Need new headlight adjusters for my 87 442

[dacutty]

Ok, so I went to adjust the headlights on my recent 87 442 project and of course the vertical adjusters are stuck in place badly. I had some penetrating oil on the threads for a while but still no go. Of course on the 87s they have the Euro style sealed headlights and the adjusters are different than the prior years with the four separate lights. I have an extra set of headlight assemblies as spares from another car that I have had in storage for a while. I pilfered the two spares for the adjusters. Even on the bench I was only able to save one of the four adjusters. My question to the forum is: where can I get replacement headlight adjusters that will work with the Euro style headlamp assemblies? I have seen a bunch of the kind online that are for the four separate light styles but none for the 87s Euro style. I have seen some of adjuster screws sold separately that I might get to work. I was hoping someone had a part number, a brand, or a recommendation. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Andy

 

[383S10]

The help isle at the auto parts store....but look in the catalog for the rIght part #......but the best place to look for old part #s and parts for older car is Rockauto.com ......once you get old part # you can google sources for the part....good luck......

 

[pontiacgp]

if you take the adjusters and soak them in a bucket of oil that you heat up a little that should release them

 

[dacutty]

I have had no luck on Rock Auto. They were one of the first places I looked.

I will look to see what the Dorman has for parts etc..

 

[dacutty]

The adjusters I had on my spares were so hopelessly stuck in place that when I removed all of the plastic parts I couldn't even get the nut off the adjustment screw with a pair of vice grips on one of the three adjusters.

The adjusters on the car, are still on there whole, but the vertical adjusters on either side are both stuck. I only have one viable replacement that lived from the set of spares. This is why I would like replacements.

There is no putting heat on these things because they are so integrated with parts of plastic. I managed to get all of the plastic bits off of all backing plate and separated from the screw in the one case so I have one viable replacement.

 

[pontiacgp]

I know they are plastic and that is why I suggested putting them in oil and heating up the oil

 

[dacutty]

When I get the ones on my car off, I will definitely give the oil soaking bit a try when I get it separated from the backing plate. Thanks for the tip.

 

[pontiacgp]

it's the rust on the threads that locks them in place. Soaking them in warm oil should soften up the rust so you can get them apart.

 

[dacutty]

Good news. Now that I took both of my headlight assemblies out I was able to free up all of the adjusters. The key to getting them working was knowing how to take them part and soaking the adjusters in penetrating oil for about an hour and a gentle but firm touch.

Getting them apart steps:

1) Take the light assembly out of the car.
2) Take the glass part of the headlight assembly out (5 Phillips head screws) where the adjusters mount to the glass part of the light.
3) Now that the glass has been separated and is out of the way somewhere safe, take the adjuster knob off of the stuck adjuster. Take a pair of pliers and pull back on the knob. It should pop off the sheath that goes around the actual metal adjuster screw.
4) The square plastic mount that goes into the headlamp backing plate needs to be gently twisted out. I did this by putting pliers on the back side and twisting until it lines up to be removed. I also lubed the backing plate so it would come out easier.
5) The adjuster should be out now. Now you can soak it in the penetrating oil or your favorite release agent for however long you feel works best.
6) In my case I popped the ball joint side of the adjuster out of its little plastic housing. Just add a little lube and some gentle pressure and it will come out.
7) On the ball end of the adjuster screw that is now bare, I used a set of locking pliers to hold it in place. Then I took a small adjust able wrench and put it around the square adjuster mount. I put a little pressure on the mount until it started to move.
8) Thereafter I was able to get the threads all cleaned up and the adjuster mount freely moving.
9) Put the whole thing back together. I also put a liberal coating of anti-sieze on all of the threads making sure I worked in into all the threads up and down the adjuster.
10) Put the assembly(s) back in the car and adjust the lights for optimal viewage.

Whew. What a pain.

In my few days of searching I found no replacements for the adjustment screws. Take good care of your adjusters. These lights are hard to find. I'm lucky to have had spares. I see one come up on ebay every now and again but usually the glass is in marginal shape.