Headlight rims

[Steve_D]

I've had a search but the last thread on this was back in 2013.
So we have a car we are putting back together and it is missing the plastic or GF trim rings that go around the headlights.
The more normal arrangement for these older style 7" lamps is to finish with a chrome rim and you can now also get them in black but in both cases the rim is secured with a screw up through the bottom of the rim which in the case of a Wedge will not work.

Has anyone found a solution or clever trick?
I could no doubt get a rim to stay in place with some PU sealant or a lump of Bluetak but a more professional solution would be better for customer relations.

Thanks
Steve

[adam quantrill]

Maybe you could make a small bracket that is screwed into the pod, and takes the securing screw? Then said bracket would be hidden behind the ring when installed.

If you drill and tap a hole in the bracket, M3 or M4, should be pretty easy.

[Adrian@]

On the left is the converter to clip-on rim for the plastic bowl and on the right the clip to convert the metal bowl to clip-on rim BUT the rims are too big to actually fit in there (if I am honest I tried 30 years ago and only offered a S/S one up a few months ago and did ask on here for anyone who had a couple of the FG ones, with no luck). A@

[phillpot]

On the S Series cars they are secured with a little L bracket, pictures on this old thread


But the MGB headlights are in a similar recess and they don't have anything like that they just clip on? I think they have a bigger lip, like the shiney one in this photo

I suspect it's all a matter of getting the correct rim and bowel combination, metal/plastic... Lucas/Wipac etc?

[Adrian@]

Having not seen an OE item for 30 years (I mentioned FG) BUT my thoughts were that these were vacuum formed or something. The issue is actual the size of a rim, any rim (I have 10 or 15 rims from TVR's 69-91) is that just would not drop in position regardless. I will raise a headlamp and pull a few out of the parts bin and retry later today. A@

[adam quantrill]

The original plastic rim is just secured with 3 screws straight through from the front.

How about drilling 3 holes in the chrome ring at the same positions and then finding a fastener that looks nice.

You only see them when the lights are up and dazzling you...

[Adrian@]

There is not one Chrome or S/S rim that even goes anywhere near actually fitting into the pod let alone being able to fit...a thought on the S/S being plasma cut down and..and. A@

[Steve_D]

Adrian@ said:

There is not one Chrome or S/S rim that even goes anywhere near actually fitting into the pod let alone being able to fit...a thought on the S/S being plasma cut down and..and. A@

Many thanks Adrian. I was thinking of buying in a chrome ring to see if I could make it fit so you have saved me wasting time.
May have to think about making a mould.

Steve

[Adrian@]

What did surprise me was that, I was expecting to see holes for the original trim, but there are none on my '86 DH280 (so I presuming that I never had any) TBH I would 'like' some myself to to take the tackiness, away from it. A@

[adam quantrill]

That's strange I am sure "back in the day" some people found chrome ones that fitted!

[Adrian@]

Adam, the MGB ones (which are clip on anyway) were the smallest, I found 8 different ones...none of them drop into the pod and stick proud, so, I might buy a 6-1/2" bike rim to play with. A@

[KKson]

Dom Harris has been looking into this. He's borrowed one of my spares and done a 3D scan of it with the aim of trying 3D printing. It seems the plastic is so thin however the 3D model will not be strong enough. I've tried assorted chrome rims in the past, all of which fouled the headlamp pod when it went up or down. Did someone claim they were the same as an old Porsche unit?

[mrzigazaga]

I would of thought most H4 trim would fit...Mini...range rover..Vauxhall, classic Porsche 911 etc...but there does seems to be a variant on hole position.

I have a chopped about fibreglass one, which looks to be a factory original..I do plan to take a mould, I did enquire into 3D printing but there was a fair few factors to consider..heat being one ...