Interior lighting (mild, not wild) - Advice? Tips?

[fredges]

I love keeping my cabby stock, but there's just a few tiny little things I really feel like I wanna do, and I want to do them with the minimum amount of modifying my baby. Purists, please forgive me and may the VW gods have mercy on my soul.

Here's what I wanna do:
- Install red lights under the dash and under the front seats, that will come on with the dome light. Nothing too bright.

- Install tiny white lights in the glove box and the "cassette cubby" space (tape holder is removed), wired with the dash lights, so I can see what's in there at night.

I may even try to make the glove box light come on only when opened, so there isn't any light leaking out around the edges.

I'm confident I can do it, but any help or advice is very welcome and appreciated. Especially, where I can splice into the dome light and dash wiring effectively!!!

Oh yes, my car is red with a white top and black & white interior, so I'm sticking with either red of white accent lighting, in case you were wondering. Here's a photo of "REDWARF":

[kamzcab86]

I may even try to make the glove box light come on only when opened, so there isn't any light leaking out around the edges.

Use a "normally closed" magnetic reed switch... they're awesome! I added one to my Westfalia's kitchen cabinet wired to a stick-on flexible LED strip so I could find stuff in there without needing a flashlight... open door, light turns on... just like the house fridge!

It'd probably be best to tap into the wiring near the fuse panel (wiring diagrams are your friend), and wire it in such a way that you can easily reverse it (i.e. you sell the car and the next owner doesn't want that stuff).

[CalAltaDubber]

I love keeping my cabby stock, but there's just a few tiny little things I really feel like I wanna do, and I want to do them with the minimum amount of modifying my baby. Purists, please forgive me and may the VW gods have mercy on my soul.

Hey, no problem, it's ypur car, and you do what you want to it. That's what gives your car a personality.
I kept my '87 stock, so when I wanted to customize a car, I coludn't bring myself to altering my favorite car (read toy). That's why I bought the '88 and went to town on it.

Here's what I wanna do:
- Install red lights under the dash and under the front seats, that will come on with the dome light. Nothing too bright.

- Install tiny white lights in the glove box and the "cassette cubby" space (tape holder is removed), wired with the dash lights, so I can see what's in there at night.

I may even try to make the glove box light come on only when opened, so there isn't any light leaking out around the edges.

I'm confident I can do it, but any help or advice is very welcome and appreciated. Especially, where I can splice into the dome light and dash wiring effectively!!!

Wiring is easy, (ok, I'm an avionics guy by trade), Like Kamz said, wiring diagrams are your friend. Just take your time to figure out what you want. I strongly suggest you purchase a set of wire strippers and a good crimper.

If you properly crimp all of your wire connections, you will be much better off. (people who use pliers for their crimps can never understand why the crimps come off the wire).

Please do yourself a real big favor, Do NOT twist wires together and wrap them with electrical tape! This is the worst possable connection and the black glue from the tape just makes a mess for the next guy (that might just be you) to go in there to fix it. /rant

One thing I did on Posh Bunny was install a strip of LEDs in the cubby, that work with the dash lights. Works well, but I do find it a little distracting when I'm driving, so I do have a switch installed to turn that off.

All of your ideas are possable, and sound good.

By the way, I love the RAs on your car, I have the same wheels on Posh Bunny.

[fredges]

I have good wire cutters, a good crimper, and a bunch of wire left over from various stereo installs, etc. So I should be ok there, thanks!

But what I really need to know is the best place to tap into the dome light circuit, and the door switch circuit. I only want the footwell lighting
to come on with the dome light, and the cubby light to come on with the dash lights (albeit not very bright).

I figured I could run right off the cig lighter for the cubby? Will I need a bigger fuse then? If I use a small LED is that less draw than a 12v incandescent bulb?

Also, I want to drill the tiniest hole possible....so a smaller fixture is better... (same with the glove box)...

I'll look for a diagram... And I'll take photos and post my work so others can do the same if they wish.

Thanks!

[CalAltaDubber]

I have good wire cutters, a good crimper, and a bunch of wire left over from various stereo installs, etc. So I should be ok there, thanks!

No problem.

But what I really need to know is the best place to tap into the dome light circuit, and the door switch circuit. I only want the footwell lighting
to come on with the dome light, and the cubby light to come on with the dash lights (albeit not very bright).

In the door jams you can pull the door switches (one phillips screw) and splice into the brown wire with the white stripe. That's where the dome light picks up the ground to complete the circuit. then you would pick up 12 V by splicing into a wire like the cigarette lighter (it's on the circuit that is always live).

I figured I could run right off the cig lighter for the cubby? Will I need a bigger fuse then? If I use a small LED is that less draw than a 12v incandescent bulb?

No I don't think so, The lighter is in parallel with the radio and is on a 15 A fuse. The lights will only be on when the door is open and even and most lights don't draw that much current.

Also, I want to drill the tiniest hole possible....so a smaller fixture is better... (same with the glove box)...

Exactly what I did, you might consider installing a rubber grommet where you drill. This will reduce any possable chaffing on the wires you run through it.

I'll look for a diagram... And I'll take photos and post my work so others can do the same if they wish.

If you don't have a Bently, consider buying one. They contain all the wiring diagrams, and everything else you need to maintain the car.
Expensive? yes! Worth every penny!

[Briano1234]

On either side of the "A" pillar is the ground for the door jam switches.


so you could wire them up to a fused 12V source then use the switched ground to activate them with the door jams, or..... you would have to find the power going up to the dome light I think it is on the passenger side.... and wire it there. You could also solder it to the courtesy or dome light, and then tuck the wire under the Windshield seal.to get it back down to the floor area.

[fredges]

Wow, so much good help! Thank you all! I'm really motivated now, to get out there and do it, and to do it right!
It's gonna be a fun topless summer!

*Edit: briano, can you explain what I'm looking at in that photo?? I just cannot figure out where that is! is that the four bolts for the knee bar??

[Briano1234]

Wow, so much good help! Thank you all! I'm really motivated now, to get out there and do it, and to do it right!
It's gonna be a fun topless summer!

*Edit: briano, can you explain what I'm looking at in that photo?? I just cannot figure out where that is! is that the four bolts for the knee bar??

The yellow circle is the brown wire that feeds into to the "a" pillar for the courtesy light ground.

[fredges]

Did it! Looks and works great!

Before:


After:


I love it!

[Briano1234]

looks good.

[fredges]

oops.. I think I lost my post... trying again....

Thanks Briano! I really like it. Amazing what a little light can do. It look s so much more modern and inviting at night!

I set it up to be minimally invasive, and non-destructive, so I can easily yank it out and be back to stock immediately, should I choose. I also wired it so I could add a little more to the circuit. I think I might wire some under the front seats, to illuminate the rear foot well, too! And I'll use the same 12v source for the "cassette cubby" and glove box, if I ever wire those up for light. Haven't decided on those yet.

CalAltaDubber, I LOVE Posh Bunny! Just the right amount of customization for me! Very nice! And yes the BBS RA's are my all-time favorite wheels on these cars. I had an '89 Fox with Enkei 92's and I just love the basket-mesh look!

Now if we could just get some decent weather here in Seattle!! I can't wait to wash and detail the hell out of her!

*OH! Gotta tell you about my fun time with the door pin switch... so I pulled the switch out, tied a piece of twine to the leads, pulled them back through the body, made me connections, and then used the twine to pull them back through the the hole again to reconnect to the pin switch! It was old-school, but it worked, and saved my creaky ol' arse from having to crawl around under the dash! Holy cow I am sore from getting around that fuse box! I took a photo of the fuse box while I was down there, just in case I need a reference later...:





Whoa! Sorry, those are huge...

See the brown wire with white stripe and grey wire next to it, just to the left and up a bit from the "17" on the relay? Taht's the wire I tapped into from the door switch. Thanks to you, I knew which one to chase!

[fredges]

Here, I made a gif...

[CalAltaDubber]

Excellent!!

I'm going to have to get a photo of the light I did in mine.

It will have to wait a couple of weeks though.

[CalAltaDubber]

oops.. I think I lost my post... trying again....


CalAltaDubber, I LOVE Posh Bunny! Just the right amount of customization for me! Very nice! And yes the BBS RA's are my all-time favorite wheels on these cars. I had an '89 Fox with Enkei 92's and I just love the basket-mesh look!

Thanks. always love the compliments.