Headlights..

[76corvette]

My headlights are kinda droopin, I know how to raise them but there are chips on the area around the headlight (but not on the headlights themselves)... Im sure this has happened before... is there any way to fix the chips?

:gap

 

[L82Dan]

I am sure that there is an adjustment to raise the headlight panel up to fix that problem. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact answer. But from studying mine in the past, the headlight assemblies seem to ride on a suspension system with springs that control the opening of them, so as to not roll up to far. It's probably a matter of adjusting the tension on the correct springs to adjust for your problem. I am sure that someone else with better knowledge will have the correct answer. Those chips are nasty looking. Sorry that I don't have the exact answer.

 

[76corvette]

There are screws that you can turn clockwise or counterclockwise to raise and lower them... just pick up a haynes manual and it says how to do it in there... I was just wondering if there was really any way to fix the chips without having to do anything really major or expensive! thanx for replying

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Re-Align and Re-Paint.

That is the only way I know of to fix those particular chips.

When we had my 78 repainted, the new paint was so "thick" that it chipped off a small area behind one headlight and also on the sides of the hood, where there are rivets near the wiper tray. The shop had to repaint and sand the sides of the hood to remove the excess thickness to prevent future chips to the hood from those rivets.

It appears from your post that the headlight door is misaligned and causing the many chips circled in your photo.
Heidi

I don't think there is any nice-looking way to repair chips. Filling in and coloring over will always look bad upon close scrutiny.
To really look good will require a repaint.

What could a shop could do with sanding and painting to match the color already on the vette? If they can fix problem spots from a fender-bender/fiberglass breaker, they should be able to do the area around those headlights.
Still need to be sure the headlight housing is aligned properly to prevent it striking and chipping again...
h

 

[81NMVETTE]

Go to the Knowledgebase I was just there this am and I saw a ton of great info on how to repair just the type of problem that you have.
Earl

 

[81NMVETTE]

Go to the home page and check " The News " you will see the link there for the info that you need

 

[Doc Rebuild]

Sir,

It looks to me like the steel header bar has separated from the underside of the top surround fiberglass panel. This is common on many C3 models. On 73-82 this steel v-shaped channel supports the entire head lamp housings and mechanisms. It is glued to the fiberglass using a special super bonder that will glue steel to fiberglass. The tell tale evidence of this problem is the whole head lamp door drops below the level of the top surround. Open the hood, take a small mirror and look forward. If there is a gap between the steel channel and the fiberglass you will have the proof. Not that expensive for YOU to fix, but a professional shop will have many hours labor as will you if you undertake the job. Parts required are simple: super binder glue.

Geoffrey Coenen
NCRS #2473
NCM Lifetime #105
Precision Valley Corvette Museum Charter Member #20 (I think)
Vettehead #18-1
Retired #1 56, 63, 67, 68, 68, 69, 75, 99 and I want more!

PS this also happens with 68-72 models. They use a fiberglass strip riveted to the steel channel. Then this channel with the attached fiberglass strip bonds to the underside of the top surround with fiberglass bonding adhesive. The rivets used on 68-72 can cause a separate problem. Read about that here.

Head Lamp Housings that have pulled away from the top surround

 

[81NMVETTE]

Geofrey
If you owned a Vette I would Listen to you...... Ohh Wait MAN YOU HAVE A TON OF VETTS !! LOL
Super site you have there. I am new to the sport/Hobby I learned a ton from your site !
Thanks for the time that you put into your site I have you on my Fav. list
Earl

 

[76corvette]

Hey, thanx for all the replys... Unfortanatly I don't have the money to pay an auto body shop to repair and repaint the car :cry .. I tried looking on the homepage and I found some stuff in what I thought was the news thing you were talking about about nothing really about my problem. I thank you for the help about how to fix the headlight itself... i found an article that says the same stuff your saying but it didn't suggest using a mirror.. .. Once the salt goes away I am going to put the new seats in the vette, then I will fix the headlights, then I am sending it off to get the heads redone.. then a new exhaust (btw... anyone have good/bad thoughts about glass packs?)... Then I got some new electronics/audio equipment to put in.. and more fun stuff. Thanx for the help.. any other tips on fixing the headlights would be most helpful!

 

[78SilvAnniv]

I'd fix the headlight mechanical problem...

...and then wait until you are done doing the other things that are important to you, THEN paint the whole vette.

Safety, reliability, cosmetics.
You need a vette that runs reliably and is safe, the cosmetics can come later...the vette won't melt.
Heidi

 

[GWHITE75]

To fix the chips, you need to remove the headlights, which will tell you what you need to do to fix the drooping. Most likely what Doc Rebuild eluded to and possibly some rebuild of the lights themselves.

A good fiberglass body shop can fill in the chips and possibly blend in paint that closely matches your color, but don't expect it to look real good. You will certainly need to make sure the lights are then adjusted properly, which means they are flush with the front clip and could entail the support being reattached or possibly just the mounting bolts needing to be tightened. The lights should be flush and have equal space around the light holes, about 1/8"- 3/16" all around.

Heidi is right, safety first AND asthetics.

Glasspacks are good for test firing motors on a test stand. They don't belong on a vehicle. They don't even flow as good as some of the performance mufflers out there and certainly don't sound as good. I guess you could also use them on a tractor.

 

[76corvette]

thanx for letting me know that glasspacks are crap I am actually looking at a chambered exhaust now cause I read on a topic that people were VERY happy with them and I also want to be VERY happy... As Far as the headlights... I will for surely get them aligned right away.. Any Guess on how much a Auto Body place would charge ? (Just a Close Guesstimate ... like 500-1000?) Thanx for the help

 

[nstg8r]

I just ran across this when I clicked on an advertisement link from CAC and thought it might help.

http://www.dynamiccorvettes.com/tipstricks/index.html

 

[76corvette]

thanx.. I had found that the other night and printed it off... I will for surely give it a try... I know there are screws that you can turn to raise and lower them...

 

[nstg8r]

mine was actually a 1/2" bolt on the bottom, turn it a few times, check it. do that till u get it right and it's done, but it sounds like yours is actually comming apart.

 

[76corvette]

why do you think mine is coming apart?

 

[nstg8r]

that's what that link suggests, it said something about lightweight metals and it seperating from the fiberglass. maybe I read it wrong

 

[76corvette]

I guess it is "falling apart" but the way I thought it was going was that the glue itself was not holding them together... and that you need to put that bonding stuff back in there... I will have to figure it out when it comes out of storage

 

[intex99]

It seems as though this is a problem for a few of us as I have the same problem on my 80 and I have recessed lights and I light up the moon at night instead of the road.Guess thats why I don't drive it at night now.
I saw a post about this awhile back and read that I need to pull the headlights and do a good cleaning of the bar as well as the fiberglass to get a good clean surface.
I was wondering if Doc could tell me what a good adhesive would be to bond it back into place??I've seen the epoxy(sold in Hi-Lo's) and wondered if thats what you were talking about in your reply or if you know of a specific brand to use??
I'm gonna pull the hood off as well as the lights so I have a s much room as possible to get at it but want to make sure I get the right adhesive so it doesn't just drop back down once the lights are back in!
I'm gonna try to get after it soon as trying to fix all my little stuff while its still cool out.

 

[drduckster]

headlights

the driver side headlight on my 76 is "droopy", I would like to try to adjust it myself, could some one be more specific about adjusting them up? Mine is down close to 1/4 inch? it has the surround chip badly in the corner. also, my local Dupont retailer put the camera on my paint, ( not original ) and sold me a match for touch-up that was as close as I could ask for. the 2 ounce bottle cost $5.00 bucks! the touch-up is useless without the correct adjustment. thanks in advance