75subie Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 today, i finished mounting the third eye in my gen 1 (thanks to Rexspeedworthy for the idea) it went in very easilly after i took the sawsall and trimmed the bottom of it a bit, along with taking the electric motor off. after cutting out the center rad support, it slid right in, then i drilled a hole in the center top of the third eye frame, and utilized the stock hole/bolt located in the center of the top rad support. that worked perfectly and centered it well. then to hold the bottom stable, i used 2 zip ties which were tucked away. this should be ultra low maintanence too, because instead of the electric motor, i am using a cluch cable, with a nice chrome handle:D its a piece of cake to operate. i am still a little gun-shy about cutting up my grill, but i am going to do it in the next couple days, i will post pics too. what do you guys think??? Pics: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 I think we need a few more pics to decide. Looks great! Now go cut your grill.I've got a back up for you if you screw it up.:-p There was a really nice grill on eBay just a month or so ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted April 4, 2006 Author Share Posted April 4, 2006 thanks Paul! yeah, i think the grill should come out pretty good, the third eye door is almost the same as the stock emblem:D not sure what i`m going to cut it with yet, i lost my dremel:mad: maybe a hacksaw blade will work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twowagons Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hey Jon, maybe you should reconsider the hacksaw, they don't call it "hack" for nothing. Go with a dremel !!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 i hope i can find that dremel, i would rather use that, but i have gotten pretty good with a hacksaw blade:brow: what i REALLY need to find is a straight valance panel:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 i hope i can find that dremel, i would rather use that, but i have gotten pretty good with a hacksaw blade:brow: what i REALLY need to find is a straight valance panel:D Yes,go Dremel on slow speed and find two straight valances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fishums Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 I can't wait to see that thing chopped and dropped jon :cool: Rear Wheel drive is going to make that one sweet minitruck! Figure out what color you are going to paint it yet? Fishums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 not really sure what color yet, but i am open to suggestions:brow: just not something too flashy:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fishums Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 I know that no one is going to like this suggestion. Because before I saw it on my bug I never really liked it myself. But perhaps gold? :cool: You have a tan base already so it wouldn't be a very hard change. Plus if the paint ever got scratched it wouldn't look to bad. Then that fact that who has ever seen a slammed gold brat before? :cool: Fishums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REXSPEEDWORTHY Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Looks good, you have it set lower than me, which is probably better, cause I had to hack off part of the hood latch on mine for interference purposes. Now when I close the hood, I have to align the little thing you lift up on. oh well. GOTTA dremel the grill, too tedius for hacksawing. At least heat up a coat hanger super hot, and melt your way through the tight spots. Then sand/file er down nice and smooth. +1 for zip ties on the bottom:headbang: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zefy Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 this is sweet...now i want to do the 3rd eye conversion on my brat! but tell me... besides it just being really cool, does it actually produce a good amount of light? the stock headlights really do lack IMO... (looking into getting BMW aftermarket headlights! my eventual dream is to fit HID lights... but ya...) and with the 3rd eye you can change the bulb and get something more high power... (ie. H4 bulbs...?) and last... just to make sure i have this right, the 3rd eye came on 80 and 81 cars right? (just to make sure i look in the right places) thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 does it actually produce a good amount of light? - Yes, on a stock EA71, you will notice the difference and with the 3rd eye you can change the bulb and get something more high power... (ie. H4 bulbs...?)- Yes, H3 I think the 3rd eye came on 80 and 81 cars right? - Yes, 82 was the last year they were produced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 Zefy, this thing is real bright, i lit it up w/o the headlights and it is actually brighter than both high beams combined:D Chris, gold actually sounds pretty nice, especially with black lettering:brow: Rex, i did mount it a little lower, only had to cut off the little tiny tip of the secondary hood latch, then it worked like a charm. the adjustment screw on the bottom of the light lined right up with the factory hole in the valance panel, so it still can be adjusted. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 here are some more (almost finished) pics. after a ton of trimming and fitting, i have come to the conclusion this may never be a smooth operation without maybe putting spacers in so the grill is pulled out a little. it looks good anyway, and it does work:banana: i hope to finish this up soon:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 There's also a tool called a heatknife. Awsome for poly-fabrics,etc. and I'm pretty sure it'd cut the plastic with minimal "clotting". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 already cut it with a hacksaw:lol: it looks pretty damn good, but it is a real tight fit check out the new pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REXSPEEDWORTHY Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 already cut it with a hacksaw:lol: it looks pretty damn good, but it is a real tight fit check out the new pics Very nice, looks cleaner than mine, but I still need to snad up and repaint the "dirty" areas. Your grill is a little different than mine too. I love the looks I get when driving around in the day. My kids play with the switches while I'm driving. Lots of pointing:grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Kudos to you all! This is One of my favorite mods and accs from the 80's, right up there with Brat T-Tops and jumpseats. I await the day I get my vanagon running so I can invest some time into putting the 81 Vanagon cyclops retrofit into it (the 84 has A/C and alot more hurdles to jump over than the 81 did). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fishums Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Nice handy work jon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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