• Welcome to the new SAOCA website. Already a member? Simply click Log In/Sign Up up and to the right and use your same username and password from the old site. If you've forgotten your password, please send an email to membership@sunbeamalpine.org for assistance.

    If you're new here, click Log In/Sign Up and enter your information. We'll approve your account as quickly as possible, typically in about 24 hours. If it takes longer, you were probably caught in our spam/scam filter.

    Enjoy.

66 Alpine Headlight Issues

R

Ray

Donation Time
Several of you folks have been very helpful. Thanks. I'm getting an idea of how the headlight doors are supposed to attach.

I have just discovered that the headlight buckets that came with the car (and stored away for several years) may not even be Alpine parts. It turns out that the bucket tabs that receive the headlight door are missing. Nope...not bent or broken off...just missing. These buckets never had any such item. I'm wondering, were any other bucket style ever supplied with the car? I ordered a bucket from SS and am hoping to get a better idea how everything goes together.

I have discovered that the headlight doors were screwed onto the buckets. Holes were drilled through the headlight door face in two places to attach them with wood-screws into blocks of wood inside the fender ... wish i had some pics! Neither headlight door has any apparatus on their bottoms for attachment. I was wondering if there is anything special about them.
 
M

mikephillips

Donation Time
My guess would be that perhaps someone got a set of buckets off a junkyard car not realizing that there was more than one style Lucas made. As far as I'm aware, all Alpines came with the same one, only the removeable lower clip for screwon -v- clipon being different. Since you say you have 2 holes in the bottom that the put screws through, are they fairly close together, like within an inch or less?? If so what might have been done with the rim is the clipon clip on it was retained by 2 rivets. Those holes might be where that clip was removed.
 
R

Ray

Donation Time
more on the headlight doors and restoration thoughts

One headlight door has the riveted on clip...well...a remnant of it any way. Whoever did the surgery really didn't have any idea of what they were doing. The two drilled holes in the bottom are close to the clip but the rivets are still present. The other has no such clip-like device. I am thinking that the headlight doors also come from two different cars. One that used the clip and one that didn't. The bottom lip of the doors are quiet unlike each other. This is a 66 Alpine and I'm wondering whether it should have clips or not. I am of the opinoin that both can be altered to accept the newer style buckets. There is no indication of the Lucas name on the old bucket which makes me especially suspicious. It makes you also consider how they found no-name parts that fit!

I'm also wondering what the best product would be to fill the errant screw holes. I notice that the headlight doors are aluminum. I am thinking that I can fill the holes with lead or bondo. I don't believe that the Al and the Pb woulld cause a dissimilarity reaction.

You know, i have to add that i'm not a purest when it comes to old cars. I am a firm believer in modern electronics, new paint, new gaskets, etc. But i do want it put together the way it is supposed to be. If there is a better way to do something, i'm all for it...but clever wood working is over the top.
 
M

mikephillips

Donation Time
Anything is possible, made easier by the fact that for many years headlamps were standard sizes so there was more chance of a match of things like buckets.

The doors, if original type, are pot metal not aluminum, which is mostly zinc.
 
M

mikephillips

Donation Time
Should mention, for those who may not know, that you don't really want to use a patching solution that requires heat on pot metal sinc zinc melts at a low temperature and is too easy to destroy. You can use a substance like jbweld to patch holes. what I've done is slightly bevel both side of the hole with a drill bit first, this gives it a shape kinda like a squashed rivet on both sides so it will not come out of the hole without the patch actually breaking apart.
 
R

Ray

Donation Time
More on those headlight doors

You folks have given me alot of good advice. Thanks. The new bucket arrived from SS yesterday. I bought just one thinking that there may be something from the old buckets that could be reused. Nope. None of the parts that came with the car have have anything in common.

My front fenders need a little work where the head lights attach but knowing how it all goes back together is encourageing.

I will be needing a new valance around spring. I've heard that the Brit Vic part isn't that good. Any comments on that?

Thanks again.

Ray
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top