Jean-Marc Dugas
PCS Member
I am looking for the left and right headlight housing for my 54XL. Does anyone have some spare ones with the top attachment tab on top intact? Both of thenm are broken on my car.
Thanks,
Thanks,
1975 - 1976 Fleetwood Headlight Housings
- Thread starter Jean-Marc Dugas
- Start date
I ,ll keep an eye out, but those are getting harder to find. Make sure all the shims are back in place when you install the new ones.
Jean-Marc Dugas
PCS Member
Thanks Dan. From what I have seen on eBay and a few other sites the majority have the same problem as mine with the broken upper tab.
I got lucky and found a set for the 75, they do show up in the yards occasionally.
Kurt Arends
PCS Elected Director 2021-2024
EXTREMELY hard to find perfect examples anymore. It seems that body/paint guys are bad at counting shims. I can check to see what I have, but not overly motivated to sell any of them. When did you paint your ambulance blue???
Crazy idea #97843971. In 2021 there are thousands of homeshop guys with 3D printers looking for short run jobs. It's become a minor industry on machinetool sites.
I see no reason something like that headlight assembly can't be printed if you have the pieces of the broken original that can be glued back together for a pattern.
I see no reason something like that headlight assembly can't be printed if you have the pieces of the broken original that can be glued back together for a pattern.
Jean-Marc Dugas
PCS Member
Still orange. The picture is from e-bay.
Jean-Marc Dugas
PCS Member
The cost of designing the headlight assembly in a 3D design software and then 3D printing it out of metal would most likely be more than what they can be bought for on eBay. My experience with 3D printing (plastic not metal) is that a lot of time is spent designing the pieces. It is fun, but takes a lot of time. Even if one has a 3D scanner, there would still be hours of work cleaning up the file so it is ready for printing.
Now you can clean up the tab to get both sides to look the same and decent. Clean off the excess casting so there is no trace of them. It was a poor choice of product To us to attach them. The steel tabes dont brake with expansion and contraction.
Jean-Marc Dugas
PCS Member
If I do that and do not replace them with an L bracket, would it not affect the alignment of the whole headlight assembly?
There goes my sole chance to add Idea Man to my business cards.
Revision W says build the tab with JB Weld.
Revision W says build the tab with JB Weld.
There are only 3 points where the whole assembly mounts. 2 on the bottom and 1 on top. As long as it is secure with a strap etc. it will work. Just chk the headlight alignment.
Jean-Marc Dugas
PCS Member
Most likely, unless I want to spend a ridicuus amount of $$
I have a 90% bracket in place that holds the assembly in place. I would prefer to have the assembly intact, but for now it will have to do unless I can find something at a reasonable price.
You line the housing with the other panels. The lights are adjusted with the headlight adjusters on each bulb. That is a lot of weight on the one tab of pot metal. GM getting cheap . All the shims are for is to line it up with the hood. I have yet to see the l shaped add on ones fail no matter how crude they look.