(US Spec) How to make your front/side reflectors turn signals/running lights...

Discussion in 'Mech Tech' started by Serpent7, Sep 30, 2013.

  1. I can not for the life of me figure out why VWOA would put reflectors on the front/side of a Transporter, but have the rears at least light up as running lights??? Believe me, it is the oddest thing in the world, but I'm here to right, the horrid wrong. This is my next project that I'm sharing with you. However, I'm a school teacher, and need to go to bed now to safely be able to teach 2nd. graders for 7.5 hours.
    I am pleased to say the project was a success and will share all my findings right here, so stay tuned. I'll post the how- to along with pics...
    Any ideas, or comments are welcomed.

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  2. rickyrooo1

    rickyrooo1 Hanging round like a bad smell

    already beat you to it dude.....
    @Birdy did a how to using rears with an amber lens (had to drill a big hole in the door though) and i did it with the existing reflectors and a small bulb and holder on its side so all i needed was a small hole for the wire on mine.
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    However, at the moment mine are disconnected because the bulb i used was too close to the lens and started to melt it! i have now got an idea of using led's or i do have a set or rear holders but i can't bring myself to drill the door yet......
     
    Serpent7 likes this.
  3. Now make them flash on and off with the indicators ;)...

    Believe US regs required (and still do) red illuminated side markers at the rear of the vehicle. Front marker duties were performed by the additional bulb in the indicators. Assume they also had to put reflectors on at the front.
     
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  4. davidoft

    davidoft Sponsor

  5. rickyrooo1

    rickyrooo1 Hanging round like a bad smell

    correct, the rears are red on mine - I did toy with making the orange ones flash but couldn't be arsed
     
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  6. rickyrooo1

    rickyrooo1 Hanging round like a bad smell

    new 2012 beetle - he did a thread on it on here
     
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  7. Mine work as running lights, flash as indicators, and don't burn plastic... I'll post everything in about 6 hours. Similar to yours but with making them blink when turn signals are indicated.
     
  8. I'm in the process of doing this too (indys not running lights) but using led strips instead of conventional bulb holders :)
     
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  10. Birdy

    Birdy Not Child Friendly

    I managed to get mine to flash by wiring the earth to the earth of the indicator by mistake. Or was it earthen to the live?? Anyway it worked but I wired in properly when I realised my mistake.
     
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  11. Birdy

    Birdy Not Child Friendly

    Just drill the doors you pansy. :lol: No one will see the hole. I don't like LED's. I think they throw an awful harsh light out unlike the softness of a normal bulb.
     
    snotty, rickyrooo1 and Serpent7 like this.
  12. what a fantastic idea with the new beetle wheels, do they match up to the original bolt pattern or did you have to tweak something?
     
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  13. this is going to be one of those good threads where everything just turns out fine, great, "can't figure out why it works, but it does." things...I wanted to wire up my side yellow reflectors on my bus to come on with my running lights, with the intentions of wiring them to also blink as turn signals too. Little did I know or realize that I would kill 2 birds with one stone (well sort of) with my invention! Before we go any further let me state that I am not responsible for any alterations you do to your bus. This is what worked for me but may not work for you... The rear lights I have not connected to flash yet, but by wiring my fronts, I now know how to wire my rears and will do them soon. I originally was using Pepboys wire connectors but in the end did not, and just wired them together with electrical tape. The wire connectors did not work well for me. Here is what I did so far...I removed the reflector and removed the inside grey piece.,,

    Used a 1 3/4 metal round blade dead center of the mounted reflector area...Then I removed the front turn, and running lights (I also drilled off the two mounting rivets)Then I tapped into (what I thought) the running lights (turned out to be the turn lights). I later removed the wire taps and connected them wire to wire. Got no power using the Pepboys specials...I then ran the wires through my dash and through the door (kinda like running front door speaker wire) to the transformed reflectors to lights. To reconnect my front lights because thy where held on with rivets I used plastic dry wall anchors. I purchased two of the same rear running light housings and connected my wires to the now front lights using those rear light housings. I used the same bulbs as the rear running lights also. I finished bout 12 midnight and with a sleeping baby right above could not roll the garage door up and turn the bus on, so I just snapped a pick thinking I had only running lights. The next morning I pulled the bus out to take better pics and found this Man, you gotta love it! Something actually went m way for once...
     
  14. Pics coming a lil later...
     
  15. You can soften it up a lot by taking some fine grit wet and dry paper to the plastic LED 'casing' (i dont know the proper name lol). It makes the light more diffuse and more like a conventional bulb :)
     
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    Will post vids a lil later today...
     

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