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Questions about aligning stuff.

Old Dec 28, 2020 | 04:53 PM
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Default Questions about aligning stuff.

So long story short my headlights came totally misaligned, so now I am trying to fix the headlights misalignment. To explain this better each headlight is 28" apart when measured. The left beam was at 22" of 28" and the right beam was way over at 36" of 28". As you can clearly imagine that light pattern down the road was absolutely horrible given the fact the proper alignment puts each headlight at 28". The up and down of the headlight is also misaligned. The left headlight is set at 21" of 25" and the right headlight is set at 23" of 25" when you are less than 3 feet from the wall. Thats not at 25 feet, thats at 3 feet!

The light pattern pointed at a wall 25 feet away is only about 12" tall meaning you can barely see out at all past 20-25 feet. Anything higher than 12" at 20 feet or more infront of you has very poor illumination.
I need to adjust this asap since I do alot of night driving going to and from work every single day. I work third shift so I can only set this at night before I goto work or as soon as I get home.
Sorry if this seems a bit rushed, but I'm just trying to get this done tonight before I leave for work tonight. Thanks for all of your help.

Steps I've taken so far as of 6:23PM CST:
1). I PB Blastered both screws to make sure they were not seized up, I gave it 30 minutes before I did any adjustments.
2). I measured the center point of my headlight to the ground which is 25" tall.
3). I measured the center of the corvette emblem to the left headlight which is 28" accross
4). I measured the center of the corvette emblem to the right headlight which is 28" accross
5). I then put all lights back in proper alignment at 28" accross from the center on each headlight

Now I just have to adjust the up/down on these headlights, but I'm finding it very difficult to adjust this using a 6" torx screwdriver in that very small area under the headlight covers. Any advice is greatly appreciated for setting these quickly before I leave for work.

Thanks in advance for all of your help guys!

Last edited by 2001-Z06_Mike; Dec 28, 2020 at 07:29 PM.
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Old Dec 28, 2020 | 08:28 PM
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Try using a socket rather than a torx. I used a socket (6 point) and extensions to move my hands outside the light.
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Old Dec 29, 2020 | 11:21 AM
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I hope that you were able to get things adjusted well enough to drive. Wall alignments like you're doing are okay in a pinch. However, when you get a chance, I would take your car into a shop that has an actual headlight alignment tool. This will allow them to align your headlights in the perfect position to give you the best visibility while not blinding other drivers. I know this might be a bit tricky with your work schedule.
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Old Dec 29, 2020 | 11:49 AM
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Moved to C5 Tech.
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Old Dec 31, 2020 | 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted by 2001-Z06_Mike
So long story short my headlights came totally misaligned, so now I am trying to fix the headlights misalignment. To explain this better each headlight is 28" apart when measured. The left beam was at 22" of 28" and the right beam was way over at 36" of 28". As you can clearly imagine that light pattern down the road was absolutely horrible given the fact the proper alignment puts each headlight at 28". The up and down of the headlight is also misaligned. The left headlight is set at 21" of 25" and the right headlight is set at 23" of 25" when you are less than 3 feet from the wall. Thats not at 25 feet, thats at 3 feet!

The light pattern pointed at a wall 25 feet away is only about 12" tall meaning you can barely see out at all past 20-25 feet. Anything higher than 12" at 20 feet or more infront of you has very poor illumination.
I need to adjust this asap since I do alot of night driving going to and from work every single day. I work third shift so I can only set this at night before I goto work or as soon as I get home.
Sorry if this seems a bit rushed, but I'm just trying to get this done tonight before I leave for work tonight. Thanks for all of your help.

Steps I've taken so far as of 6:23PM CST:
1). I PB Blastered both screws to make sure they were not seized up, I gave it 30 minutes before I did any adjustments.
2). I measured the center point of my headlight to the ground which is 25" tall.
3). I measured the center of the corvette emblem to the left headlight which is 28" accross
4). I measured the center of the corvette emblem to the right headlight which is 28" accross
5). I then put all lights back in proper alignment at 28" accross from the center on each headlight

Now I just have to adjust the up/down on these headlights, but I'm finding it very difficult to adjust this using a 6" torx screwdriver in that very small area under the headlight covers. Any advice is greatly appreciated for setting these quickly before I leave for work.

Thanks in advance for all of your help guys!
The very first thing I would do is make absolutely certain your light bulbs are installed correctly, i.e., they are in the housing square to the lense, and fully seated on the reflector. It happened to me once. When you install a new bulb, it's very easy to twist them on crooked, by missing one tang. It happens. When you put the bulb in, make sure you push it firmly and evenly against the reflector before you twist it. Then take a good source of light and, as best you can, and see if the bulb looks fully seated. If all is well there, it would probably be best to do as MWWarlord previously stated and take it in to a shop that has a "chart" and the tools to aim the headlights correctly. Good luck......

Last edited by grinder11; Dec 31, 2020 at 07:51 PM.
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