Plastic vs. Pot Metal Headlight Bezels
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,821
Likes: 204
From: Lincoln CA
Plastic vs. Pot Metal Headlight Bezels
My RH headlight bezel is broken and bent. I was trying to straighten it last night with the hope of patching it and a piece broke off. I bought a set of bezels on e-bay but they are the later, plastic variety. Doh! The car is being repainted, so I'm wondering how obviously different the plastic bezels would look. Would using the plastic pieces be a big hit to the car's authenticity? If I just used one of them, would it be obviously different from the cast LH bezel? The only cast ones I can find are about $200 apiece. Is that reasonable? I got a lead on something called Muggy Weld Super Alloy 1. Any experience with repairing pot metal out there? Help!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,720
Likes: 12
From: Chattanooga TN
The look is a bit different due to the headlight washers. I might replace them both with fiberglass ones and either hold onto the original or sell it. Kinda depends how nice and/or original the car is too.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 872
Likes: 3
From: Cortlandt Manor New York
The metal bezals are the ones with the headlight washers. If you are going for originallity you need to go metal when needed. It is an obvious tipoff that a car is not original as claimed. That being said I had to repair one of my bezels and I took it to a guy to weld. It drove him crazy and he was not a happy camper when it was finished. He claimed it was very difficult to weld but he did a nice job.
I have seen them on ebay on occasion and they usually go in the $100 range for one. Keep your eyes open on ebay and check some of the used parts houses. Try Paragon, or Contemporary Corvette they may be able to help you with a used piece.
I have seen them on ebay on occasion and they usually go in the $100 range for one. Keep your eyes open on ebay and check some of the used parts houses. Try Paragon, or Contemporary Corvette they may be able to help you with a used piece.
CF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,342
Likes: 360
From: Delaware
St. Jude Donor '25
My RH headlight bezel is broken and bent. I was trying to straighten it last night with the hope of patching it and a piece broke off. I bought a set of bezels on e-bay but they are the later, plastic variety. Doh! The car is being repainted, so I'm wondering how obviously different the plastic bezels would look. Would using the plastic pieces be a big hit to the car's authenticity? If I just used one of them, would it be obviously different from the cast LH bezel? The only cast ones I can find are about $200 apiece. Is that reasonable? I got a lead on something called Muggy Weld Super Alloy 1. Any experience with repairing pot metal out there? Help!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,672
Likes: 6
From: Nevada City California
Any time I look at '68 thru '72 Corvettes to buy and see fiberglass headlamp bezels in place of metal production units, I get leery, and wonder what sort of damage did this Corvette sustain?
Best to hunt down an original one to replace the damaged unit.
Best to hunt down an original one to replace the damaged unit.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
If the broken area of the pot metal is not bent or torn, you can probably put the bezel back together using JB Weld (two-part putty epoxy) on the inside surfaces to bond the parts...then a little in the remaining crack to refill it. File/sand the outside to smooth it and repaint. I wouldn't go the "plastic" route; and since pot metal is a low melting point amalgam, welding is out of the question [except for the extremely **** or extremely talented person]. {P.S. You don't have to put big gobs of JB epoxy behind the broken area. The stuff hardens like steel, so 1/16" to 1/8" thick layer should work just fine.} The repair will be stronger than the pot metal.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,821
Likes: 204
From: Lincoln CA
Yes, my car has the headlight washers. You guys are confirming my feeling that I should just spend the money and buy a proper cast piece with the washer holes. I may have a go at the JB Weld solution first, however. Not much to lose if it doesn't work out and that part doesn't bear any real stress. I do want the car to retain it's authenticity. Most of the Corvette folks that have seen it comment on it's originality. The usual comment is "It's completely untampered." I guess a lot of the big block cars were pretty frequently modified over the past 35-40 years, but prior owners kept this one in pretty much factory condition. I owe it to the car to keep it that way.
BTW, 7T1vette, my coupe looks a whole lot like yours. Same color. I hope it will look as nice as yours when the new paint job is completed.
BTW, 7T1vette, my coupe looks a whole lot like yours. Same color. I hope it will look as nice as yours when the new paint job is completed.
Last edited by RagTop69; Dec 13, 2007 at 04:46 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,268
Likes: 2
From: Minnesota in the summer, Las Vegas in the winter
I pulled my headlight asemblies this past fall and refurbished them, including new paint. To my surprise one was metal and one was plastic. After sanding, priming and painting, you could not tell which was which. Installed on the car, they are indistinguishable. I did not give it a second thought until I read this thread.
Buy what your preference and budget allow.
Buy what your preference and budget allow.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,943
Likes: 3
From: Wildwood IL
(ask me what happened after I dropped mine) Eddie
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,821
Likes: 204
From: Lincoln CA
Sort of makes me wonder how mine got broken and bent right at the break. Like some sort of torque was placed on it. Do these thing ever get hung up with the lights opening? That might explain the type of damage it shows.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
The bezel never has any force applied to it [except for the mounting screws]. If something in the mechanism interferred with the light unit opening....well...it could happen. Pot metal is extremely weak and will fracture easily.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 872
Likes: 3
From: Cortlandt Manor New York
Mine cracked because it used to hang up on the body when the lights opened. This got worse when the crack seperated. I repaired it mostly to prevent further damage to the body. After the repair and an adjustment to the light housing no more problems chipping the paint.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,821
Likes: 204
From: Lincoln CA
Mine cracked because it used to hang up on the body when the lights opened. This got worse when the crack seperated. I repaired it mostly to prevent further damage to the body. After the repair and an adjustment to the light housing no more problems chipping the paint.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,485
Likes: 7
From: Peekskill NY
Mine are older fiberglass. Original pot metal long gone. You can drill and shape the openings for the washer squirters in the plastic/fiberglass ones with a small grinding bit in a dremel if metal replacements are to expensive. Only difficult part is locating the correct location on the bezels if you don't have originals around for measurements.
Racer
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 411
Likes: 1
From: New Hampshire
I have one NOS (with GM Label and part#) pot metal bezel with washer option burried in my garage. I do not recall if it LH or RH. If your interested let me know.
FYI.....My 72 has the pot metal bezels, no washer holes.
FYI.....My 72 has the pot metal bezels, no washer holes.
CF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,342
Likes: 360
From: Delaware
St. Jude Donor '25
you want to talk 'DOH"..........a set just sold on ebay. i wasn't sure if they were metal or not, seller did not specify. I asked, and got my answer a day late..........one metal, one fiberglass, both w/ squirter holes, ending bid, $21.00 for both........sorry dude....DOH!!
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,131
Likes: 4
From: May help you? You can sure as hell try!
Contrary to popular belief, the metal headlight bezels are cast aluminum, not pot metal. They can be welded by an experienced welder. I had this done with a cracked one that I had. The welder did a nice job for about $30. I later located a good used one on ebay. Keep this in mind if your search for a replacement comes up empty handed.
