US to UK wiring conversion explained

[bigbulli]

Many thanks to Thomas Coulthard for this workshop 'how to'

http://www.bigbulli.com/Earlybay wiring US to UK.htm

 

[Araon]

Cool....

may be worth a stickie moderators????

 

[slammedresto]

Good job dude :mrgreen:

 

[Guest]

nice one....

stickied

 

[Clem]

Its a good effort, but I cant get on with 'throw away your US lenses'

 

[fredster]

I know its a bit off a newbie (hello all!) complaining with his first post but I'm not sure this should be a sticky, I'm pretty sure its wrong, or at best misleading.

My gripe is that in the section for stop and tail lights the text on the diagram of the flasher relay reads - wire to terminal 54 is your new stop/tail light wire.

The stop & tail light are not one and the same, they cannot come from one point. It should read wire to terminal 54 is your STOP LIGHT wire.

This link is going to seriously confuse alot of people.

 

[faux]

I just used the reverse lights as indicators and ran the stop lights from the brake switch on the Master Cylinder. Took me about 20 minutes. This meant it looks exactly the same as original, just I have no reverse lights.

Good to see people taking the time to create something to help though.

 

[ianscooby]

I just used the reverse lights as indicators and ran the stop lights from the brake switch on the Master Cylinder. Took me about 20 minutes. This meant it looks exactly the same as original, just I have no reverse lights.

Good to see people taking the time to create something to help though.

Same here :!:

 

[BJ1]

This is a useful guide but I don't agree about fitting repro tail light housings - they are mostly rubbish! I had a pair from a well known supplier and the double filament bulbs won't fit because the pin sockets were opposite instead of offset. The quality was also total crap. To their credit they refunded me and told me to bin the housings - they were THAT good :lol:

Far better to get some intact originals and refurbish them by cleaning up all the contacts and then spraying them with Plastikote Brilliant silver - comes up like chrome You may also have to add an earth tag by using a self tapping screw and terminal.

I've converted several vans to UK spec recently by running the stop light wire directly from the switch (es) to the lamp housing - very easy.

 

[Graham L]

OK, Stupid Questions time.................

it looks like whoever imported hank has never converted Hank to UK spec lights (although he has had 3 MOT's) but his MOT is due next Monday after Action.

I think I understand the rear, I'm going to put orange bulbs in my reverse lamps and run these as the indicators so just need to find the indicator feed and repatch this to the reverse lights with regards to the stop/tail lamp is it currently 2 seperate bulbs?, when you say run a cable from the master cylinder is the MC under the floor? and do you run the cable internally in the van or externally?

At the front am I right in thinking I need 2 new Sealed Beam units with side lamps in them and I unhook the wire currently feeding the sidelights in the front indicator and hook it to the sidelight feed in the new unit.

It all sounds too simple or am I missing something?

So my shopping list for VW Action looks like:

2 Front Light Units with side light - Heritage?
2 Amber Indicator Bulbs - Heritage?
Suitable length of wire to run length of van

I think I also need new Ball Joints for the front end (rubbers all split and grease everywhere), whos the best people to buy these off? - Heritage again?

 

[bigbulli]

Updated...

http://www.stainsby.force9.co.uk/uswiring.htm

 

[Syess]

could you give me any more info on where you take the live from for the stop lights and are the original tail and indicators wires re-used?
If so do you know what colours they are?
I

I just used the reverse lights as indicators and ran the stop lights from the brake switch on the Master Cylinder. Took me about 20 minutes. This meant it looks exactly the same as original, just I have no reverse lights.

Good to see people taking the time to create something to help though.