The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Headlight adjustments

I don't recall if safety inspections still include checking the adjustment of the headlights. I worked for the local Ford dealer when I was 18/19 and did a lot of new car get-reddy which included checking those headlights. However we had a professional machine to do the checking. Does anyone here have some shortcuts to making these adjustments?

the shop manual has the procedure for aiming using a measured distance from a wall

Bill

Thanks William. I have the book and should have checked it out. I just thought Chevy printed the book for the mechanics in dealerships and they wouldn't need the DIY setup.

I worked in Chevy dealerships back in the late 50's early 60's
and don't remember any short cuts. I took a couple of large
boxes, unfolded them and taped them togeather to make a screen.
Laid it out like the target in the book and painted a mark on
the floor to locate my headlight distance. Here's a picture, it
was dark so it's a bit hard to see, but you can blow it up to
the "original" size and see most of the detail:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/138714064/large

Denny Graham
Somewhere north of Sandwich, IL

I still have the Hoppy adjuster kit that we used when headlight aiming was part of the safety inspection. Coarse they dont work on the new style headlights but are great for old Stovebolts.

Hoppy Headlamp Aimer kit - used

Still available from the pros, for the pros.

Wrenchbender used his adjuster on my Suburban in KC last year. It works great. Thanks again, George.

Tim,

That VA-25 and the v-100 look a lot like the ones we used in the early 60's. However for the money, I may be looking for a couple of big boxes and take Denny's route; Kansas is a bit far.

Wrenchbender;

Does that thing work on the quad headlights on a 58? If so, I might have to make a run out to Lenexa and square away my Burb. I tried doing it on the garage wall but they still look like they're pointing all over the place at night. Of course I now have a mix of 2 new lights and 2 of the old T3 lights. Maybe I should just buy all new lights.

I have one of these aimers, but mine is made by Delco. Works on any car with replacable sealed beam lamps. i.e. old trucks and most anything up to about 1990's

Hoping Wrenchbender has it with him at the show in KC later this year. I've been working at getting mine aimed outta the trees, and so far haven't had much luck. I've painted the marks on the wall in the shop at 25 feet, and have them better than they were, but still a lot of room for improvement.
Tramp

Yes. It has adapters for all the diff. sealed beams.
I'll adjust them for you. I'm down at a shop in the Riverside, Mo. area almost every morning. If its a warm afternoon we can do it in Lenexa.
George

Remind me shortly before the show & I will bring it with me.
George

...... I just don't drive at night George, be carfull what you offer, I may drive both of mine to Kansas so you can aim them!!!

Tramp, I thought you had yours aimed in the tree's because your a coon hunter? LOL

Alvin,do you need me to fly to S.C and drive your panel here ?


Tim

Tim, I was going to send you a PM but your at your topic limit.
You gotta clean it out sometime...... I spent 2 hours on mind!!

If you drive it UP there then you have to drive it BACK... and once you get a taste of this gooood southern BBQ you may not want to go back

Alvin, you gots to quit this teasing everyone with the carolina BBQ. I've driven all over the US, Canada, and Mexico over the years when I was still punching a hole in the night with the KW, and still haven't found anything quite as good as the stuff out your way.(and that's going some, considering KC has some of the bestest BBQ in the country)
And if anyone drives your truck, they ain't likely to stop for a long time.

Alvin,

How does SC BBQ differ from NC BBQ - pork butt - smoked?

I know about a SC mustard/vinegar/pepper sauce. What types of SC sauce(s) do you like?

All BBQ is good. I've had both SC and KC BBQ but my favorite is beef smoked in Texas. I spent 10 years in Memphis and grew to love the dry rub BBQ found at the "Rendezvous" there. That's the only pig BBQ I like.

Its Pork and eveyone has their own "special recipe or rub" for how they cook/smoke it. I've tried it all around my area within probably a 200 mile radius and we have a place in Greenville that we frequent often and deem as the best available.
In fact, I had BBQ there at "Charlies" last Tuesday.

The "best" was Ron's Hog Pen BBQ here in Boiling Springs, but Ron had health problems and retired and closed it down. We have other places but its just not as good. The "pulled pork" here is awesome. Pure "hog heaven" pun intended.
I lean toward the ketsup base sauce a little more than the mustard base depending on the recipe.
With all respects to the Kansas BBQ I remember the first year Victoria and I went to the Reunion (2008) and we ate at "Stacks". She still laughs at me because I told her "I didn't order Roast Beef". To me its roast beef with some BBQ sauce poured on it. Nevertheless, I'm a sport about it and have eaten BBQ the past 5 years in Kansas!!!

You guys have gotten way off topic.