How to remove headlights
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 323
Likes: 8
How to remove headlights
Does anyone have a good tutorial or helpful tips for removing the headlights on a 78? I have the vette apart for paint but am at the headlights and cant seem to figure out how they come out. Please help!!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,023
Likes: 6
From: Austin Tx
If it's the same as my 72, you need to remove the bezel first, then you can remove the stainless ring that hold the light in.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 323
Likes: 8
Thanks for the reply however. I was referring to the whole headlight assembly, not just the bulbs. If i had a hard time removing lightbulbs then i should have no business taking the car apart and painting it. Lol
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,842
Likes: 285
From: Palmdale CA
I did it on my 74' and it wasn't easy. I'd first, highly recommend, taping the entire outside edge of the opening, so you don't damage the paint or nick it.
You're going to do it, sitting on the floor in front of the car. I first took a bunch of photo's from underneath, then removed the springs. A spring hook is really nice to have, to remove and replace the springs. If you look carefully, you'll see the pivots on each side of the headlights. It is a bear to get to them. You'll have your arm deep inside the fenders or through the opening of the hood to get at them.
When it's all loose, I'd have somebody helping me out, to hold up the headlight assy, so it won't drop down into the nose, while you're taking out the last couple of threads and then, lift up and out. Be patient and find a way to be relaxed while doing this, because it was a test of my patience and endurance doing this. But that's a typical day under or inside a C3 Corvette too.
You're going to do it, sitting on the floor in front of the car. I first took a bunch of photo's from underneath, then removed the springs. A spring hook is really nice to have, to remove and replace the springs. If you look carefully, you'll see the pivots on each side of the headlights. It is a bear to get to them. You'll have your arm deep inside the fenders or through the opening of the hood to get at them.
When it's all loose, I'd have somebody helping me out, to hold up the headlight assy, so it won't drop down into the nose, while you're taking out the last couple of threads and then, lift up and out. Be patient and find a way to be relaxed while doing this, because it was a test of my patience and endurance doing this. But that's a typical day under or inside a C3 Corvette too.
Last edited by F22; Mar 21, 2013 at 01:31 PM. Reason: Spring hook thought added.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 323
Likes: 8
After looking at it I've decided that I'm not going to take them off. I am going to paint the car with them on it. To paraphrase F22, if you need to find a happy place to get this project done, I'm not going to do it.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
