nickfiddle

Anyone Ever rebuilt the headlight motors for C2's. I don't feel like paying for a rebuilt when I could probably do it myself. Does anyone sell a rebuild kit for them? What's invloved in the Rebuild? Never looked at one.

62Jeff

Here you go
http://lbfun.com/Corvette/Tech/vette...%20Rebuild.pdf

From BarryK's excellent web site of tech articles
http://lbfun.com/Corvette/Tech/vettetech.html

I did mine, very easy.

R6T7

I just finished mine with the help of the articles referenced above - but I decided to replace the main gear instead of rotating it 180 degrees. If you don't quite get it rotated properly, you may still have problems after you reinstall it in the car. I bought replacement gears from LIC for $25 each, so my total rebuild cost was $50.

I think it's a good idea to run in the motors after reassembly just to make sure the brushes are seated properly, and that you don't have any parts binding.

Bob

robmiester

yep, easy with the above link. I got my rebuild parts from ZIP. I also replaced the gear instead of flipping it.

as400jockey

I learned a couple things today. Thought I'd pass them along.

The headlight motor on the passenger side of my 1966 +/- coupe (66 vin / 64 frame / 67 Camaro motor / 67 stinger hood...) didn't work. I had to turn it by hand to pass inspection, and it was REALLY HARD. Turning the other by hand was tedious but not difficult. The passenger side was a two-blistered thumb project.

First lesson learned - a 1 1/16 six point socket fits pretty well over those thumbwheels... doesn't chew up your fingers, and the added diameter helps. I pondered the air wrench... but didn't want to put too much force on it.

Second lesson learned - see pics below. The copper bearing fuses to the motor shaft. I don't think that PB or anything would have loosened this puppy. What a shame - I had to do all this instead of a quick squirt of magic oil... So the major thing to realize is that before going through this pain, try to lube the shaft under that little thumbwheel if you

I finally got the motor out. I opened the motor. Removed the circuit board. Armature wasn't coming out. With a little banging, it came out. Then I found out why it didn't come out:


hey... that's not supposed to be there!

That copper ball is the bearing... and it was fused to the shaft.

Here's where it's supposed to be:


The copper ball lives here... usually

The copper ball is supposed to be under that spring steel. I got the bleeping thing out... but it wasn't going back in without a fight.

First I had to remove the ball from the shaft. A chisel and small hammer got it loosened up:


tap tap... bang... tap... bang bang.. VOILA!

Cleaned out inside the copper ball with steel wool. Then went to town on the shaft with the wire wheel. Had to do quite a bit to get the bearing to slide on the shaft without too much encouragement.

So we're all good, but still have to get that bleeping copper ball back under that spring steel.

I found that dropping a 1/4 inch ratchet extension into the hole allowed me to get a fat screwdriver (2 actually) in there so that I could bend the ears of the spring steel retainer outwards a bit... OK more than a bit...

I was then able to take a 1/4 inch socket screwdriver handle and a small socket and encourage the ball to get back under the spring.

SUCCESS!

Not tight like it was supposed to be, but I had nothing to lose.

I found the armature was sloppy, so I shimmed the worm gear end a bit with a couple washers to take up the slack.

Reassembled... IT WORKS. The passenger side now opens / closes, and faster than the driver's side.

Might work another 50 years... might work 50 weeks... we'll see. But for now it's working great. Now I can put the grille back on and keep working down my very long list.

My other observation is that this motor is amazingly open to the elements... water, salt, etc, could pretty easily get right behind that thumbwheel and into the bearing assembly.

Frankie the Fink

This job is usually a slam-dunk if you can manage to avoid snatching that bearing out...sometimes emery paper on the exposed end of the shaft to eliminate corrosion allows the shaft to be withdrawn from the bearing....but not always..