Vacuum to electric headlight door conversion

[Bimmerboy]

I have a 71 MK3 and I'm considering a conversion kit.
Does anyone on the forum have any info about these kits
or what it takes to install?

Thanks
Bob V

 

[stovebolt1]

Howdy Bob;
I didn't convert mine to electric but I did replace my headlamp door motors with replacement vacuum units from a vendor called Vivid Racing. The units come from a company called ACP and are identical to the original door actuators but without the heavy spring that forces the door to open in the absence of vacuum. The actuators run about $360.

Link to actuators

The installation is fairly straight forward;
1) Remove the headlight bezel and then the headlights.
2) From the top disconnect the vacuum hose that opens the door, from underneath disconnect the vacuum hose that closes the door.
3) Disconnect the door actuator from the door pivot (this is tougher than it looks, open the door all the way, I used a brake tool with a hook to help grab the actuator arm).
4) Underneath the car, behind the headlamps, are 4 bolts that hold the actuator mounting plate to the sub-structure. Remove them and pull the actuator down and out.
5) With the actuator out of the vehicle remove the pivot bolt that holds the actuator to the mounting plate.
6) Reverse the steps to install a new actuator.

I went this route as there isn't a heckuva lot of space behind those headlamp doors and getting the electric door mechanism installed looked like it would be more work than I was willing to tackle. I'll be interested to see if others have taken the electric door route and what their experience was.

 

[Bimmerboy]

The doors operate ok, it's that they open after awhile and
at a National show embarrassing. With miles of vacuum
hose to check out I thought the conversion would be easier
and permanent. You know that another vacuum leak will
raise its head with 53 year old rubber hoses.

I searched my options and decided on Dickster's Smart Pants.
I liked the idea that they open and close slowly through a gearbox, insead of
slamming open and close without one.

I spoke to Dick, the owner of the company and he's waiting for a 71 MK3
to arrive soon so he can fabricate a kit that will fit.

In the meantime, I'll get my vacuum tester and try to solve the problem
of losing vacuum in the meantime. I'll post results with my findings.

Bob V

 

[stovebolt1]

Gotcha. Yes, that nasty spring that forces the doors open was needed, but annoying.

Dickster's look interesting. Are there any pictures of the actuators themselves? I wonder what makes them different from other units out there.

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[Bimmerboy]

Here's a video for a Corvette style "Catheadlights" system.

 

[Bimmerboy]

Last month I finally installed the Dickster's conversion kit.
Fairly straight forward install. One problem with the left assembly
when bolted to the bottom support the unit wouldn't open the
door fully. I called Dickster who was very helpful when I asked if
he could make a longer rod to increase the throw. He suggested that
there may have been some body work causing the difference from
the drivers side, which by the way didn't open completely but didn't
cover the top of the bulb. I told him I would get back to him if I couldn't
figure out a solution.

I decided that mounting the motor on top of the support to gain about a
half inch could be the answer. I changed the clip nuts to the top of the supports
so the nut was on the bottom of the support and with some wiggling managed
to get the motor thru the whole to mount on top of the support. It worked, I was
able to adjust the pass side to match the drivers side.

The wiring was easy enough but the instructions stated to attach the activation wire
to the dimmer switch so he doors would stay open for low and high beams. I probably
would hardly use the high beams so I connected the activation wire to the low beam circuit
on the pass side. I was not happy with the idea to run a wire from the left side of the engine
compartment all the way around thru the firewall and under the carpet to the dimmer switch.
I hid the wiring and relay deep behind the battery so it wouldn't be visible for judging.

Overall this system works great. I love the idea of a geared motor instead of the motors
that slam the doors when they open and close. I highly recommend this system to cure the
door problems when you can't find the vacuum leak that opens the doors during a show.
Very embarrassing. I hope this helps in anyone considering this solution.

Bob V

 

[billabongrob]

I just bought the ultra cheap version of this on Amazon. There's no installation instructions, but I'm going to give it a go.