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Subject:Re: Retrofitting 5X7 H-4 Lights - Another Method (long)
From:Sam Bateman
Date:Tue, 2 Feb 1999 22:41:04 EST

Randy,

I owe you an apology - on two counts.
First, I miss-spelled your last name in my original post.
Sorry, I didn't realise it until I read your response which quoted my post.
I have a friend whose last name is Bergman and, apparently, I temporarily lost
control of my fingers and thought process when typing this.

Secondly, the statement about drilling and tapping the reflector housing.

You said:
<< The lights that are used in the kit are not drilled through the reflector,
that would be incredibly poor design.  To mount the 5x7 lights to the
brackets,
small holes are drilled into U-shaped positioning tabs that are spot welded
onto
the reflector.  These tabs are used for a reference to get the light to nest
correctly.  The hole is tapped, then a machine screw is used to hold the light
to
the bracket.>>

I miss-understood your original article on this that Joel posted to the List
some time ago.
I WONDERED at the time that I first read it if that was what you were saying
but after re-reading this article today it's obvious I didn't interpret that
part correctly.
I agree with your above statement - that WOULD be a poor design.

The other point that I was trying to make in my post was about the appearance
of 5 X 7 lights mounted in a Vanagon (whether by using your kit, this method,
or any other method).
There had been some questions raised on the List earlier about these lights
looking odd and non-original.
Well, when examined at very close range by a person familiar with the original
lights they are certainly different but at a distance of 10 feet or more, they
look quite natural next to the square, hi-beam lights.
I'm very pleased with the improvement in lighting that the 5 X 7, H-4's
provide and I would recommend this upgrade to anyone with a late-model
Vanagon.

Take Care,

Sam Bateman
Fork Union, VA
'87 Vanagon GL