69 Metal Headlight Shield

[Jack O.]

Hi everyone,

Pulled my headlight shields and the right hand side is thin metal. It's shaped correctly with the cut out and scalloping and doesn't look like a hack job. I assumed it was the original and the left plastic one was a repo. But the left one has the "finger" stapled to it so after some research on this site I believe it's probably an original.

Were these shields ever made of metal? I have a January '69 car.

Thanks,

Jack

[Joe L.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Hi everyone,

Pulled my headlight shields and the right hand side is thin metal. It's shaped correctly with the cut out and scalloping and doesn't look like a hack job. I assumed it was the original and the left plastic one was a repo. But the left one has the "finger" stapled to it so after some research on this site I believe it's probably an original.

Were these shields ever made of metal? I have a January '69 car.

Thanks,

Jack

Jack------


My September, 1969 original owner car had plastic shields. However, very early 1969's used different shields. I thought these were plastic, too, but it's possible they were not.

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

My October '68 car has plastic shields.
Jeff

[Patrick H.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Jack, how about a photo?

[Jack O.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Thanks everyone. I'll update a photo soon.

[Terry M.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Just as a matter of background: The 1968 style shields would, at speed, push back against the headlights and when one turned on the headlights the assembly would not raise because the shield was caught on the lower edge of the headlight assembly. I believe that "finger" was to keep the shield from riding over the bottom edge of the headlight assembly at speed. A metal shield would, perhaps, provide enough stiffness to achieve the same end.

All that said, I have never seen a metal shield, but I haven't seen all of the shields and we all have more to learn about these cars.

[E S.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Terry- What/ where are the the headlight shields? Are they painted body color? I have a 69 that I ordered, and have never had a problem with the headlights raising, although the car has not been driven all that much-I don't recall plastic parts around the headlights?
Thanks for any info.
E.J.

[Arland D.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

My early 69 had plastic shields.

[Terry M.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Terry- What/ where are the the headlight shields? Are they painted body color? I have a 69 that I ordered, and have never had a problem with the headlights raising, although the car has not been driven all that much-I don't recall plastic parts around the headlights?
Thanks for any info.
E.J.

E.J.

The headlight shields are behind the front grilles. When the headlights are down these shields protect the lamps from stone damage as the car is driven. There are three different configurations.

For those in possession of the 1968-69 TIM&JG 6th Edition the three configurations are illustrated in Fig E 6.11 on page 74. The text that describes the shields begins on that page. That text refers to a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) released in May of 1969, That TSB is 69-T-31, It is in the back of that TIM&JG and is the last TSB before the pages from Chevrolet Service News begins. (I could go on a rant about my unsuccessful attempts to get the reference pages at the back of the manuals to be numbered, but there is no point to that. Those with the power to do anything about that didn't think it would be useful.)

Today a brief conversation with one of my colleagues resulted in his recall that there were interim instructions to dealers to staple a rubber "finger" to the first style shields until the later style became available. Neither the above referenced TSB nor a quick scan of the other reference material in the back of the TIM&JG reveals those instructions, but the search goes on.

[Joe L.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Terry- What/ where are the the headlight shields? Are they painted body color? I have a 69 that I ordered, and have never had a problem with the headlights raising, although the car has not been driven all that much-I don't recall plastic parts around the headlights?
Thanks for any info.
E.J.

E.J.------


You can see them through the grille below the headlight assemblies.

[E S.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Terry- Thank you for the explanation-I have the 68-69 6th ed. TIMJG- I will look there.- Can you see them with the headlights down or up?
Thanks-E.J.

[E S.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Thank you Joe.-I will look there-I learn something new every day from this forum.
E.J.

[E S.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Joe/Terry- Definitely plastic-ser# 307xx- Also has large embossed "R" for r/h side, and large "L" for l/h side.-Learned something new today about a car I have owned for 51 yrs.
Thanks-E.J.

[Terry M.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Terry- Thank you for the explanation-I have the 68-69 6th ed. TIMJG- I will look there.- Can you see them with the headlights down or up?
Thanks-E.J.

You should be able to see them either way. They are attached to the body right behind the front bumper and in back of the front grilles, so the shields do not move up and down. The wind of driving at speed (sometimes high speed) pushes them back so they contact the headlights when the headlights are down. The shorter shields thus got caught on the bottom of the headlight bezel and would not allow the headlights to go up while the car was at speed.

Step back from the front of the car about 10 feet and look at the grilles when the lights are down. If you can see the bulbs you have no shields. If you see darkness the shields are there. There are pictures of how the shields mount on the next page of the TIM&JG from the page I cited above.

[Terry M.]

Re: 69 Metal Headlight Shield

Joe/Terry- Definitely plastic-ser# 307xx- Also has large embossed "R" for r/h side, and large "L" for l/h side.-Learned something new today about a car I have owned for 51 yrs.
Thanks-E.J.

EJ

That is what appeals to me about NCRS. I am learning something all the time too, but I have owned my 1970 only a little over 50 years.