This is hard for me to ask because it sounds so dumb..so VERY dumb..but I changed one of my headlights last night and it was a real bitch and the manual did not help me much. I don't see how a kodder pin removal tool would help at all with getting that damned spring to not shoot inside the gay little hole. Is their an obvious trick/step I am missing?? I have replaced 498375 other things and looking at it from a pain-in-the-a$$/what-you-are-replaceing ratio..it was by far the hardest. Tell me I am dumb...but please tell me why. Thank you.

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-Red '88 IROC 5 Speed 305 TPI w/3.08
-Dual Friction Centerforce Clutch
-Accel 300+ Racing Ignition
-Accel 300+ Pro Sleeve Plug Wires
-Accel U-Grove Plugs
-Flowmaster Force II 3 Chamber Cat Back Exhaust
-Hypertech Chip
-Hypertech Airfoil
-Removed, Then Re-installed (out of fear) MAF Screens
-Gutted Air Box
-Best E/T 14.90, 60 ft. 2.17, 1/8th mile 9.61(bald tires, SES light on)
-Best MPH 92.7(bald tires)

 

Spring? Yeah, i think you stepped in something there man.
The headlights are VERY easy to change, the hardest part is getting to the lower screws on the bezel, and even that is easy. You don't even have to take them all the way out as the slots they mount in are open at the bottom.
Basically, it's 4 screws on that trim bezel. The only screws i can think of are on the adjusting screws. ROFLMAO at the thought of you taking the whole mechanism out when you only needed to do so little.
...ed

 

Ed, I had a friend do that... he was mad as hell at his headlights, and got even more mad at them when I pointed out that he took off the wrong screws.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

Something must be broken with my headlight assembly then..there is NO WAY I can get those bottom screws unscrewed without like taking the engine out and buying a new camaro...well maybe not, but it's still hard..the bottom screws are tucked into the headlight pockets..you can't see them..ya know? You can't just like pull up on them either.. The Haynes, and Chilton manuals both say remove the spring thing..It's seems hella dumb to me..which makes me think that the bottom two screws should be accessable with no work..Which they aren't. damnit! Thanks anyway..

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-Red '88 IROC 5 Speed 305 TPI w/3.08
-Dual Friction Centerforce Clutch
-Accel 300+ Racing Ignition
-Accel 300+ Pro Sleeve Plug Wires
-Accel U-Grove Plugs
-Flowmaster Force II 3 Chamber Cat Back Exhaust
-Hypertech Chip
-Hypertech Airfoil
-Removed, Then Re-installed (out of fear) MAF Screens
-Gutted Air Box
-Best E/T 14.90, 60 ft. 2.17, 1/8th mile 9.61(bald tires, SES light on)
-Best MPH 92.7(bald tires)

 

Yarn,

The easy way is to remove the four trim bezel screws, as some have already suggested. If your lower screws are inaccessible, you can remove some of the headlight trim and grille plastic to gain access. When you DO get them out, use a little anti-sieze compound on the threads before you reinstall them to save some hassle the next time you change a lamp.

Instead of a cotter pin extractor tool, there is a spring hook tool that works well for hooking and pulling the spring off the headlight shell. It's a whole lot easier to replace the spring with the correct tool than a cotter extractor. It's about 10" long, has a "D" shaped handle at one end, and a very small hooked loop at the end. The hook is as hard as a wild boar, so it won't spread open. I've got a couple of them from Germany. They're so cheap, they don't even have a name on them, but they are worth their weight in gold for headlights, exhaust flange springs (really old cars) fishing wires in tight spots, removing seals, gutting your cat, gutting your wife's cat (here, Kitty...) and hundres of other uses. Look around at your local hardware store in the mechanical tools section for packing tools, since these were originally made to remove packing rings from large valves and pump shafts.

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Later,
Vader
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"Make Me Bad"
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0

 

I had great difficulty removing the bezel screws on my car. I had to spray a ton of penetrant on them, and still was only able to crack the top ones free. The bottom ones were on the verge of stripping/breaking and just wouldn't budge. I bent the bezels down to replace the lights, but I know full well that the next time I try to do that, the bezels will break.

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