Who has removeable head light covers
Who has removeable head light covers
Author
Discussion

V8Dom

Original Poster:

3,547 posts

228 months

Tuesday 3rd July 2012
quotequote all
Hi
Im replacing my head light covers next week and wonder who has bolted them into place rather than stuck them in?

If you bolted them what did you use riv-nuts or glue nuts in to bolt to.

Thanks

Dom..

macgtech

997 posts

185 months

Tuesday 3rd July 2012
quotequote all
V8Dom said:
Hi
Im replacing my head light covers next week and wonder who has bolted them into place rather than stuck them in?

If you bolted them what did you use riv-nuts or glue nuts in to bolt to.

Thanks

Dom..
Ours are rivnutted into place. Used M4's if I remember correctly. Only issues is that a lot of crap tends to get stuck behind them, but if you don't mind cleaning them out every so often it shouldn't be an issue.

spatz

1,783 posts

212 months

Tuesday 3rd July 2012
quotequote all
i have 2 bolts m3 one top one bottom works perfectly easy to clean if necessary and easy to replace

LuckyP

6,243 posts

251 months

Tuesday 3rd July 2012
quotequote all
Think you already know the answer from the the GTW contingent!!

Ours are tapped into the glass fibre. I had mine originally bonded in, but now with the GTW you can remove whenever you need to clean the inside of the cover. Looks racey too!!

donkeasy

636 posts

248 months

Tuesday 3rd July 2012
quotequote all
Can you ad a picture please

Davrianman

487 posts

290 months

Wednesday 4th July 2012
quotequote all
Here is my effort. The bolts go straight through on mine and clear OK, but it is probably easier to add threaded inserts. Bolts are annodised black aluminium.

Mart


spatz

1,783 posts

212 months

Wednesday 4th July 2012
quotequote all
wow many !
for weight reasons"............ i have used one rivnut top and one rivnut bottom
all well for the last 7000km !

UltimaCH

3,181 posts

215 months

Wednesday 4th July 2012
quotequote all
14 in all...

highflyer

1,899 posts

252 months

Wednesday 4th July 2012
quotequote all
NO
28 in all smile
any chance of a photo Spatz ?

LuckyP

6,243 posts

251 months

Wednesday 4th July 2012
quotequote all

k wright

1,039 posts

285 months

Thursday 5th July 2012
quotequote all
Bolted mine in and used one sided foam adhesive tape to keep the water out.

Rivnuts are the perfect solution as long as you add some sealant to the back of the threaded screw.

F.C.

3,901 posts

234 months

Thursday 5th July 2012
quotequote all
k wright said:
Bolted mine in and used one sided foam adhesive tape to keep the water out.

Rivnuts are the perfect solution as long as you add some sealant to the back of the threaded screw.
What size, type and material rivnuts did you use?
Does the glass fiber hold the rivnuts or did you use epoxy aswell?

highflyer

1,899 posts

252 months

Friday 6th July 2012
quotequote all
kwright any chance of a photo ?

SpiritedDriver

6 posts

181 months

Monday 9th July 2012
quotequote all
I have them about to change silver bolts to black bolts

but yes so much easier to change bulbs and keep clean.

2001ultima

234 posts

181 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
Dom,

See my post. My headlight covers are not bolted and are removable. One year now with no problem; however, I did notice that when it gets very hot the strip caulk can get soft. What's nice is the headlight covers are removable and great seal is provided without being glued. I am worried that if it is too hot on a track day the cover could come off if air keeps up under the bottom edge so I plan on adding at least two bolts/screws to make sure they are secure.

If you go this route, the 3M strip caulk come in thin strips. I outlined the perimeter with 3 strips side by side, water and dusk will not get in.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=105...

spatz

1,783 posts

212 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
as you can see on the pic i did not use the black primer, since at stoneleigh all cars were showing signs of delamination. I have made some tests with black primer and could not find any that is sticking to the perspex (transparent plastic) in a way I could be satisfied. So in the end I did not do it at all and am quite happy.
I made one last test with black expoxy and that is ok in terms of sticking, you will get it from special shops !
I did not use any sealing cause sooner or later it will look dirty or get yellowish from the sun. Water can enter and also exit and it is not a bad idea to vent this area anyway.
Once in a year I remove the 2 screws and clean the inside and the plastic and I can only recommend going that route !

AndreasW

102 posts

187 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
spatz said:
i did not use the black primer, since at stoneleigh all cars were showing signs of delamination.
What there peels off is not the adhesive itself, but the UV protective coating on the polycarbonate which dissolves from the surface because it can't withstand tensile load by flex and tension.

So when the cover is not glued in, this should not happen.

I need to replace mine and will attach them also with screws (like you did).

spatz said:
Water can enter and also exit and it is not a bad idea to vent this area anyway.
+1

356Speedster

2,294 posts

257 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
spatz said:
as you can see on the pic i did not use the black primer, since at stoneleigh all cars were showing signs of delamination. I have made some tests with black primer and could not find any that is sticking to the perspex (transparent plastic) in a way I could be satisfied. So in the end I did not do it at all and am quite happy.
I made one last test with black expoxy and that is ok in terms of sticking, you will get it from special shops !
I did not use any sealing cause sooner or later it will look dirty or get yellowish from the sun. Water can enter and also exit and it is not a bad idea to vent this area anyway.
Once in a year I remove the 2 screws and clean the inside and the plastic and I can only recommend going that route !
That looks very neat, Spatz. Is that just a pair of M5 screws tapped into the GRP or did you rivnut?