75 Malibu family car budget build

Discussion in 'Station Wagon Projects' started by burners, Aug 23, 2011.

  1. burners

    burners Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, man. I really like your wagon. The blacked out pillars (I'm planning something similar) and window tint, the stance and the bold color make for a great package.
     
  2. MikeT1961

    MikeT1961 Well-Known Member

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    I'd have saved the tire, put it on a rim, and had a proper full sized spare to go with the others on the car! That's what I do with a single tire.
     
  3. the Rev

    the Rev senior junior Charter Member

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    nice lookin toy there Burner;)

    sounds like your having fun with her:cheers:
     
  4. burners

    burners Well-Known Member

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    So I haven't been here in a while but I've been putting the miles on the wagon. I had mentioned a while ago that the odometer had flipped over (again). Well it's at nearly 20,000 already. A few long trips and weekend family miles are adding up. I've been fixing, repairing, re-fixing and upgrading things but my progress isn't what I'd hoped. I have plenty more to do and I need to update this thread more often.

    My latest project was to instal a new windshield wiper switch. You can actually get new ones for this car now from the restoration catalogs. The old switch died over 25 years ago and my Dad kinda hacked up the system and circuits to make it work with a toggle switch. So I had to figure out the wiring again, install a wiper motor relay that Dad had removed and wire a standard switch into a pulse/delay designed system. It was a little bit of a project but the wiper arms now stow! They haven't done that since about 1983. I'm actually pretty stoked about this accomplishment.

    My next project is to upgrade the headlights. One of the lamps isn't working so well thus needing replacement. I really wanted to make a custom light pod with three, small projector lamps in each bucket but I couldn't find anything that would work. Next I found some really cool LED lamps from Speaker and Truck-Lite but they were just way to expensive at $1000 for Speakers and $500 for Truck-Lites. So the next best thing was a HID system that I could get for under $300. Here is what I got.

    [​IMG]

    Deltatech 7" direct replacement HID lamps. They take a little bit of dedicated wiring for the power but that's it. I'm planning to install them this week since it's a small enough project to complete before the weekend.

    I'll update some more soon and I've got some big, tricky parts on their way soon but I won't spill the beans on those until they arrive. It's gonna be fun.
     
  5. burners

    burners Well-Known Member

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    I got the headlight installed. It wasn't too difficult but there were some small issues. I had to shim the retention rings with some foam rubber because the headlamp rim isn't as thick as the originals so it rattle around after everything was tight. Everything was completely plug and play. Oh yeah, I had to disassemble the dimmer switch because it was/has been acting stupid and it pretty much quit working once the lights were installed. I just cleaned the contacts and reassembled so that it fit better than original and everything is great now. These lights have two settings...bright and friggin bright!

    This is half of what came in the kit. The harness on the left connects to the battery, one headlight plug and the supplied ballasts.
    [​IMG]

    Connected straight to the battery
    [​IMG]


    There is a ballast for each lamp and connections to the main harness
    [​IMG]

    Just three connectors to each lamp.
    [​IMG]

    The new lamp installed. The color is a very nice, bright white. Not the silly blue of some halogen style bulbs.
    [​IMG]
     
  6. MikeT1961

    MikeT1961 Well-Known Member

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    Those headlamps look very interesting indeed! Up until now, I've always upgraded to the Hella Vision Plus with the ultra white PIIA H-3 bulbs. Trouble is they are not available in the 5 1/4 inch size needed for the 4 lamp system on Bertha. I'll have to check and see if those HIDs of your are. What is the light pattern like? Is it nice and sharp, with the European type of cut off, or more like the typical North American mess with spill everywhere?
     
  7. burners

    burners Well-Known Member

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    The pattern isn't as clean as I would like but I think some of it is due to the chrome bezel surrounding the lamp. It spreads fairly wide on low beam but on high it is pretty focused in the center. I'm really happy with the light color and brightness.
     
  8. MikeT1961

    MikeT1961 Well-Known Member

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    Hopefully, then, they make a kit for the 5 1/4 inch lights. One other question, though; are the lenses glass or polycarbonate?
     
  9. burners

    burners Well-Known Member

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    The lenses are glass. I don't see a 5 1/4" light on their site. That is an odd size.
     
  10. MikeT1961

    MikeT1961 Well-Known Member

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    The 5 inch standard for the 4 head lamp system is what I need for Bertha. It seems that good lights for the 4 lamp systems are difficult to get!
     
  11. kyle1979

    kyle1979 Member

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    Hey burners, any progress on your wagon? I'd love to see some updated pictures and see what else you have done! I'm using much of your work as a model for what I'm planning on doing with my 73!
     
  12. kyle1979

    kyle1979 Member

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    Man I'd love to see some updates to this cool budget project!
     
  13. burners

    burners Well-Known Member

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    I'm not dead, yet! Sorry for falling off the map. I've been very busy with a lot of different things (including the wagon) and haven't had a lot of time to update everyone. Progress is still being made and it's definitely a better car than it was a few years ago.

    The big news is that I have installed a Weiand supercharger and Holley EFI on it and wrote an article about it. It's been published in Street Tech magazine which is a new publication that is 100% tech articles, no fluff. www.streettechmag.com they also have a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/streettechmag?fref=nf

    Here's the article itself http://streettechmag.com/2015/06/08/power-wagon-installing-a-weiand-supercharger/
    [​IMG]

    I'll fill everyone in on more that has been going on in a little bit so stay tuned.

    kyle1979, I wasn't ignoring you, I promise. I don't think I was getting any email updates for this thread.
     
  14. burners

    burners Well-Known Member

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    I just added some Philips LED tail light bulbs and discovered an interesting thing. Since I needed four bulbs total but only got two of the type I needed I just put the LEDs on the outside of the lens. It caused a sequential effect that I wasn't expecting but is pretty cool.
    Check out the video.
    https://youtu.be/Oda3xsi5UZE
    [youtube]https://youtu.be/Oda3xsi5UZE[/youtube]
     

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