Railroadman

Well, it can't be all smooth sailing, can it? I want to remove the headlight buckets, and that requires rotating the bucket after removing the motor, so you can access the screws. But the driver's side is immobile. I mean REALLY stuck! Look at the shaft end! I didn't realize those little headlight motors had that much *****!

I'm treating the mechanism to as much PB Blaster I can get on there, the inboard part is easy but the outboard is hard to see just what I'm spraying. Let's hope in time it will work. Meantime, if anybody has suggestions.....

68hemi

It may be an illusion but that whole casting looks like it is tweaked to the left on the bottom?

Railroadman

I think it's just the camera angle, but I'll take a look next time I'm out there. I HAVE been known to look at something without SEEING it - just ask my wife!

Mike Geary

You might try that home-brew of ATF/acetone. I'd be very careful to keep it off the glass surfaces. Since the inboard shaft is so accessible, I'd be tempted to give it a little heat. Propane or, better, MAPP if you've got it.

BTW that twisted shaft will probably work fine as-is, so I wouldn't risk trying to straighten it. What do you think?

Railroadman

Mike, I agree that acetone and the fiberglass would not be a good combination, and I'm already thinking of the Bernzo-matic torch to warm up the inboard parts. As for re-using the shaft, I'm learning as I go and don't have enough knowledge to make that call - I'll see what the consensus on here is.

Frankie the Fink

65GGvert

I'm pretty sure he meant "heat".

Railroadman

I'm slipping, that one went right past me!

Frankie the Fink

vettsplit 63

I don't know what position your bucket is in now, and it would be a pain in the a** to disassemble the headlite assembly by pulling the headlite bezel from inside and accessing the pivot assembly after pulling the headlites, but would that be an option? Wouldn't be on a 63, cause they don't unbolt, but the later ones do. Just a thought.

Railroadman

Not quite sure I follow - this is my first time taking the things apart so if I'm missing something I'm sorry. Right now, and ever since I bought the car, the lights are in the "up" position. I have removed the bezel over the lights, and have removed both bulbs. I want to remove the entire bucket.

If I have the process right, you remove the motor itself, which has been done. This allow you, in theory, to rotate the bucket up and down by hand, just pushing on it. Assuming it will move, you remove the plastic plugs on each side of the bucket. You can then use a 3/8" socket from inside the bucket, through those holes to remove 3 screws from each side, which will then allow the bucket to slide out.

My problem is the pivots are set up tighter than a bull's butt, and I can't roll the bucket at all to get those 6 screws out. I don't care how much I have to take apart, I was going to do so anyway. Not sure if the pic below helps any, it is an earlier shot than the one above and is before I took off the rod and the switch.

Thanks for trying to help, I just don't quite get what you are suggesting to do.

vettsplit 63

I was thinking that on the 64 and later cars where the stud is actually bolted into the bucket (I think from the inside of the bucket,) that if you removed all the pivot mounting screws from inside the bucket, maybe it would give you the room to rotate the bucket, albeit sloppily around to where you could access the bolts in the header. And I may not be thinking right, as 63s aren't built the same. That may not be of any help at all.

Railroadman

As near as I can tell, it's a Catch-22. I HAVE to get at the shaft and bearing to make it rotate, and I HAVE to rotate it to remove the shaft.

I'll be going out there again on Friday as it stands now so I'll see what I can figure out.

midyear

the shalt is already twisted, so I would just use something like a sawzall and cut it between the bucket and the headlight end plate.

vettsplit 63

OK, what about removing the screws from inside the bucket that secure the pivot shaft to the bucket, and then tapping gently from the inboard side on the end of the shaft, to get it to slide off the ball and go inside the bucket? I would probably put the nose support rod back in place in the header though. Or is that the side that the pivot shaft bolts on the outside of the bucket to secure it?

Railroadman

IIRC there are 4 smaller screws which hold the shaft to the bucket. Those go from the outside inward, so the bucket would have to be removed from the car to get at them.

Railroadman

That has crossed my mind. Wondered whether that part of the shaft would be hardened at all or not.

ejboyd5

Pictures worth a thousand words, but it's hard to believe the motor could twist the shaft to that degree without blowing a fuse.

tuxnharley

Railroadman

The car seems to have had minor damage left front but as near as I can tell nothing serious. It's obvious that for whatever reason, the previous owner simply left them up all the time so the overall issue is nothing new. I'll have to look at the fuse box and see whether there's a jumper or a bar of metal across it!