97-99 00-04 UPPER Headlight parts differences?
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 8
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From: MO
97-99 00-04 UPPER Headlight parts differences?
Backstory:
Earlier this year my now 30,000 mile C5 was a victim to a 37" tire that flew off a vehicle and came down and hit the front drivers side (lucky for me not the windshield). Everything was replaced and back to original except the drivers headlight lower bracket was replaced with a 2000-2004 as well as the newer plastic motor as they go together. *The entire headlight parts on the drivers side are new, not sure of what else changed from the original 97-99 parts*
The two problems I'm having are (a.) the drivers one goes up and down faster than the other and makes the car look "junky" and (b) it will not come up after a few drives unless you manually loosen it by turning to raise it first (you can feel it is bound up and really hard to turn to free up at first). This is despite doing the washer shims TSB and putting new nylon bump stops replacing the rubber ones that were on there that got cut right through. I even adjusted the other closed bump stop attached near the head light adjuster to engage more to help share the load with the nylon bump stop (it appears these are the only two stops for closed, the open stops use the 3 other nylon bump stops). If the new motor was weaker or slower it probably would be the same speed as the other side and probably not close so hard it binds up. The nylon stop I put there also got smashed/cut right through in short order. Aside from putting a piece of 5/8" rubber hose over it and hopping that fixes it, I'm out of ideas. Taking it back to the dealer may not do anything other than risk wear and tear on my seats/car and they may not see it fail and I doubt they would put in as much time as I have troubleshooting it. Maybe they would try a different motor, but I don't know what else they could do that I haven't.
I have my original (1999) headlight motor which works, and I'm thinking of getting the same original era lower bracket to bolt it to....
Questions:
I still need to replace the passenger turn signal assembly (its original) as the replacement drivers side (aftermarket) does not focus as tightly the DRL so it looks different from the original passenger side one. I figure if I replace the OEM one then both should (hopefully) illuminate the same. If not then I'll get the same brand for the drivers side as well to have a for sure matched pair. And yes I checked the bulbs they are matched across both sides in age/type and even tried new ones.
Thanks in advance for any knowledge!
Earlier this year my now 30,000 mile C5 was a victim to a 37" tire that flew off a vehicle and came down and hit the front drivers side (lucky for me not the windshield). Everything was replaced and back to original except the drivers headlight lower bracket was replaced with a 2000-2004 as well as the newer plastic motor as they go together. *The entire headlight parts on the drivers side are new, not sure of what else changed from the original 97-99 parts*
The two problems I'm having are (a.) the drivers one goes up and down faster than the other and makes the car look "junky" and (b) it will not come up after a few drives unless you manually loosen it by turning to raise it first (you can feel it is bound up and really hard to turn to free up at first). This is despite doing the washer shims TSB and putting new nylon bump stops replacing the rubber ones that were on there that got cut right through. I even adjusted the other closed bump stop attached near the head light adjuster to engage more to help share the load with the nylon bump stop (it appears these are the only two stops for closed, the open stops use the 3 other nylon bump stops). If the new motor was weaker or slower it probably would be the same speed as the other side and probably not close so hard it binds up. The nylon stop I put there also got smashed/cut right through in short order. Aside from putting a piece of 5/8" rubber hose over it and hopping that fixes it, I'm out of ideas. Taking it back to the dealer may not do anything other than risk wear and tear on my seats/car and they may not see it fail and I doubt they would put in as much time as I have troubleshooting it. Maybe they would try a different motor, but I don't know what else they could do that I haven't.
I have my original (1999) headlight motor which works, and I'm thinking of getting the same original era lower bracket to bolt it to....
Questions:
- Will a 97-99 lower headlight bracket and motor work with a 00-04 "upper" headlight parts assembly? Is there anything different else I will need such as the arm that bolts to the motor shaft and the headlight itself?
- Does anyone know the thread pitch and length of the bolts that thread directly into the 97-99 aluminum housing motor? I have the other bolt but not those two. I'd rather not disassemble the other side just to get to those bolts to measure..
I still need to replace the passenger turn signal assembly (its original) as the replacement drivers side (aftermarket) does not focus as tightly the DRL so it looks different from the original passenger side one. I figure if I replace the OEM one then both should (hopefully) illuminate the same. If not then I'll get the same brand for the drivers side as well to have a for sure matched pair. And yes I checked the bulbs they are matched across both sides in age/type and even tried new ones.
Thanks in advance for any knowledge!
Last edited by Chamber; Sep 24, 2020 at 04:57 PM.
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: MO
Let me mention for others that if you are swapping between the bracket/motor generations the motor wiring needs to be swapped at the pins in the harness. The 2000+ motors will run in reverse when fitted to a 97-99 car. So I would swap those pins (gray & green) back to original location if I do this swap back to era-original.
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: MO
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...terchange.html
Looks like I found the answer. Bracket and motor are only differences. I found that thread today somehow where before I did not. I also was thinking of adding the 3rd hole to my new style bracket like the thread talks about. I plan to take it out of the car to do all of it. Using the one in my car I will mark the bolt positions so I will have little to no adjustment aligning everything when done.
Found close enough bolts for the threaded part of the metal motor. #14 sheet metal screw. Note there were two thread pitches even in the same brand and packages; different batches I guess. The less of the coarser one was perfect after trying to get it started a couple times. 1" self tapping stainless is what I what I went with with the cutting tip cut and ground off. If that didn't work a smaller bolt with nut on the end like the plastic motors use would work I'm sure.
Hope this helps anyone. Now to find some time to do it.
Looks like I found the answer. Bracket and motor are only differences. I found that thread today somehow where before I did not. I also was thinking of adding the 3rd hole to my new style bracket like the thread talks about. I plan to take it out of the car to do all of it. Using the one in my car I will mark the bolt positions so I will have little to no adjustment aligning everything when done.
Found close enough bolts for the threaded part of the metal motor. #14 sheet metal screw. Note there were two thread pitches even in the same brand and packages; different batches I guess. The less of the coarser one was perfect after trying to get it started a couple times. 1" self tapping stainless is what I what I went with with the cutting tip cut and ground off. If that didn't work a smaller bolt with nut on the end like the plastic motors use would work I'm sure.
Hope this helps anyone. Now to find some time to do it.
