Front Headlight Assemblies Sinking
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
From: Kingston Tn
Re: Front Headlight Assemblies Sinking (73-454)
Hey 73454,
Yeh, it happens to some of 'em.
What you have to do is loosen three adjustment screws(actually bolts) on both sides of the headlight housing until you can move the headlight assembly. The screws are at the back top of the light assembly in a triangle formation and are very hard to get to. You will probably have to take the front grill sections out to reach them, and long, skinny arms will make the job a little easier. Once they are loose though, you will have about a 1/4-inch of play which should be enough to keep your light cover from rubbing again. If the adjustment doesn't work you may have a problem with the metal headlight bracket at the top between the radiator and the front bumper. It can separate from the frame it is attached to, and drop down as much as 1/4 inch. You can try to retighten the bracket bolts, but you may have to do major surgery and take the front bumper off and put new bolts in. Also, it is very helpful to use a lift of some kind to get the car three or four feet off the ground when trying to loosen the ajustment screws previously mentioned. You'll need a lot of patience on this as I spent the better part of a whole day going through this. 'Luck though, and nice meeting you on the forum.
Yeh, it happens to some of 'em.
What you have to do is loosen three adjustment screws(actually bolts) on both sides of the headlight housing until you can move the headlight assembly. The screws are at the back top of the light assembly in a triangle formation and are very hard to get to. You will probably have to take the front grill sections out to reach them, and long, skinny arms will make the job a little easier. Once they are loose though, you will have about a 1/4-inch of play which should be enough to keep your light cover from rubbing again. If the adjustment doesn't work you may have a problem with the metal headlight bracket at the top between the radiator and the front bumper. It can separate from the frame it is attached to, and drop down as much as 1/4 inch. You can try to retighten the bracket bolts, but you may have to do major surgery and take the front bumper off and put new bolts in. Also, it is very helpful to use a lift of some kind to get the car three or four feet off the ground when trying to loosen the ajustment screws previously mentioned. You'll need a lot of patience on this as I spent the better part of a whole day going through this. 'Luck though, and nice meeting you on the forum.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 787
Likes: 1
From: Toronto Ontario
Re: Front Headlight Assemblies Sinking (Shutdown1)
Thanks for your reply. A local vette shop said they would do the job for $100 per side, do you think they are able to do this for a total of $200 sounds cheap. Any thoughs
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
From: Kingston Tn
Re: Front Headlight Assemblies Sinking (73-454)
Hey man,
I guess the price could be OK if everything goes like it should. The trouble with these cars is that usually it doesn't. I would have gladly paid somebody $200 to fix mine. As I said before I spent the entire day on mine, and most of that on just one side. Make sure you have an understanding with them that if the adjustment slips, they will re-adjust it because after you raise and lower the lights a few times they can come out of adjustment. Mine did, and I had to go back in and reset everything.
I hope they do a good job for you. Please let me know how it goes! Regards
'74 Tubocharged 350 "Molested to Perfection," class of '71
I guess the price could be OK if everything goes like it should. The trouble with these cars is that usually it doesn't. I would have gladly paid somebody $200 to fix mine. As I said before I spent the entire day on mine, and most of that on just one side. Make sure you have an understanding with them that if the adjustment slips, they will re-adjust it because after you raise and lower the lights a few times they can come out of adjustment. Mine did, and I had to go back in and reset everything.
I hope they do a good job for you. Please let me know how it goes! Regards
'74 Tubocharged 350 "Molested to Perfection," class of '71
