The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 52 3100 headlight rebuild

Having trouble with the rebuild. As you can see in this pic, the silver can is barely held in by the two screws and the spring on the bottom. Think I am missing something?

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those screws should be headlight adjusting screws.

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Those adjusting screws (as Jim said) should probably engage the headlight can a bit more. The can slides around in the bucket so maybe it's just been pushed out of position. You should be able to push it back into position so the screws stay engaged. The slots should probably be bent slightly upward so the screws stay engaged in the slot.

I think the "white" can is rotated wrong. Those small screws are not the adjusting screws but holds the silver white bucket in place. There are two other screws that, in conjunction with a spring, that is the adjuster.

Its been a few years since I put mine together so my memory may be wrong. I thought the adjusting screws were located 90 degrees from each other to allow left-right and up-down adjustment.

Take the white part off and look for a coil spring. If that is missing you may be dead in the water. It looks like you are missing the adjuster screw assemblies (there are 2 of them for up and down, and left and right).

The other guys are correct, The adjustment screws seem to be missing.

Here are a couple of pics showing the adjustment screw mounts on the bucket and the location of the spring (which is riveted to the bucket) near the bottom.

Headlight bucket
Adjusting spring

Unfortunately the adjustment screws I took out of the bucket are "filed away" (probably in a box that I can't quite reach), but they have a nylon block that clips into the metal bracket shown in the first pic.

Thanks all, I do have the adjusting screws in. Also the spring is attached. The challenge seems to be the back of the silver can does not sit into the housing to the point the adjusting screws engage. Can anyone describe how the adjusting screws are supposed to engage the can and make it move? As mine is now, the nut is in the frame the the screw is perpendicular. One can ether screw in our out but I don't see what it moves?

When you say "slot" you mean where the sheet metal screws grab the can?

OK 47-53 headlight bucket.

http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/jsdesign2/library/

Chrome ring mounting screw at 6 o'clock
adjusters at 9 and 12
1 spring
vertical ridges on the moveable piece run against the center edge of the back bucket
No way you can screw the center piece down flush.

You have the "Body" the black part screwed to the Fender and then the "Mounting Ring" (silver dish part) screwed to the Body, that's the problem. The Mounting Ring is supported off of the Body with the two adjusting screws, not screwed tight to the Body. The Adjusting Screws are located at 12 and 9 o-clock and the spring is at 5 o-clock. The screw slots in the Mounting Ring (silver dish) get inserted into the groove on the head of the adjusting screws.

Hope this helps,

Mike B

I correct my statement that the retainer can't be screwed down flush with the bucket.
In the picture on the first post, you can see the 3 channels radiating out from the center, that are pressed into the retainer.
These create ridges on the back that ride on the center edge of the bucket, allowing the retainer to rotate when the retaining screws are adjusted.
If you look at the one that runs down from about 1 O'clock, you will see a crease pressed into it from the back when the retainer was screwed down to the bucket.
These (on the others too) will cause problems with adjusting when the assembly is put together correctly unless they are hammered out.

I agree completely with Jim's statement. The can needs to move freely within the bucket, and those dents in the radial channels would prevent that.

The way the adjusting screws work is when tightened, the spring lengthens and vice-versa, while the can rotates within the bucket, changing the point of aim of the headlight. As you can see on the photo I posted, there are two holes near the spring. The one on the right allows the adjusting screws to line up with the notches on the can. If the spring is hooked in the left hole, the adjusters won't line up.

I seem to recall that the adjusters were a bit of a task to get out. I think they insert from the outside of the bracket toward the center. Is it possible you have them inserted in the brackets in the bucket backward? That might put them too close to the center of the assembly.

Jim Thanks that is exactly what i needed! I had multiple errors, and your pic enabled me to fix it!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jw5snzr44rtvz0j/IMG_20170612_161532776.jpg?dl=0


Thanks, Denis

Figured it out thanks everyone