Headlights Mis-Aligned - Please help! *pix*
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: California
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1987 Trans Am
Engine: 305.. Plan to upgrade to a 383
Transmission: Auto *BLAH!* Soon 2b a T5
Axle/Gears: Stock.. For now.
Headlights Mis-Aligned - Please help! *pix*
To put it as quickly and bluntly as I can, the previous owner got into a front impact accident and from what I understand this car (mine now) was totalled. The passenger fender sticks out further then the door, the bumper seems to be crooked in comparison to the hood and the headlights seem to be lower then the hood so they aren't flush. My biggest concern right now is the headlights.
Is there a simple way to adjust the height of the headlights? I played with the manual raising ****, but that was only a temporary thing. Is there a particular bracket or mounting point that controls the height? Pictures below of my problem, sorry for the night pix - I did what I could!
All help is appreciated and pix get an even bigger !
PS. Carfax is a joke, it showed the title to my car as clean.. I only confirmed that it had been in an accident when I ran across an ad on the boards trying to sell the car several months prior. This poor thing had soooo many problems when we bought it!
Is there a simple way to adjust the height of the headlights? I played with the manual raising ****, but that was only a temporary thing. Is there a particular bracket or mounting point that controls the height? Pictures below of my problem, sorry for the night pix - I did what I could!
All help is appreciated and pix get an even bigger !
PS. Carfax is a joke, it showed the title to my car as clean.. I only confirmed that it had been in an accident when I ran across an ad on the boards trying to sell the car several months prior. This poor thing had soooo many problems when we bought it!
#2
Supreme Member
iTrader: (24)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: NC
Posts: 7,935
Likes: 0
Received 145 Likes
on
79 Posts
Car: 91 Trans Am
Engine: LSA
Transmission: T56 AWD
Axle/Gears: 8.8 4.10
Re: Headlights Mis-Aligned - Please help! *pix*
There are 4 bolts holding them in
2 on the top in view and 2 underneath
Your current adjustment looks pretty dang close its just down too far which is the easiest to remedy
Loosen the two lower bolts and insert shims/washers of your choice
I use wooden carpentry shims because they are 97 cents, are precut into the wedge shape and can be easily cut with a knife
Also, some cars have an adjustable stop for the motor arm
If yours has that you can skip all the above and screw that out a few turns
2 on the top in view and 2 underneath
Your current adjustment looks pretty dang close its just down too far which is the easiest to remedy
Loosen the two lower bolts and insert shims/washers of your choice
I use wooden carpentry shims because they are 97 cents, are precut into the wedge shape and can be easily cut with a knife
Also, some cars have an adjustable stop for the motor arm
If yours has that you can skip all the above and screw that out a few turns
#3
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: California
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1987 Trans Am
Engine: 305.. Plan to upgrade to a 383
Transmission: Auto *BLAH!* Soon 2b a T5
Axle/Gears: Stock.. For now.
Re: Headlights Mis-Aligned - Please help! *pix*
Thanks for the info! I'll try it out and let you know!
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: California
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1987 Trans Am
Engine: 305.. Plan to upgrade to a 383
Transmission: Auto *BLAH!* Soon 2b a T5
Axle/Gears: Stock.. For now.
Re: Headlights Mis-Aligned - Please help! *pix*
Well, we tried moving the headlights last night and it worked.. However, that opened up a whole new can of worms. After we moved the lights, the hood closed down on the passenger light and there was a huge gap between the hood and the driver side light. We tried moving the hood mounts, didn't really help. We tried messing with the fenders, didn't really resolve anything either.. So now I am being told that all the panels on the front end will have to be pulled off and the holes expanding to make everything seat correctly. We are pretty sure, now, that the car most likely got hit on the passenger side front nose. :-\ What a pain in the butt!
Thanks for the help though!
Thanks for the help though!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post