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Have a 68 with the Eckler clip and plexiglass cover. i want the old pop up style with the round lights. Do I need a whole new Clip or can I just mount the boxes in the Eckler clip?
If i am not mistaken the ecklers clips and nose panels that had their monza lights are a different size hole to the stock headlight hole,
And missing the headlight bar, When ecklers still sold lots of custom stuff the catalog noted monza headlight covers would not swap out for the covers of a c3 with ecklers recessed headlight conversion, a bolt in kit that one could easily go back to pop ups if desired,
You will also notice your headlights are further forward than they would be stock,
You can do Pop ups but might be easier using a stock nose to make it happen,
If i am not mistaken the ecklers clips and nose panels that had their monza lights are a different size hole to the stock headlight hole,
And missing the headlight bar, When ecklers still sold lots of custom stuff the catalog noted monza headlight covers would not swap out for the covers of a c3 with ecklers recessed headlight conversion, a bolt in kit that one could easily go back to pop ups if desired,
You will also notice your headlights are further forward than they would be stock,
You can do Pop ups but might be easier using a stock nose to make it happen,
Sorry i didnt have better news
I really appreciate that and suspected as much. Getting a new stock Clip is the goal. I absorb all this information. Thanks again
farther forward and farther back at the same time. the front bumper lip is about 1/4 inch in front of the front edge of the headlight opening. so that whole nose is as long as newer style with composite bumpers. are you going back to chrome bumpers? you need bumper, grille surround trim, lower valence, bumperettes, possibly grilles and turn signal lights, and whatever brackets are missing under that nose, which may well be all of them. that nose may be marketable. try to be nice to it while removing it.
Last edited by derekderek; 04-23-2018 at 06:19 AM.
As you see it was offered as a clip with functinal hood, it was also offered as a one piece flip tilt clip, with or without flares,
And without grabbing my old catalogs to be 100% i recall it being offered as just a front 1/2 wheel wells forward idea,
Ralph, in my opinion got the perfect non chrome bumper look with his monza idea,
Yes, its longer than 68 to 72, i didnt cover that as the op said he wanted pop up lights, he didnt mention if he want to go back to chrome bumpers too,
So ralph goes longer nose like a 73, used the larger better looking 73 74 grills and pushed the headlights forward to accent the low long flowing racer look, all monzas are made to have headlight covers, and seems to me he tweaked the peak a little,
To me this look is so much more visually appealing than bug eyed fia racer lights,
ps,
What makes yours more rare is most monzas out there are the tilt clip, yours has functional hood,
What I would do is raid a junkyard for later rectangular lower profile bulbs and all the mounting hardware you can get.....like late F body cars had.....the GLASS bulbs are about 2.5 inches tall, similar width as what you have.....I built my own frame to mount the hardware on, so fully adjustable....I used 1/2 PVC vinyl from HD to make the supports, held in place with GOOD glue and stainless screws.....AND as shown below I brought them forward 1/2 way and reduced the stupid looking openings by 1/2 also......if I had your car, that's what I would do.....
My thought is small rectangular led headlights mounted in OEM buckets and holes. Then the headlight doors only would have to come up about half way.
Sorry, Seen that type idea, looks horrible to me like the car is sleepy and cant get its eyes open,
Nothing is really wrong with stock pop ups, i have a set of pops ups with square lamps what gm should have used,
Fia, monza and recessed are okay, phase z car lights flow, after that i have seen a lot of c3s ruined with weird custom headlights that just dont "fit"
My thought is that you should just sell that car "as is" to someone who wants that front end look. Then you can go out and buy what you really want. Not sure why you bought that car if you didn't like the front end.
If you think my remarks are 'snarky', sorry....but I'm a pragmatic person and reversing all the work done on that nose just to get it like it came from the factory will be an EXPENSIVE boondoggle.
If it was my car, I would make some steel or fiberglass covers painted the same color as the body to replace the clear ones. I would them make some kind of quick-release fasteners to be removed when driving at night. Then it wouldn't matter what kind of headlights I had.
My thought is that you should just sell that car "as is" to someone who wants that front end look. Then you can go out and buy what you really want. Not sure why you bought that car if you didn't like the front end.
If you think my remarks are 'snarky', sorry....but I'm a pragmatic person and reversing all the work done on that nose just to get it like it came from the factory will be an EXPENSIVE boondoggle.
In my case budget and desires play a role,
i bought a 69 convertible for a great deal because it had a 73 style front clip, we all dont want high dollar turn keys,
I wanted a car i could make mine, not cookie cutter stock,
While the 73 look grew on me i did get a new in the box ecklers 68 69 clip, pressed new inner wheel wells tossed in free, for like 400, 125 for l88 hood,
I do my own labor, so this is hardly expensive (even if i made the font bold, lol) to this bargain builder,
So in my mind i too am pragmatic
But Making something the way you desire it to be is never a "boondoggle"
To me people who settle are the ones selling themselves short.
My thought is that you should just sell that car "as is" to someone who wants that front end look. Then you can go out and buy what you really want. Not sure why you bought that car if you didn't like the front end.
If you think my remarks are 'snarky', sorry....but I'm a pragmatic person and reversing all the work done on that nose just to get it like it came from the factory will be an EXPENSIVE boondoggle.
I actually like the way it looks, but it does seem like a lot of work to change it back. IF I had the skills to do it on my own, then I would consider changing it back, BUT since I'm not the bodywork kind of guy, I just agree with 7T1vette....
Nice, thanks, like i said in the grill is too low,
My 66 had them in the grill, higher than a c3, just barely but still too low, it was my daily driver and i got pulled over about it several times,all the LEOs had the same notion that i was using fog lights and didnt have headlights, as soon as they saw they were hi beam, low beams they dropped it,
Now im curious i am gonna measure my 69 with ecklers recessed lights, they will be close to an inch or two too low,
Heres a good read,
Never settle, never sell yourself short,
04-22-2018, 10:51 PM
Converting Sq Headlights to Old School round
