Need to get the headlamps raised up on my car. It has a Drake dropped bar on it and at max tilt it doesn't shine the light down the road. Looks like I need to buzz the back of the cup on the bar off to get more tilt. Anyone tried this? Any other suggestions? It's all painted so I really would hate to modify the buckets. BLC headlamps BTW. Thanks, D
Lights need to be modified to get stem at correct angle for Ford type headlight bar. Inside the light, can the plate that holds the stem be drilled with new holes and remounted in bucket to get the angle needed? I've done this with a different setup than you have. Is the light stem in a slot, to allow adjustment? Can the slot be extended be grinding with a hand grinder/drill? Some guys have done this, again with a different light and bar setup. Just a couple ideas. Phil
Phil, all a possibility but I hate to have to repaint the bucket. Too damn hot in the garage for me to fool with today, will get out there early in the a.m. and study it a little more. Problem with the slot enlargement is that the back of the lamp is hitting the bar already. If I had a cup that would fit the bottom of the lamp, I could space it up a tad and it might give me more clearance to tilt it. D
How about slotting the holes in the finder just a little bit but not enough to not be covered by the bar. Rotating the bar just a little bit would make a big difference.
A piece of 1" dia. aluminum bar stock could easily be turned and bored to finish like a 'concave socket' on one end that would space the bucket as high (or minimal) as you'd like.
How about one for the "KISS PRINCIPLE" : remove the headlight buckets, insert a bar in the mounting holes, & "roll" them back to raise the mounting points enough to enable them to be aligned in the proper direction? If you can handle that, then perhaps you can reattach the headlight buckets & point them in close to the right direction? Come-on guys : it's NOT "Rocket-Science", is it??
Would something like this, modified, help? https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Headlight-Cone-Mounting-Cups,57380.html https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Universal-Stainless-Steel-Headlight-Mounting-Cup,81347.html https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Universal-Stainless-Steel-Headlight-Mounting-Cup,81347.html https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Headlight-Mounting-Cups-Stainless-Steel,33586.html Phil
Rethinking the situation, the light stem or the headlight bar need to be reworked. An adapter won't work, unless the stem is much smaller diameter than the hole in the bar. I still lean to trying to modify the light, rather than the bar, but either will work. It may take a combination of the two. Another thought is to change to Ford "large" lights. Phil
Thickness of the bar versus the strength of the fender tells me that the fender would lose big time. Fender is fiberglass btw. D
Good starting points! Didn't even think of looking there and that is why I posed the question on here. Thanks a bunch, D
I removed my BLC headlights and drilled out the rivets holding the cup on the bottom of the headlight and removed the carriage bolt, I then took a a hack saw blade to the slot and cut it so the bolt would move back. I then took a square fill to finish up the rough edge and keep the slot square. I used stainless button head bolt and nylock nuts to reassemble the cups with the bolt in place back to the headlight bucket, when I was finished no one could tell the headlights were modified. HRP
This is the RIGHT way to do it, but if it can't be done ON the car (glass fenders) a simple jig could be made to hold the ends in place while the bar is 'rolled back'. It's the way I'd do it...
Danny, I did the slot mod on mine before I painted them, just not enough adjustment due to the rake and the lamp hits the bar on the backside. I am going to get a set of the mounting cups from speedway and modify them to suit me. Will post results, thanks all, D
If I would have caught this before the car was assembled I would have done this. Headlamp bar is a bear to install on this car. D
Did you try flipping the headlight bar around left-to-right? Then change the adjustment of the headlight bolts the opposite end if their adjustment in the headlight bucket. that should point them at the ground instead of them pointing up at the garage ceiling.
Bending headlight bar cup angle is not done with bar on car/fenders,put cup[shocket] in vice or get fancy an make jig, an add tilt,same to other side,test fit,if good bolt up. Be sure it forward.
Like Dirk says I think your headlight bar is on the wrong way. Even with original bars they can only go on one way to get the headlight socket in the right orientation.
Just to tell on myself a little. I also have a dropped headlight bar on my Model A. Its a bitch to get it put on without totally loosening up both fender brackets on both sides, then getting a buddy to help lift on the fenders to get the bolts for the headlight bar started. Anyway, I put the new drop bar on, tightened it all up, put the headlights in and they pointed at the garage ceiling. Me and my buddy messed with trying to adjust the headlight stands (they swivel back and forth for adjustment about an inch), but couldn't get it. We even tried making angled shims to try to get them right, and got them close, but they still weren't right. Then he says to try to the stock headlights on the drop bar(I originally had stock headlights and stock headlight bar), and they pointed at the ceiling even worse. We pull the bar off, and then noticed that the mounts are angled on the headlight bar. Turned the bar around (left to right), and not only did it make bolting it up to the fenders easier (the angle of the mounts lined up better), but the headlights dropped right in and were able to adjust correctly. Hopefully that is your problem cause its an easy fix.
If I tried to put the bar on in the other direction it would have the lamps pointing at the ceiling. They are pointing down too far, besides not fitting the curve of the fender. Just looking at the lights, it looks like they are level enough to shine down the road but they ain't. This headlamp bar has an arrow that point in the direction that it should go to keep dumb asses like me from screwing up. My spacers to be should be here tomorrow and I borrowed another headlamp bar today so I can work on it on the bench. I am hoping that I left enough bolt in lamp to get the nut on it when I get the spacer made. If not, on to plan B........ D
The headlight buckets aren't the only place that can be shimmed : you can also shim the headlight bar where it bolts to the fenders..... just a thought....
Vintique makes a headlight mounting replacement bolt, #40-13091-MBK. They are for Ford lights but may work on your lights if bolts are too short. Here are replacement bolts for BLC lights http://www.otbgear.com/Hollow-12-Headlight-Mounting-Bolt-P78C35.aspx Phil
To me it looks like the headlight bar (stainless?) could be ground a little on the back edge of the cup and you could tilt the light back. IF there is enough slot still left in the light bucket. If the bar is stainless and you are careful, covering the car with a tarp or blanket, you could probably grind the cup without removing the bar. If it doesn't give enough slop to get proper adjustment, no big deal and try your next option.
Alchemy, this was my first thought to fix this problem, and exactly how I thought to go about it. I am going to try the shim method first and see how it works out. D
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Headlight-Cone-Mounting-Cups,57380.html Got these today and looks like they will do the job without even having to modify them! In fact, I think I can get enough of an "up" adjustment to get even with the 4WD guys. Thanks for the ideas and replys. D
Phil, I actually did that yesterday but maybe I forgot to hit the post button. I ended up using these. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Headlight-Cone-Mounting-Cups,57380.html I didn't have to modify them at all. They dropped right in to the counter-bore in the headlamp bar and raised the lamps up enough to use the entire slot. I can get them high enough to get even with the 4WD crowd. Unless you get down and look behind the lamp you can't tell they are in there. Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions. D Looked again and now see my original post on this?????
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