Question On C2 Headlamp Buckets>Side To Side Gap Tolerance

[Larry E.]

On my 66 Corvette Coupe I noticed that my gap on the headlamp buckets are wider on the inner side. I searched
this board and found this>"Any side to side is going to show up in the gaps. But it is common for the inner gap to be wider than the outside to make room for the outwardly installed pivot on the inside."

Question>What is the tolerance for the inside gap on the buckets side-to-side? Is the above statement true?
Would like my question answered>Please don't tell me how to fix the problem>tell me IF I got a problem if car
is to be judged.

Thanks in advance>Larry

[Jack M.]

Re: Question On C2 Headlamp Buckets>Side To Side Gap Tolerance

Larry- I can't answer all your questions, but I've attached a few items to consider.

This is an assembly line image from 1966... the headlight gaps seems equal:
1966-Headlights-01.jpg


This image was from a 1966 magazine road test... again, the gaps seem equal:
1966-Headlights-02.jpg


This PDF procedure come from the service manual... no gap tolerance, but be careful of the torque specs:
Headlamp Adjustments.pdf


And finally, if nothing else helps, I can assist virtually... I fixed your headlight gap in Photoshop:
66 Bucket Gap (Fixed).jpg

[Larry E.]

Re: Question On C2 Headlamp Buckets>Side To Side Gap Tolerance

Jack: Thanks for your input. Too bad your virtual fix can't be applied to the real thing! Any input from anybody else??
Has anybody seen this before? Would there be a points deduction in judging? Larry

[Tracy C.]

Re: Question On C2 Headlamp Buckets>Side To Side Gap Tolerance

Larry,

Line 3 on the exterior sheets is Body Fiberglass and Component Fit. You will likely get a comment here on the gap variance but not likely more than a point or two as a deduction. A bigger concern would be the sharp inner radius of the headlight door opening in the hood surround. This is an indicator that there may be some other collision repair issues involving the nose section.

tc

[Richard M.]

Re: Question On C2 Headlamp Buckets>Side To Side Gap Tolerance

The time it could take to even the side gaps could be consuming. Leaning over with the hood open and hands in there to adjust the outer collar and inner y-stop will remind you that your back and arms are not what they used to be. I've done this many times and my back hurts just thinking about it.

The tolerance is actually specified in the AIMs. Depending on C2 year, UPC 11-13 Sheets B7 (or ?)

eg 1964 AIM
Bucket_64.jpg



eg 1967 AIM - Note additional comments regarding side to side tolerance.
Bucket_67.jpg

[Larry E.]

Re: Question On C2 Headlamp Buckets>Side To Side Gap Tolerance

Larry,

Line 3 on the exterior sheets is Body Fiberglass and Component Fit. You will likely get a comment here on the gap variance but not likely more than a point or two as a deduction. A bigger concern would be the sharp inner radius of the headlight door opening in the hood surround. This is an indicator that there may be some other collision repair issues involving the nose section.

tc

Thanks Tracy for input. The picture I posted was not my car but one that had the same gap difference. It was a better
picture of the area. My car is in storage and could not get a current photo of the area. My car is below; it seems the gap
is not as bad as the I posted. Thanks>Larry