How do you remove the headlight assembly?  What are the specific steps?  I already broke off the headlight pivot bolt, so I really need to remove the assembly now to drill out the old stub of the bolt!

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Hey Bill, removing the headlight assemblies can be a real nightmare if you have and rusted/snapped bolts. I can walk you through the process, or at least the one I’ve used in the past, but I have to ask which bolt is snapped off. I’m thinking it is the shouldered bolt that goes horizontally through the small pivot arm into the headlight door itself ?? It’s a pain in the a** but I have drilled out and replaced that bolt on the car from the bottom. Removing the valance panel and front spoiler usually will get you the necessary access. It’s a bit painful but a whole lot less than removing the entire headlight assembly. Let me know your thoughts.

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John Sigmund

Good to hear from you again!

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Bill, the headlights are removed as an assembly, but getting the assembly out of the car is one of the tough parts. Removing the hood is required along with the AC condenser if equipped to get enough clearance to get them out the top as an assembly. The alternative to condenser removal is to drop the assembly down from the hood surround then break the assembly down into pieces for removal. There are four bolts on each assembly, two going up into the header bar support at the rear of the HL assembly and two at the front going up into the front bumper support. The ones in the back are usually simple, but the ones up front are more difficult to get to. If any of the four break off that’s where the nightmare starts. Soak the bolts with penetrating oil, soak them overnight, then soak them again. While the bolts are soaking, raise the HL’s and remove the plastic bezels. They are removed forward just like you were going to replace a HL bulb. With the bezels removed, you now have access to the up stops. Two bolts on each assembly on the fender side of each HL door. With the vacuum and electrical connections undone, remove each of the vacuum canisters. Four nuts, soak if necessary, then remove all of the springs from the bottom. Take pics/notes as to their positions. With the springs removed, there is pivot pin at the end of the canister arm held in by a cotter pin. Remove that pin, the four nuts and the can should come out. With the cans removed, the doors are now loose to move up and down and the assembly is a bit smaller. Now go after the four bolts that hold the U shaped HL frame to the underside or the surround. With those four bolts removed, each HL assembly should drop down, but the assemblies are probably still too big to get out. This is where I get creative and split the assembly, removing the door from the U shaped frame. Drop one assembly at a time to give yourself the max amount of room to work and look at how the door and frame are connected. At the point where the door pivots there two round collars that control the side to side adjustment of the door. Loosen the Allen screw at each collar, soak if necessary. With the collars loose, the door should shift one way or the other to remove from the frame. Once apart, there should be enough room to get the parts out of the car !! Take a look at the four bolts mentioned above that hold the assembly in, those four are the starting point and will make or break the procedure. Sorry this is one big paragraph, a reply via my iPad does not allow me to break it down. As always Good Luck and let me know if you have any ?? John

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John Sigmund

Thanks, John.

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Luck, patience, luck, patience and some more patience !! Couple more details if you attempt this. I forgot to mention when you get to the part of splitting the assemblies, the are two bushing mounts, one on each side of the doors that need to be removed from the frame. Three small bolts, need I repeat soak if necessary !! Also note the position of these mounts before removal, they are the back/forth, up/down adjustment of the door at the point of the pivot. The closer you get them back to where they were originally, the better your re-installation will go. If and while you have the assemblies out, take a close look at the header bar. That’s the steel reinforcement where the back two bolts of each assembly attach. The header bar is bonded to the underside of the FG hood surround. With age and the elements, the bond to the FG likes to pop loose and the HL doors drop down in the back and rub badly on the FG opening. If your doing a paint job, that would be the ultimate OH SH** if it dropped down after a new paint job. If you see any sign of it coming loose that bar needs to be taken down, cleaned and re-bonded. That’s where I got my experience with HL assemblies. I’ve re-bonded that bar on a couple different cars and the assemblies must be removed to accomplish. Have fun and keep us posted !!

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John Sigmund

I removed the valance under the front so I could get a better look at the headlight assembly.  It looks like, with the pivot bolt out, that the only thing holding in the headlight assembly is the two pivots at the back of the assembly.  It looks like the springs and vacuum stuff will all stay behind.

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Bill, certainly worth a shot but I don’t think there is enough side to side clearance in the hood surround opening to allow the door to be removed from the frame support without dropping it. I could be wrong, you might have come across an easier way !! Let me know if it works. John

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John Sigmund

Success!  I was able to remove the headlight assembly by just removing the six bolts holding the shafts at the back of the assembly.  With a little twist, there was plenty of room to get it out through the headlight frame.  I have no idea how I'll get the bolts back in, particularly at the outside end.  My fat hands barely fit back there!

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Bill, thank you for finding an alternate method of getting the HL doors out !! Hope that helps you get done what you needed. Please give your header bar a good inspection. As I mentioned earlier, the header bar on these cars likes to pop loose. If yours needs some attention, now is the time to do it prior new paint.

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John Sigmund

I didn't notice any issues with the header bar.  Everything seems tight.

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Bill, glad to hear you’re on your way and your header bar looks good. Bondo to fix anything near a hinge mount is not going to last very long. Hope you glass job holds up. Let me know if you have any further problems in that area, I have a fix I can share with you. The hood on my car had been ripped of the car by the original owner, something about an open hood and a garage door that didn’t end well.

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John Sigmund

Man! I removed mine for a body off resto and I don't remember it being a big deal, but on that note I don't remember just the steps I took to do it either, geez old age is crappy!

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Hey Cindy good to hear from you, how goes your restoration ?? I’m still waiting for the C3VR Annual Gathering to be in the Great White North so we can have a body back on frame party at your place !! Stella still smiles when she remembers you and your daughter in Tacoma when she puts on her “Bunny Hug” !!

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John Sigmund

Hello my fellow Washington friend

I have been keeping tabs on everyone, I am hoping that they will seriously consider canada one day as an option for a gathering. I have a picture of my resto on the facebook page as I could never get pictures to post on this site. guess you will have to do a friend request if your on facebook , I don't contribute much to facebook, but put an occasional post of my resto on there. 
It is white here today,  so the bunny hugs are now under coats for our winter duds.
Say Hi to Stella for me and Sara






|UPDATED|10/26/2017 6:45:18 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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