseum, but the wiring in the S1 and the GTI is all 100% OEM, 100% fine, and it's staying 100% as-is until one of you claims the cars from my estate .

So don't go there Joe

[echassin]

If the issue is just to keep the switch from catching fire, wouldn't it be much simpler to run one new power power from the battery to under the dash and wire 2 relays (high and low) to the headlight switch? I wouldn't relay my headlights in the way mentioned just because how much of a mess it makes.

If I were to relay the lights (but I'm not), I would have one relay for each bulb, so if a relay fails on a fast stretch of dark country road, there'd still be another bulb on.

[Black92EightValve]

Or you could do what I do, leave the stock wiring in place, tucked away for use as a back up if need be, then I just run leads from the drivers side connecter to the relays, which I have 3 of... One for the low beams, then one for the outer light high beams, and one for the inner driving lights

Oh, and I run Hella Optilux 80/100w H4's, and Hella 130w H3's which I got from rallylights.com

[TheTimob]

If I were to relay the lights (but I'm not), I would have one relay for each bulb, so if a relay fails on a fast stretch of dark country road, there'd still be another bulb on.

Well, here's the ting - the stock s2 sealed beams are 55w. The stock s1 sealed beams are 35w. Downgrade in wattage = safer wiring = simpler = less to go wrong.

[-camber]

I'm enjoying watching Eric fend off all you hackers

Go Eric!!!!

Sincerely,
-recovering hacker.

[Michael Bee]

Eric's car is red.

[Falcor]

He let us win the handbrake discussion, lets let this one slide his way.

[ziggirocco]

That's why I say 35w hid..... There I said it!

No relays on mine, and all is well!

[Chris16vRocco]

I initially hooked them up like a mk2, and weird things started happening, like the center lights glowing and such things.

Same thing happened to me when I relayed the lights on my 80.

[scirocco*joe]

He let us win the handbrake discussion, lets let this one slide his way.

Good plan.

I'm looking forward to the grille fabrication.

[echassin]

I'm looking forward to the grille fabrication.

Me too, but it'll probably be one of the last things to do.

[petebee]

Dang it I hate it when I have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and Eric didn't add new pictures.

[echassin]

We're on vacation, no work