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Head light bounce.

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Old Jul 14, 2008 | 10:50 AM
  #1  
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Default Head light bounce.

Both of my head light doors on my 1977 corvette open and close. Thank god.
But my left door bounces up and down then you are going down the road, and you can push the door down with your hand. Can someone tell me exacly what is wrong and how to fix it? Thank you
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Old Jul 14, 2008 | 11:03 AM
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It sounds like you have some loose attachment bolts. Have a look and you'll probably see the problem. I wouldn't wait too long as you may start to lose some parts.
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Old Jul 14, 2008 | 11:08 AM
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the light should lock in the up position. see if you can push it up enough to lock it manually once is it open, if you can, the actuator may be going bad, or may need to be adjusted. the actuator rod pushes the hinge link, and if the stop screw has moved, it may not allow complete extension. it's not as complicated as it looks, but the hard part is getting to these pieces, and if you have to do any amount of work on these assemblies, you'll find that they're generally rusted. you will have to remove the grill for access if major work is needed.
jeff
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Old Jul 14, 2008 | 03:58 PM
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The headlight is designed to "lock" when it's open. Once open it may vibrate a bit and has a "stop" bracket and adjustment on the outside of the light body. It's a long simple steel bracket that has a bolt/lock nut/bumper on it that should be adjusted to hold the light body firmly against the light frame that's mounted to the car body.

If the light body is firmly open, but just vibrating then the adjustment should fix the problem. If the body isn't fully opening and locked, then I'd look at the springs/levers that move the light body. One of the springs may have broken.
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Old Jul 14, 2008 | 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by jnb5101
the light should lock in the up position. see if you can push it up enough to lock it manually once is it open, if you can, the actuator may be going bad, or may need to be adjusted. the actuator rod pushes the hinge link, and if the stop screw has moved, it may not allow complete extension. it's not as complicated as it looks, but the hard part is getting to these pieces, and if you have to do any amount of work on these assemblies, you'll find that they're generally rusted. you will have to remove the grill for access if major work is needed.
jeff
There is a stop located on the outboard side of the headlamp assembly. It is a flat bar with an adjustment screw at the end. Turn that bolt in this should give you maximum travel. Open the headlamp see if it is now in the locked position "try to push down on the light" if it is locked just readjust the bolt to that stop position. If you can push down you may have a vac leak or a bad actuator or a weak control valve.
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Old Jul 22, 2008 | 07:52 PM
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I was told to push on it from below and then it should lock in the up position. Well i tried that, and it will not lock in place you can still push it down. what do i do know
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Old Jul 22, 2008 | 11:07 PM
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On the outboard side of the lamp assembly there is s limit stop. Check the stop screw see if it is limiting the headlamp from locking
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Old Jul 23, 2008 | 08:07 AM
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with the light in the up position, locate the hinge link and try to push it forward to it's lock position. if you can do this, you have to determine why the actuator isn't pushing the link far enough. try holding the actuator rod with plyers and moving the rod forward. if you can't push the link manually, check the stop limit screws. i really don't think the screws have moved (nature's locktight-rust). i think the problem is with the actuator. check the vaccum system for leaks, cracked hoses or broken seals. it may be time to rebuild the actuator. it's not difficult to rebuild, but removing it is a bear.
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Old Jul 23, 2008 | 10:26 PM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by Artsvette73
On the outboard side of the lamp assembly there is s limit stop. Check the stop screw see if it is limiting the headlamp from locking


Had the same problem with my 68. Just adjust the stop screw, easy fix. While your under the nose, check out the springs also. More than likely you will have at least one broken.
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Old Jul 24, 2008 | 06:22 PM
  #10  
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Thank you guys for all your help. Ill look into all of this and if i cant fix it i think im just going to replace them with stationary head lights
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Old Jul 25, 2008 | 08:18 AM
  #11  
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noooooo! please don't do that!
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Old Jul 25, 2008 | 11:40 AM
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Did you verify that all the springs are in place, and are good?
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