79D50

I ran into the same problem with my 2.6 build. RoadRace is correct in his statements. There will not be a noticeable difference in performance removing .050" + of material to match up the gaskets and port openings. In your particular case I would be wary of removing too much material on the outer runner. You could develope weak spots and leaks over time. I would also however be wary of the gasket being misaligned to the degree thats shown in your pic. Yes, you can apply a very liberal, thin coat of RTV to compenstae but that looks to be a bit extreme. During my build I was fortunate to discover the misalignment at my machinist while I was port matching the header and intake. We took more material out of the head and the intake to compensate and only ended up .10" off. I had to modify my gasket a little bit but nothing a steady hand and a very sharp exacto knife cannot solve. Looking at your pic of the intake it seems that the quality of the casting mold might have been crap. It there a variance on the other side as well? It just doesn't look right. Nice setup though man!!

My 2001 Audi had 4300K HID. Osram made the bulbs. My 2004 Lexus and 2005 Audi both have 6000K hid. Phillips makes those bulbs. They are the two authorities when it comes to manufacturing top quality xenon bulbs. Most of your newer 2003 + German Luxury as well as Asian Luxury cars have 6000K. 4300K is natural sunlight and 6000K is more of a glaring white. Lumens is your only consideration when shopping bulbs and kits and also how the light is projected. Yes, lumens are decreased when you climb the spectrum scale. I've spent countless hours on this subject in other forums. The higher you go in Kelvin (color) the lower your lumen output is. The research and studies have been done and thats why the highly educated engineers at those car companies use the 6k bulbs. The enclosures are just as important as the bulbs. With projectors they are able to concentrate and focus the light. I had the option of going with an 8K hid but at 35 watts your output would suck. They would essentially be bluish white halogens. Even at 6k the lumen output is not ideal. This is again why car companies are using ballasts rated at 55-60W. My electrical can't handle it. I will still have much better light than OEM at 35 watts with 6K bulbs which by the way will be tossed out on delivery as I have already ordered my new Phillips bulbs. Pro Lighting doesnt even offer the 4300K. If the kit doesnt live up to my expectations, then I will send it back and move on. Pro Lighting is happy to take returns. You really gonna try to bash on the thread. You prolly the guy who has something bad to say about everything right?

I've been researching KITS and talking with companies....a sentence from initial post. The last thing I would install is a cheesy cheap hid KIT.

I talked to these guys for a good 20 minutes and one of my questions was fitment. I knew going in that it was a 50/50 on whether I needed to modify my buckets. Were only talking 1/16 - 1/8" more in diameter and this is easily solved with a dremel tool. Install your 60 grit sanding wheel and set the tool to around 2500RPM and go for it. If you do it right it will appear OEM and all your doing is increasing the diameter. If you want to go back to OEM you can with no problems. The back of the new housings will be a bit deeper than the OEM housings so anything behind the lights i.e. relays, battery etc might have to be moved. Eveyones engine bay is configured differently and on my 620 I know that I have to move my battery towards the firewall about 1.5 + inches. Luckily, I have enough room on the tray to do this. The fitment from the front side is OEM all the way using the stock headlight bezels and screws etc. 5 3/4 is 5 3/4 no matter how you slice it right? I will do a write up showing the step by step of the install with PICS. BTW - Looked into the ellipsoids and everything I found at the $120 mark for a set was pitted and cloudy. Brand new they are outrageous. Even though I really dig the look, I decided for HID and quite frankly will be getting more lumens that can be achieved with Halogen.

These guys sell quite a few HID and standard H4 kits on Ebay. They have a brick and mortar storefront in CA. I wanted more info so I called and talked to a sales guy. They are really knowledgeable about lighting systems, wiring, wattage capacity etc. They want to make sure that you buy the right kit so they work properly and do not fry your electrical system. I ended up purchasing a low beam 35W HID kit with ballasts and 6K bulbs specifically designed for folks running 5 3/4 inch sealed beams. This kit does not flood and splash light all over the place annoying drivers etc. The cut of the housing is designed to focus light on to the street (unlike cheaper kits). The wiring is plug and play. Your existing connectors plug into the ballasts and the ballasts plug directly into the bulbs. Everything is included. I paid a bit over $140 and it was the best quality kit I could find. The high/low beam kit is right at $200. If you are toying with the thought of going this route, I recommend these guys. I will post some pics of the kit when it arrives...should be today.

I finally got my new TS Switch yesterday. The brake lights working (as stated in the post above) was short lived. All my running lights, hazards, TS and brake lights work great thanks to the new switch. I also found the other problem. The title mentions surge in alternator. I noticed that the electrics were working better i.e. lights were brighter and WW were faster etc. This ended up being a faulty VR which ultimately killed my alternator and drained my battery. I almost had to get towed Saturday afternoon. I replaced the alternator with a 1978 200 SX IR and jumped the VR plug as directed by Hainz. The alt works great but the install leaves very little adjustment room becuase the casing is bigger than OEM and hits the idler arm. I tried a 78 200 SX belt and the stock belt and neither one worked. One was too large and the other too small. I ended up using my slightly stretched belt that was already on there and it works great. I will end up taking a measurement of the belt and try to find a part number to replace it with. After the new battery was installed it fired up and ran perfectly with a full 15 volts charging the battery. Everything works great. I now have 50 amps at my disposal which is more than enough. Finally the electric problem is solved. :D

BUMP... No one has a spare TS assembly? I got cash burning a hole in my pocket.

Some folks have some good points and advice and others sound contradictory and combative. Restoration shops will tell you, "Rust by no means should be covered up. It should be eliminated." This is the proper way to do things in the restoration circle. Products that cover up rust and prevent further oxidation have its uses but is not ideal (opinion only). What this means is that everyones "rust situation" is different and depending on your level of expertise and willingness to spend money makes the decision for you. I grew up on the saltwater and my boat trailer was starting to suffer. I wire wheeled the steel and removed all the surface rust. I then used a fiberglass paint (google it) and never had to touch it again. It turned out great and was very presentable. Yes, I could have spent thousands and had a place grind to bare metal, treat, and paint the trailer but instead I used my method and the results have been the same if not better for the last 10 years. Fiberglass paint has fiberglass infused which bonds together when it dries basically creating an airtight rock solid seal. To each his own!!

Hey People. This is a shout out to all Washington Residents. I am in dire need of a turn signal switch assembly in good working order for my 620. The plugs between the years 73 and 76 are all 6 pin square connectors and 77-79 are a 8 pin connector with an entirely different wiring harness. If you have a 73-76 turn signal switch assembly please call 206.617.0649 or PM me. Thanks!

The Gods have answered my prayers. I go out to fire up the truck this morning to warm it up and as I am backing out of the garage - low and behold - the damn brake lights work. The turn signal work, the hazards work and now the brake lights come on strong. It has to be the turn signal switch. I was fiddling with it again last night testing leads etc. This will be confirmed over the weekend at DATDOUG's I have to say thanks to all those who helped troubleshoot. It was a great education and I learned more about the truck so that is a good thing. My next step after this fix is to yank off the entire dash assembly and clean up the connectors, re-route the wires, and add grounds where grounds are needed. I have a brand new dash to stick in the truck anyways. Plus, I can add some body seam caulk to the backside of the firewall as they may be a small leak there. Any other things I should look for while the dash is out?

I tore apart my entire wiring harness between the brake switch and the turn signal switch. There are no breaks in the wires and all of the connectors (spades, round male/female, and square block connectors) are all in good shape. There was no corrosion or otherwise. I tested everything with the tester light. All of the electrical aside from the brakes works flawlessly. It HAS to be that turn signal switch. I swapped hazard switches with the same results. The brake lights (before they died permanently) did work intermittently which would suggest a broken or loose connection in the switch. DATDOUG says he has one and I am picking it up this weekend to test. If it is not the turn signal switch then I think I am going to have a bonfire with the truck as the guest of honor....lol... :P

That makes a lot of sense. This is a good electrical education for me even though this will be my third night digging into the truck....I will trace the one wire. This time I will take pictures of what I do. On the switch itself (I tested this last night) there were only 2 wires that were getting power off the test light out of the 4 soldered on the board. They were for the signals (L&R). I will grab some pics tonight of progress. I think we are getting closer. :D

Great....I just wasted 5 minutes. Anybody got five minutes laying around I could borrow? I need all the time I can get.

Let me ask you this. If the brake switch power is good and is feeding to the turn signal switch to allow that to operate, could the turn signal switch still be bad? With the lever centered the power turns the corner back through the switch and to the rear correct? I checked this contact point at the switch and it looked ok. Getting my hands on a turn signal switch is good operating condition has shown to be tougher than it seems. Ebay has one but the plug looks different than mine.

Forgot to add this in: As far as graduate school, we have some very good universities. For Business and Financial you will want to check out the University of Washington and Seattle Pacific Univeristy. UW is also good for engineering disciplines. PLU and UPS are south of Seattle with good programs as well. I went to SPU and the education there is real world and extremely demanding. You can get all the info you need on this topic form the WEB. Just google Washington Universities. BTW - If you do move here, welcome to the PAC 10.

If you are trying to enter the job market you need to ask yourself a few questions before packing up the family, uprooting your son, and incurring the expense of travel. 1. What is your job field? I assume white collar with a four year college degree? Seattle is an IT centric city with emphasis in the financial world. There are also quite a few engineering firms i.e. electrical, aeronatics, mechanical etc. 2. What will your GF do? What is her target market? 3. Will you rent or purchase a home? This is a big decision as the east side as opposed to the west (split by Lake Washington) is hundreds of dollars in difference (rent and mortgage). South of Seattle is also relatively inexpensive but then you incur commuting costs of which there are alternatives. We have Metro Buses, Light Rail, and Metro Carpooling options. Nine times out of ten these costs are picked up by the company you are employed with (my experience). Seattle and the surrounding area is a rather expensive place to live as opposed to Georgia and other cities across the US. Jobs will likely pay more to compensate but don't come to Seattle with $100 in your pocket. Jobs are competitive in the corporate zoo here in Seattle and you should plan on having 6-9 months of reserve (whatever it takes to live every month) built up. The school districts in Seattle are average to above average with the three best districts being in Bellevue, Mercer Island, and Issaquah. Google Map the region. There are also a few highly rated private schools in the area. On a lighter note, the NW is a huge rainforest. It is very lush and green and it's this way becuase of the rainfall. We have beautiful summers and crisp falltimes. There are mountains, endless amounts of Lakes and of course the Puget Sound which is the largest inland waterway in the world. We also have the second largest ferry system in the world. There are a lot of outdoor activities and places to visit. I've lived here 20 years and haven't done 1/2 of it. If you want to be on the dryer side of the state you can cross the mountains into eastern Washington where the summers are scorchers and the landscape is more desert like. I would consider your move a financial one and make an educated decision on that basis. Seattle is beautiful and a wonderful place to have a family and career. Oregon is similar but since I have not lived there I cannot say either way. Good luck!!

The brake switch is fine. Tested it with a light. One side is hot and when then button is released, both sides are hot. The plug under the seat only lights up with the teste with the flashers and the turn signals. With just the brakes depressed, there is no power to that plug....I even jumpered the switch thinking the brake switch was no good...Same result...I'm about ready to light this truck on fire or drive it off a cliff - kidding!! I think this is my problem... 2/ Disconnect the 10 pin connector under the pass side seat and check for power on both the LightGreen/Red and the LightGreen/Black wires going back to the dash when brake is applied. No power: I do not have power to this connector with JUST the brakes depressed. The the turn signal lever has to disconnect the brake light on the side selected, in order for the turn signal to flash the shared bulb. When the lever returns to off the brake light is connected back up. Something is wrong here. The turn signals and hazards work great...I checked the switch for corrosion (none) and sanded all the contact points. Perhaps this switch is just bunk although it feeds power to the brake switch at the peddle...Maybe between the peddle and the connector under the seat has a bad connetion although I've checked and rechecked all wiring...still no power.. Sorry if your slapping your forehead but I am the first to admit I am not good at auto electrical. I can build anything mechanical but electric is not my fortay.

BUMP....

I am at a total loss. I tested the alternator, battery, relays, switches etc. I cleaned all the contacts and grounds in the turn signal switch. I tried 3 different hazard signals and all woked the same. I cleaned the fuse box and added all new fuses. I found out though that I am getting power to the connector under the passenger seat for hazards and turn signals but no power is coming through for the brakes. The test light would only light up for hazards and signals. But Datsunholic stated that it doesnt matter. They are on the same circuit. If I have power to the hazards then I should have brake lights. I checked all the wiring and grounds under the dash and followed the harness and found nothing. Could it still be a bad turn signal switch? Anyone have a spare turn signal switch in good condition they want to sell me? I have free beer and pizza for any locals who really know electric to come eyball this thing to see if I missed anything.

Forgot to add that my electric choke quit working and my horn never has worked. Possible relay issue? I don't even know where the horn relay is...

I did evertything you recommended and the results suggest that I do have brake power to the bulbs. I don't know what else to try. I checked the horn fuse as I was reading in other threads and that was fine as well.

Double checked everything...I am still screwed. :blink:

Thanks Mike. I will check all the following and report my findings. I forgot about the switch under the seat.

turn signals and hazards work flawlessly. Could this be my voltage regulator perhaps? Is this located on the driver side fender (there are 2 there)? Truck is a 76 620 with an L18.