Dave's 1971 1302 Not-So-Secret, Secret Project Build

[owdlvr]

Now, keeping in mind that this is still a work in progress, I have wires not yet trimmed or hooked up in this photo...but still I think if you've owned enough beetles, you just accept that there is no way the behind-the-dash wiring won't look like a rats nest :P Add a bazillion other wires and I think I'm going to have a very hard time making this look "neat". Even with zipties and/or wiring loom, I will definitely need to work out a wiring cover of some sort.


Got the headlight switch, emergency flasher switch and gas heater switch all in. Gas heater will need a few more connections, in the '69 I just ran my own wiring...for this car I'm going to want to figure out how the factory did it. I must have spent 45min going through boxes and baggies searching for the "good" dash switches with their perfect labels and diagrams. 45min, that was, until I remembered that those pieces are still installed on the '69, and it was sold!

I have discovered a few issues with the factory wiring. Each of the cars I've torn apart to build this one were all '71's. At some point in the last five years I must have dismantled a '72. Bits from that car must have been in my wiring box, because they've found their way into this car. The fuse box, for instance, is a '72. Took me forever to realize this, and thus instantly solve why one circuit had no "feed" power. A '71 box bridges the first three terminals, in '72 they bridge just the first two. Doh. Wiring, it would seem, is also a mix of '71 and '72...which is bound to create a headache down the road. Especially since I've hooked up everything as though it were '71, until I discovered a few things were '72 and "wouldn't work". They are small changes, like wires that join together at the fuse box instead of a junction in the harness...but just different enough to drive me bat-****-crazy when I have an issue down the road!

Does anyone know what the Brown/Blue wire coming out of the steering column is for? It's on neither the '71 or '72 wiring diagram, and I can't for the life of me figure out what it might be for.

The last issue is one I mentioned the other night. With the 914 Tach and an aftermarket speedo, I've lost my factory warning lights. I wanted them somewhere visible, preferably not behind the steering wheel. I got the bright idea to get bright LED's and tuck them in with the brake-light warning switch. If done right it would be kind of factory-esque, with all the warning lights in the same spot. Initially I was going to remove the brake-light warning lamp all together (pretty sure I can tell when I have lost half my brakes!!) but didn't end up removing it for some reason. I drilled out the car and popped two high-intensity LED's into the panel. Tough to take a photo of them and show the intensity, but here is the location:



Now, I did this entire install from the passenger side of the car. Silly me, I never thought to check if they'd be visible from the Driver's seat. :P I will have to wait until I have a seat in the car again, maybe I get lucky, but I somehow doubt it. Pretty sure the lower LED is blocked by the fan switch!

To finish the dash wiring I need my wiper install kit (grommets, etc) and a windshield squirter. I'm off coaching for the weekend, so likely won't update the thread until Monday night.

-Dave