1980 - 1985 Vanagon Headlight Relays

Headlight Relays - 1980-1985 Vanagon   

Are you having trouble seeing when you drive your Vanagon at night?  This simple kit is the most important step to getting the light you need on the road in front of you for safe night-time travel in your Van.

Adding this relay kit to your 1980-1985 Vanagon will allow the maximum voltage available to reach your headlamps.  This will ensure that you get the most lumen output possible from your current lighting system.

For even greater gains in output, these relays will allow you to safely run higher wattage bulbs (up to 80/100W) without the fear of melting your headlight switch.

OEM type double crimp connectors and insulators require no cutting of factory wiring.  Stock wiring colours used to avoid installation confusion.  Fabricated specifically for the 1980-1985 Vanagon using 100% new premium quality parts. Installation typically takes 45 minutes or less for the novice installer.

Kit includes two fully wired relay harnesses with complete instructions and all necessary mounting hardware.

2025 Update:

Due to lack of free time and family obligations I am not currently offering relay kits.  My friend Christopher at T3 Technique can hook you up with a set made to the same specs.  He also offers tons of other great upgrades to bring your van to the next level.

https://t3technique.com/collections/electrical/products/80-85-vanagon-headlight-relay-kit 

Want to upgrade your 80-85 Vanagon headlight circuit even more?  

It's fair to say that the 80-85 Vanagon wiring was mediocre when it left the factory.  In the 35-40 years since then, the wiring has undoubtedly picked up lots of oxidation and resistance that results in decreased voltage for all the electrical systems in your van and dimmer headlights.

To ensure you are getting the best possible power source for your headlights, run a new fused wire from the starting battery positive post to power the relays.  When I did this modification in my ’85 Westfalia, I gained an additional 0.5V at the headlight sockets, which doesn't sound like much, but actually results in noticeably brighter headlights.  As a side benefit, running a new wire to power the relays will remove at least 10A of power from the stock fuse block wiring.

 10AWG wire with a 25A inline fuse works really well for this project.  In a passenger van, this is a pretty simple upgrade, but the dual walled battery box in the Westfalia campers makes it a bit more complex.  The easiest way to accomplish the task in a camper is to push the new wire out through the rubber grommet where the battery cable passes through the bottom of the battery box, then run it forward underneath the van (properly protected with corrugated loom) and in through the large rubber grommet in front of the shifter.  If the grommet for the battery cable is too tight to allow you to push another wire through, you can drill a small hole and install a rubber grommet in the bottom of the battery box for the wire to pass through.