Headlight flutter
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,339
Likes: 546
From: Central Texas
Headlight flutter
My headlights flutter when going down the road. They move ever so slightly up and down. Just enough to look like a flicker. I pinned it down to the bearings on the end of the horizontal shafts. I get a substantial amount of play there when moving the mechanism. These things are like a jigsaw puzzle to me. How hard will it be to replace those bearings? Will the whole headlight assembly have to be taken out?
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 11,183
Likes: 3,333
From: North of Toronto - Ontario
My headlights flutter when going down the road. They move ever so slightly up and down. Just enough to look like a flicker. I pinned it down to the bearings on the end of the horizontal shafts. I get a substantial amount of play there when moving the mechanism. These things are like a jigsaw puzzle to me. How hard will it be to replace those bearings? Will the whole headlight assembly have to be taken out?
Before anything else I'd make sure the stop bumpers are set properly.
To answer your question, changing the bearings is a PIA since they are really the only thing holding the lamp assy into the bracket.
Just getting at the bolts that hold the bearings into the bracket is a stunt.
M
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,339
Likes: 546
From: Central Texas
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,363
Likes: 32
From: Bowtie, Pennsyltucky
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15,'21
I did mine when the body was off, so I'm not sure, but I would think it would be easier to remove the whole assembly to change the bearings in the long run. Getting to the open stop adjuster is pretty easy though with the body on and the grille installed on my '71.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,116
Likes: 5
From: Middleburg Florida
The up stop, the springs and the brackets can cause this. The mounting brackets, those pieces that hold the headlight assembly in the car, can crack or break, particularly in the front corners. Make sure you check those too. For the 80-82's the headlight assembly's are easy to get at from under the car if you remove the air deflector. Makes access really easy.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 11,183
Likes: 3,333
From: North of Toronto - Ontario
The up bracket is bolted to the side of the assy with a couple of bolts
[IMG]
[/IMG]
It has an adjustable bumper at the other end that contacts the main frame bracket in the up position
[IMG]
[/IMG]
my 2¢
HIH
M
[IMG]
[/IMG]It has an adjustable bumper at the other end that contacts the main frame bracket in the up position
[IMG]
[/IMG]my 2¢
HIH
M
Last edited by Mooser; Jan 15, 2014 at 07:44 AM.
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Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,339
Likes: 546
From: Central Texas
Mooser the up bracket in your first picture has a gap at the other end of it when the lights are up. No rubber bumper, no stop and nothing contacting it. Is that how it should be?
By the way that's one hell of a detail job.
By the way that's one hell of a detail job.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,753
Likes: 119
From: Springfield Missouri
it could also be the bulbs are loose in the chrome rings that hold them in, screws missing or holes too big for the screws to tighten up in them. You need to look at the lights and tell us where they are loose at, then we might be able to help you. Have you looked at them yet????
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,116
Likes: 5
From: Middleburg Florida
One other area comes to mind. With the head lights open, grab and try to “wiggle” them. If you can get them to move up and down, you likely need to adjust the up stop. If they feel loose and you can get any side to side movement out of them, there are “collars” on the doors that take up the side to side slack in the doors. If this is the case, one side of each door at a time, loosen the set screw, move the collar out against the bearing, and tighten the set screw. This will take up the side to side movement.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,339
Likes: 546
From: Central Texas
The bearings on the inboard and outboard sides of the headlights have the slack in them. Everything else seems very tight. The AIM has some great illustrations of the mechanism. I ordered a headlamp minor repair kit from Corvette Central containing the four bearings and springs for both sides. I'm sure I'll be back posting some questions on installing those darn bearings. 
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 11,183
Likes: 3,333
From: North of Toronto - Ontario
If that bracket (the black one on my pic) is there, it whould be what the lights are meant to "stop" against rather than just bottoming out on the linkage. If the linkage bottoms out, the lights will stop but they don't have the spring pressure pushing properly and aren't as "tight" as htey would be against the stop.
I know sometimes people remove the brackets or stops to get the lights to come up a little higher to get the surrounds to sit better if the other adjustments are off but.....
If your 81 has the tapped holes for the stop screws but are missing the screws, I believe they are the same screws and pads as sold for the hood stops on the earlier c3's (ie my 72)
HIH
M
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,116
Likes: 5
From: Middleburg Florida
The bearings on the inboard and outboard sides of the headlights have the slack in them. Everything else seems very tight. The AIM has some great illustrations of the mechanism. I ordered a headlamp minor repair kit from Corvette Central containing the four bearings and springs for both sides. I'm sure I'll be back posting some questions on installing those darn bearings.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,192
Likes: 343
From: Allenton Wisconsin
I'm installing rubber caps, the same as you use on the hood adjuster stops on the lamp stop adjusters. just to eliminate the road vibrations, the brgs have just slight play causing the flutter. hope it works as removing the complete headlight assemblies is such as pain in the ---
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,096
Likes: 15
I'm installing rubber caps, the same as you use on the hood adjuster stops on the lamp stop adjusters. just to eliminate the road vibrations, the brgs have just slight play causing the flutter. hope it works as removing the complete headlight assemblies is such as pain in the ---
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,192
Likes: 343
From: Allenton Wisconsin
good question, don't now yet, just ordered them. figured I'd give them a try only $2 ea. probably remove the stop stud and lube the rubber bumpers up good, hopefully they'll just pop on. then make the adjustment. sounds easy in theory? think it'll go that way?
