headlight?!

[nutxo]

So I have a headlight out, little did I know Id have to take off a tire and remove half my inner fender to get to it. Whats worse? How about one bolt broke whiel I was takin it out and then after I get the fender well out one screw is crossthreaded and stuck badly and the other top screw has the slots ground out, no way to use a screwdriver :-(

Im gonna have one eye till i replace the fender :-(

Its liek that lady from that show said, if it aint one thing, its another (Rosanne Rosanna Danna?)

[Mr Camouflage]

Originally posted by nutxo

So I have a headlight out, little did I know Id have to take off a tire and remove half my inner fender to get to it.

Well actually you just have to loosen the 3 screws on the chrome surround, twist it and the chrome surround and headlight come out.

[Daniel]

yeah that bucket is a real pain if it hasn't been removed. I think I use a hand inpact tool and lots of tlc to get them out.Of course I replaced the screws to some with a x screwdriver slot AND would accept a socket wrench.I'm not sure what year Mr camo is working with but my 73 headlights are not coming out the front.You cannot get to all the screws on the chrome trim.

[nutxo]

yeh, the only screws you can get to from the outside are the adjusting screws.

Cant wait to find a parts car and get busy

[Gav240z]

Yeah try WD40 to soften them up, all those bolts around the fenders and headlights, engine bay seem to have a habit of snapping threading or just rounding when trying to remove them.

There a pain so i hear ya.

[AxtellZ]

And another note-

My 73 had one side out, i spent 4 hours getting through the crusty mess to remove the bulb, only to find it was fine.

I had a bad fuse!! I suggest you swap the Left & Right side fuses to verify its actually the bulb first!

The good news was that yes, i replaced the screws so they can now come off with a socket or nut-driver, AND they have anti-seize..

If all else fails, cut a nice slot in the crusty screwheads with a Dremel cut-off wheel, then use a big screwdriver to remove them. Good luck!

Jeremiah

[nutxo]

Originally posted by AxtellZ

And another note-

My 73 had one side out, i spent 4 hours getting through the crusty mess to remove the bulb, only to find it was fine.

I had a bad fuse!! I suggest you swap the Left & Right side fuses to verify its actually the bulb first!

The good news was that yes, i replaced the screws so they can now come off with a socket or nut-driver, AND they have anti-seize..

If all else fails, cut a nice slot in the crusty screwheads with a Dremel cut-off wheel, then use a big screwdriver to remove them. Good luck!

Jeremiah

the bright work fine,.prolly not a fuse.

my dsremels died a while back,.right now im keepin the z to 2 trips a day, neither at night so Ill prolly mess with it after I take care of some important stuff, thanks for all the ideas and input :classic:

[AxtellZ]

Oh yes, i also forgot- WD40 is okay, but for penetrating oil, Kroil is the best i've found ( www.kanolabs.com ).

Slop the penetrant on & let it sit, repeat a few times. Then try removal- using a screwdriver, whack it firmly into place with a hammer, then try turning it. Also can use GOOD vicegrips (be sure the "teeth" are sharp), or even a drill to remove the heads if all else fails, then you can remove the light assembly & get access to the stuck screw(s) to remove the mess when the light is out of the way.

But most importantly, if you're not going to tackle it now- keep applying a penetrating oil till you do, and when you put it back together, apply anti-seize!

Good luck, Jeremiah

PS- Z lights are kinda weak to begin with, you can probably leave the high beams on & noone would noticeLOL

[jmead]

I've got the same problem, headlight is out and can't get the cruty screws out (last guy who tried stripped the crap out of them). I'd like to replace them with something that won't give me so many problems next time I want to change one. I don't have the screws out, so I'm not sure what to buy to replace them. Does anybody know what size and thread bolt I want to replace them with?

[Chino 240Z]

You can turn your wheel Right or Left so you can get your arm up into the fender-well better to fight the screws, but it is easier to remove the wheel and have more room.

Rust penitrating spray, WD-40 will help but there are better oils. I spray to screws several times while I am getting ready and doing other things. Letting the rust penitrating oils set a little so it can do its job so yours will be easier. I find that a pair of med. size Vise-Grip pliers will grab the best to loosen the screw. Yea, you may bust a few of them but once you have the assembly out you can remove the broken piece. Get some new screws and the anti-sieze grease makes it nice the next time you have to get in there. Anyways what a pain, but we all deal with it one way or another. Good Luck

[Mr Camouflage]

Yeah I admit it. I was wrong. My car has been in peices too long. I'm starting to forget how it all goes back together.

I was thinking of the celica headlights on my brothers car. Thought nissan migh have copied toyotas more used friendly way of releasing the headlight from the casing.

[LanceM]

Something that I found works well removing screws, which Datsun seems to use a lot of, is a ratchet with an Apex holder and a phillips bit in it. Using the ratchet allows you to put a great deal more force on the screw compaired to a screwdriver, keeping the tip from camming out. On a few really tough ones I have used my 1/2" air impact turned all the way down, the hammering of the impact with my body weight pushing against it has broken some loose that I was sure I was going to have to drill out.