Adjusting Headlight Flip on 98+ Birds

[PewterBird]

Is there a way to control how much the headlights open on the flip up lights. I want the lights to open up less, for a lower profile. I just want then to open up just 3-4 inches. Then I can put in an aftermakert headlight peice designed for a differnt car. Something about the same length across, but only 3-4 inches tall.

Of course I would cleanup the gaps with a custom fiberglass housing.

I think it would be a more aggresive look.

[ April 26, 2004, 03:49 AM: Message edited by: PewterBird ]

[SuprSpdDB7]

i dont think so... i've have to open up my motor tomorrow to replace some gears, but to me it looks pretty much set that it rotates up that far... i don't think there's a way to change that... but who knows

[blackbyrd]

i dotn thing there is a way to do it lke your thinking im pretty sure the work the same way as the 95's but there is an arm with a hinge in the center of it so it can extend and the motor only has to turn one way think of it like that jsut shorten the arm adn youll get the effect you are wnting i think

[redbird00]

there's a company that does it, i've seen it on stealths, probes, and the such that have flip up lights, not sure on price, but it looks sweet, saw it on a nbm birdy.

merlin

[PewterBird]

Originally posted by redbird00:
there's a company that does it, i've seen it on stealths, probes, and the such that have flip up lights, not sure on price, but it looks sweet, saw it on a nbm birdy.

merlin

Got anymore info....

[C.O.Jones]

Sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread. I remember when I changed a headlight motor it looked like you could place a stopper in the way when it was raising.

So I bust out the good old Chilton's and started reading:
To install motor
7) blah blah blah
8) blah blah blah
9) blah blah blah
10) If raised lower the headlight, then close the hood.
11) Connect the negative battery cable, then check the headlight operation.

[PewterBird]

Originally posted by C.O.Jones:
Sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread. I remember when I changed a headlight motor it looked like you could place a stopper in the way when it was raising.

Im just afraid if I put a stopper in the way, it would just grind up my gears.

After thinking about it. I would have to figure out what turns the motor on and off. Is it a stopper sensor? Or is it timed with a rely to only be on long enough to open and close it?

Maybe I will just have to change gear sizes around.

[PewterBird]

Well I found what I needed.

It is run until a stop...so in theory a stopper should work. I run the risk of busting my gears. But I can avoid that by spring loading my stopper to give a softer stop.

Taken from LS1.com

http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread...headlight+flip

Yeah, you heaadlamp motor assembly has a stripped gear. The nylon (hard plastic) gear inside the assembly occasionally breaks the last few teeth it "bottoms out" against. Here's how it works:

1) the motor is activated and starts turning the nylon gear.
2) the headlamp assembly rises/falls due to the turning output shaft linked to the underside "arm" of the headlamp assembly.
3) the assembly hits steel "stop points"
4) a resistor senses the increased load on the gear/motor (since the motor is trying to run and can't move) and cuts the signal/power.

The "turn till you stall" approach was used on most headlight assemblies, including the fragile C4 assembly which was more notorious for breaking than ours.

The weight of the assembly hitting the stop point (while being pushed by the motor) eventually breaks off the last few teeth of the nylon gear. After the teeth are broken/stripped, the motor runs full out in spot with no load. The signal never cuts out because of this, and you just have to wait for the signal to "time out".

Fix #1: rotate the "D" shaped shaft 180 degrees and use the half of the nylon gear that has never been used. (see www.projectTransAm.com for a guide, its easy)

So what happens when it breaks a second time amd you can't just flip it over again?

Fix #2: replace the whole lighting assembly. The motor, gear, housing are sold as a complete unit so you gotta buy the whole $100+ unit. OUCH.

What happens when your sick of replacing perfectly good motors due to the nylon gears breaking?

Fix #3: Brass gear.
As mentioned above, the C4's hade the same problems, but due to the complete flip their houseing did, they didn't have the luxuary of Fix #1. Eventually Mid America Designs (www.MADvet.com) came out with a bronze replacement gear (Part# 17531) to solve the problem. Although the center section of the gear is different, the tooth# and dimameter of the brass gears are the same as the 4th gen Firbird gears. Here's a fix a www.CamaroZ28.com board member did to adapt the bronze gear to our cars. (I havn't tried this yet, but since my Driver's side died for the second time a few days ago, I will be):

1) Grind off the small lip off the bottom (solid portion) of the gear.
2) Grind ~0.250" off the top (releived side) of the gear

3) discard the little rubber "coupler" that fits inside the factory Nylon gear.
4) flatten the 4 tangs that would have held the rubber coupler into a flat shaft flange. (tangs are on the shaft that runs through the factory nylon gear)

5) slide the gear onto the shaft and fold the tangs back.
6) tap and drill the relevied portion of the gear/tangs and use screws to secure (use Loctite on screw threads).

The orginal poster did this with three 2-56 UNC cap head screws. Grinding and taping can be done at a local machine shop in about 1 hour per gear. Bronze is alot tougher than nylon, but softer than tool steel.

Steve

PS, using plastic-lens sealed-beams instead of the heavier glass versions will help prevent damage to the gear teeth. Also, try not to turn off you lights until the car has stopped moving. Coinciding regualar vehicle bumps with the "stop point impact" can increase your chances of stripping the teeth.

[hou-tex-six]

This might work.

http://store.racinglab.com/pihecophehea.html

Cp

[PewterBird]

Originally posted by hou-tex-six:
This might work.

http://store.racinglab.com/pihecophehea.html

Cp

I found one on ebay fairly cheap, but it comes without english directions.

And it looks a little complicated, and I don't read japanese.



If you can get me the manufacutors website...I just might buy one. I tried searching for it on google, but got nothing. I think it is japanease made though.

Im looking for install instructions.

[ April 27, 2004, 09:01 PM: Message edited by: PewterBird ]