Does anyone know how to get the headlight extensions to fit properly to the fender trim?
The extensions on this car are well above the trim.
Thank you,
PM
The extensions on this car are well above the trim.
Thank you,
PM
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Re: 61 Headlight extensions
Hi Paul
If your talking about the little stainless pieces that go on the headlight ring that go over the headlights, they are supposed to stick up alittle higher than the trim on the fenders.All originals are like that from the factory. It's just the way it was. I have a 62 and they are higher than the trim on the fenders. I had asked this question once before.
John -
Re: 61 Headlight extensions
I had one fella tell me he notched out a small piece of metal on each side of the headlight ring extension, bent the extension down a bit, then welded and finished the resulting slit in the ring. Its a lot of work, and is not stock, but looked great. The extensions on my 62 are sticking up like most...EdComment
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Re: 61 Headlight extensions
That's how you tell that they're original. If they fit well, they're not original. They all fit badly from the factory. When you see ones that fit well, it means that somebody spent the time and effort to fiddle with them to make them fit well. The factory didn't.
Drove me nuts too. You'll need to adjust the fender top chrome spear back and forth. You can't really bend the extension down to fit because it and the headlight rim are pot metal that won't bend. You can try to adjust the headlight rim down amd shim the spear up. See if that helps. Mostly it's a process where you fiddle around with it until it's half right and you run out of patience.Comment
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Re: 61 Headlight extensions
I disagree with some of the previous posts. From the factory those extensions actually fit pretty well. There was either no gap or extremely little gap between the rearmost portion of the extension and the fender top stainless spear.
However, you'll see that most don't fit because of several reasons.
1) the GM replacement piece (extension) is not contoured exactly like the original. Put them next to each other, and you can't tell the difference, but mount them to the car, and you can. I can't explain it--that's just the way it is.
2) I've found that the GM replacement fender-top spears are not always exactly the same length as the factory originals, and sometimes because of the placment of the pins on the bottom, the spear ends up being spaced back a little too far towards the windshield.
3) It's possible that the replacement headlight bezels have a slightly different contour on the upper tab where the extension fits--again, not readily discernable, but apparently the case).
4) 61 original extensions (not throughout the entire year, but a significant part of it) have little "wings" on them that the 62 did not have. This was a design change.
I can take you out in the barn to my 60,000 mile 62 maroon fuelie, (never damaged) and I'll show you how they fit from the factory. Then I'll show you my white 62 fuelie with 59,000 miles which was damaged lightly on the right side in the headlight area(prior to 1973), and I'll show you the poor fit on the right side and the snug fit on the left side. The originals DID FIT!!!!!
One thing that I've done to make the replacements fit better is to carefully bend the mounting area on the bezel down a bit ( a little at a time) and continue to test fit that by putting the replacement extension on it until it fits down like that factory did it.
I'll get off my soapbox now.
Mike ErnstComment
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Re: 61 Headlight extensions
Thank you for your answers. This board is great!
I need a lot of help getting this car back together right.
Regards, PMComment
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Re: 61 Headlight extensions
mike ernst knows more about these cars than I. I'll defer to his opinion.
Didn't know you could bend these things. Thought they were pot metal.Comment
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Re: 61 Headlight extensions
chris: i took a pice of locust post and with a chainsaw, contoured the locust to fit the baskside of the potmetal headlite bezel, mounted the locust in a vise, laid the bezel on the contoured locust and GENTLY tapped on the headlite bezels extension till it fit the two chrome pieces. i agree with the bad reverend, the 61's fit perfect from the factory. mikeComment
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