Some bad luck...headscratching...and my H1's

thrown_hammer · 06-10-2003, 03:26 AM

I was washing my car last night. As I dried it off I ran the shammy from the windsheild down the fender to the headlight. I caught the trailing edge of the headlight and it popped off the car!!!

The little mounting tab broke off the bottom!

So I fabricate a new tab and install it. As I am fitting it with the light and making sure it is the right place two of those long spring bars fall off. I can't get them back on!

How do those things clip in there? I can't figure it out. Also I took the other light out to reference the tab location and it struck me...Are H1's held in with just one little tab on the bottom of the light???

Cause mine are. Am I missing something here?

BER · BER's Garage

Shawn,

I have H-1's on my '77 and '84 911's. My H-1's are held on by a tab at the top of the headlight bucket and a screw at the bottom of the headlight assembly. Basically, I "hook" the top of the H-1 over the tab on the top of the headlight bucket. I then center the H-1 into the headlight bucket and install the lower screw. The screw pulls the H-1 assembly down slightly which tightens it against the tab on top.

It sounds like you may have a different mounting sequence since you reference a tab at the bottom of the headlight assembly??

I have disassemblied my H-1's many times to clean the lens and reflectors. Use one assembled H-1 as a reference and the other should go back together easily. Be careful with the long spring rods and don't cross-thread them when reassembling; this might be why you are having trouble getting them back together.

Bruce

Andras Nagy · 06-10-2003, 04:26 AM

Shawn,

That's right; there is only one tab at the top of the "bucket" that hooks the top of the H1 rim, and then there's the screw on the bottom of the rim that holds it in and on.

One of my H1s has the top tab worn down (can't figure it out, since I've owned the car since new), and it is not "hooking" as securely as it used to. But since I have a Porsche Bra on most of the time, the Bra seems to hold it in place. I will have to fabricate a similar tab, and screw it to the "bucket", and that way I'll have more secure fitment.

Hope this helps..............Andras

thrown_hammer · 06-10-2003, 04:39 AM

Sorry for any confusion. The tab is on the bottom of the headlight bucket not the light itself. And the spring bars have no threads? they are criss-crossed around the inside of the rim holding the light in the rim...Does that make sense? They look like very wide thin staples.

BER · BER's Garage

Shawn,

The spring clips install easily. Look closely at the other H-1 to see how they mount. They overlap one another and a slight amount of pressure is required to slip them into place. Kinda hard to explain.

Bruce

thrown_hammer · 06-11-2003, 03:51 AM

Okay,
I took a deep breath and sat down with the H1 and installed the spring clips. Not too bad when your not seeing red. Also the gaskets were keeping the headlight ring from clipping over the rim on the headlight bucket. I don't think they are the right gaskests. When I tightened the screw on the bottom the headlight fits very snug now. I just need to order the correct gaskets. I siliconed them for now. I will worry about the gaskets after the DE.

BER · BER's Garage

Shawn,

Glad things worked out. "Deep Cleansing Breaths" do wonders when working on a 911; I just need to remember to do them more often before I throw the BFH against the wall...ARG!

I ordered new headlight gaskets from Pelican a year or so ago, they worked great.

Bruce