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| Jimb1978 Member Since: 05 Sep 2012 Location: Huddersfield Posts: 808   
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There are many topics relating to this, each doing it in a slightly different way, mostly due to naf switches supplied with the kit, resulting in people wanting a look good enough to pass off as original equipment.
Having pm'ed paulmc after reading a couple of people who used him for parts and knowledge I decided to buy the kit and take my chances and solve any problems regarding switches with the kit in front of me. The basic options are; 1. Use the switches with the kit and drill holes in the dash, and run new wires around the car 2. Buy land rover heated seat switches for the dash and use these to supply power to the switches supplied with the kit which you can then locate somewhere discrete. You may then be able to use existing wiring within the loom, depending whether your car is fitted with the cold climate loom. Option 2 seems fraught with complications and it is difficult to find definitive answers on the web. It is impossible to avoid some drilling and adding of wires so I chose option 1. I bought the waeco msh 200 kit from eBay as it had carbon elements and what looked like quality switches. Here is how I installed the kit..... Firstly, stripping the seat covers. There is an excellent write up here so it seems silly doing it twice. This gave me the confidence I needed. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=34214 The heating elements can be cut down to size due to their carbon construction.  Click image to enlarge You then need to insulate the cut with the strips supplied. I used one strip per cut and folded it over allowing around 10mm of tape protruding past the edge of the element so the tape could stick to itself. Click image to enlarge Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated  |
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6th Jan 2013 6:29pm |
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| Jimb1978 Member Since: 05 Sep 2012 Location: Huddersfield Posts: 808
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Now the bit that puts most people off fitting a retro kit - the switches!
The ones supplied with the kit are really good quality, but are slightly wider than the aperture in the dash so need packing out to sit flush with the surface of the dash fascia. You will need a 25mm paddle drill, coping saw and junior hack saw to complete this. Also, a vice is a must. Firstly mark the centre of the dash blanking piece as accurately as possible. Unfortunately the 25mm drill bit will move down slightly due the the differing thickness of the plastic but this is minimal and seems to happen uniformly on each blanking piece so they do end up looking the same. Put it in the vice and on a slow speed drill through as much as you dare. It is impossible to drill all the way through so don't try it! Note the face of the blanking piece is still attached to the wiring shroud (clamped in the vice). Your drill bit will rip the blanking piece off the backing a few times but it shouldn't matter as you don't need all of the backing piece anyway. Click image to enlarge Now take your coping saw and cut out the marked circle. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated |
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6th Jan 2013 7:20pm |
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| Jimb1978 Member Since: 05 Sep 2012 Location: Huddersfield Posts: 808
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Next, use the hack saw to cut down the sides of the other part of the blanking plug. You should cut down to within about 5 mm of the little catches, or in other words, the depth of the switch from the front of the grey blanking piece face. I use the hack saw in this instance due to its accuracy and the fact it is easier to get the cut started.
Click image to enlarge Cut the middle section out using the coping saw Here you can see the assembled parts compared to an unmolested blanking plug Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge You can also see how using the original pieces shrouds the new wiring nicely. Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated |
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6th Jan 2013 7:28pm |
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| Jimb1978 Member Since: 05 Sep 2012 Location: Huddersfield Posts: 808
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This next bit is the only damage sustained by the dash fascia but it does not affect its usability. An un modified blanking plug will still click into place and none of the damage can be seen.
With a large half round file, just file out the sides so the switch pushes in tightly. You will have to file an extra groove on one side for he anti spin lug on the switch. Click image to enlarge The back of the dash is filed very thinly but flexes out the way of the file so does not get filed through and luckily, this springiness seems to hold the switch in very tightly. Also, the clips on the blanking plug still seem to work so it is held in very firmly. From the back:- Click image to enlarge And fitted into the dash:- Click image to enlarge Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated |
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6th Jan 2013 7:43pm |
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| SGH Member Since: 27 Sep 2010 Location: Hellingly-Sussex Posts: 1527 
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Great post
I sell these kits and often get asked about positioning switches in a Defender I now have a top tip 
Simon |
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6th Jan 2013 7:58pm |
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| Jimb1978 Member Since: 05 Sep 2012 Location: Huddersfield Posts: 808
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The wiring.
I needed:- Heat shrink of varying sizes Solder and iron Heat gun or possibly a hair dryer to shrink the heat shrink. 6.3 mm push on terminals, male and female 6.3 mm insulating boots 2x28/0.30mm twin cable (2x2.0mm2) to extend the wires supplied in the kit That corrugated electrical shroud/trunking stuff. The kit came with a complete wiring loom including in line fuses and relay. I placed the relay behind the centre dash and ran the wires from there to the battery box. Firstly, the relay location. You do need to strip the dashboard down a bit! Click image to enlarge You can see the two cables which run to the switches and the earthing cable is in there somewhere, along with the 5 amp switched live. I connected the earth to the steering column bracket as there were two connected there already and piggy backed off the white and orange cable on the back of the ignition switch for the switched live. Click image to enlarge I created these two female plugs with the 6.3 mm spades and shrouds, crimped and soldered together, with a male plug on the other end. The male went to the end of the white and orange cable, leaving the other end to reconnect to the ignition and a spare to connect the switched live for the waeco relay. No cutting of existing wiring required. Click image to enlarge Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated |
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6th Jan 2013 8:06pm |
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| mk1collector Member Since: 17 Sep 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 6769 
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I'll be using this guide later in the year. Just trying to get the sound deadening done first.
Ray |
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6th Jan 2013 8:24pm |
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| Jimb1978 Member Since: 05 Sep 2012 Location: Huddersfield Posts: 808
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The only thing to do now is run your three wires back to the battery box. I chose to route externally as my seat box is uncovered so wires would be seen. However, there is no reason why you could not send these three wires down the front bulkhead, behind the fuse board cover, across the gearbox tunnel under the carpet and in turn under the covering on your seat box. As I have said, if your seat box has no cover, I suggest routing externally, but you will need to extend all the wires by a couple of metres or so.
There are some handy grommets above the clutch fluid reservoir which you can snip the ends off and fish for your cables with a wire or in my case a thick cable tie. Insulating tape is good enough to attach your wires to the cable tie or wire and should withstand the force of pulling the wires through. Put one twin core cable through one grommet and the other twin and the 20 amp power supply cable through the other. Click image to enlarge Then solder on your extensions, heat shrink them and cover with the protective shroud. Click image to enlarge Now route this across the back of the engine and back to the seat box, attaching with cable ties where appropriate. I brought all wires into the seat box but there is no reason why the drivers seat wire couldn't be fed across the underneath of the seat box and into the ecu storage area directly. There are already wires running across the back of the seat box anyway. Click image to enlarge Now you can connect the 20amp power supply for the relay directly to your battery. Don't forget to resolder the in line fuse holder back onto the wire. You will have had to cut it off to route the cable. I chose to connect to my second battery through a fuse board which I had already installed when I added extra 12v sockets for camping. Click image to enlarge You can see the yellow 20 amp fuse at the bottom of the board. Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated Last edited by Jimb1978 on 6th Jan 2013 9:05pm. Edited 3 times in total |
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6th Jan 2013 8:25pm |
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| Jimb1978 Member Since: 05 Sep 2012 Location: Huddersfield Posts: 808
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Finally, running the wires to the seats. The passenger side is easy. There are some large grommets on top of the seat box. Simply cut a slot in one and feed the cable through.
Resolder the connector on to the wire and you are finished. Click image to enlarge This is the drivers side. You can see the grommet and the white connector, blurred in the centre of the picture. This wire has been pushed through the grommet in the battery box, run under the seat box, through the grommet in the drivers side ecu compartment and out through the grommet by the seat base. Finally..... The finished dash... Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge The verdict. I can honestly say this is the best mod I have done. Thanks to the carbon elements, the seats are warm in around one minute (this is not an exaggeration). They also get very hot. You do not need the high setting for very long. They have a low, medium and high setting. I am also very happy with how the switches look in the dash. The only niggle is that they are permanently illuminated white. The green light comes on when you turn on the seat. I hope people find this useful and those who were undecided about the mod....as I was....have been given the answers to any areas of concern. James Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated |
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6th Jan 2013 8:39pm |
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| Jimb1978 Member Since: 05 Sep 2012 Location: Huddersfield Posts: 808
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Ps.
Timescale. This could be done in a day but realistically set aside two. I fitted the elements to the seat bases inside the house in the evening, managed 90 percent of the wiring the next day as I was a little rusty and had to solder and heat shrink a few joints twice. I also spent a good deal of time considering where to connect the wiring in order to cause minimal damage to the car (you will notice no drilling of the car is required and no existing wires have to be cut). The next morning I spent a couple of hours fitting the elements into the seat backs. |
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6th Jan 2013 8:46pm |
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| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
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Superb write up
The permanent white light is a pain though... How many terminal on the backs of the switches? If three then one should be the switch illumination and an be adapted to come on with the side lights. Just a thought |
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6th Jan 2013 9:46pm |
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| Jimb1978 Member Since: 05 Sep 2012 Location: Huddersfield Posts: 808
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Yes, there are three. Now that is a thought...
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6th Jan 2013 9:56pm |
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