rotation direction?

[jtb]

OK, no laughing!

Help! I'm starting at point zero with a basket full of parts, not a car, so what direction should the headlights roll? (hey - I said no laughing!! )
Let's assume you are standing in front of the car looking at it and the lights are going from closed to open. I tried searching, but believe it or not, couldn't find this info in all the headlight info.

Thanks,

jtb

[soybean]

Counterclockwise to open, clockwise to close. Hth, Jarrell

[jtb]

Thanks!!!

Also, I notice that one side's mechanism has three 'swivel plates' but I can only find two for the other side. Should I make/buy another one, or just go with the two.

Thanks again!

jtb

[namba209]

I don't know if you can buy one of those anymore, they are spring steel and hard to come by. On Willit? I had one set completly busted, I was lucky though, and found some thin sheet titanium and I made a single plate out of it, that works just fine.

[baz]

we're not worthy we're not worthy we're not worthy

a new question
I never thought we would see another one

and in the right forum and the right subsection

[markandson]

Don't we have to tell him direction of rotation with respect to where you are sitting, like in the drivers seat, or standing in front of the car. Not that I can remember the answer myself, just thought I would mention it .

[baronbors]

Baz- I have an avi file that shows the flip but the site doesn't seem to support the avi format- search didn't help. How can it be uploaded or can it?

[jtb]

"Don't we have to tell him direction of rotation with respect to where you are sitting, like in the drivers seat, or standing in front of the car."

I thought of that!

Originally Posted by jtb Let's assume you are standing in front of the car looking at it

Anyway, thanks for the responses. I'll try to make one out of some spring steel (an old bandsaw blade or something).

cheers,

jtb

[DESTEC]

I was just standing in FRONT of my stock GT, looking at the front bumper, and the headlight rotate clockwise to open. Kinda symantical I guess.

[soybean]

Originally Posted by DESTEC I was just standing in FRONT of my stock GT, looking at the front bumper, and the headlight rotate clockwise to open. Kinda symantical I guess.

Correct, I'm just used to sitting in the drivers seat when they rotate and didn't really read "Front" into the question.
Jarrell

[Mike Preble]

But I saw one south of the equator and I seem to remember they rotated the opposite way!!!
Mike

[wrangler]

Originally Posted by Mike Preble But I saw one south of the equator and I seem to remember they rotated the opposite way!!! Mike

Too funny! But, odd that you should mention that, because when I was south of the equator I noticed that the wheels would sometimes rotate in the opposite direction as well~!

But in a more serious note, if you can't make the part, I am sure I can scrounge one off my parts GT that you are welcome to.

[markandson]

Jarrell,
I am no better than you at reading the complete post, as I did not notice the statement about being in front of the car either . I guess it was a good thing that I mentioned it anyway.

[jtb]

I've been mucking about with the headlight mechanisms, I can get them to open either clockwise or counter-clockwise. It depends on how the swivel plates are bolted to the headlight buckets (2 possible locations 180 degrees apart) and the movement of the control rod. I can't use the cable, I guess I'll be doing the linear actuator thing, but I thought they might as well open in the direction the Opel gods intended.

Thanks for the replies,

jtb

[jtb]

Hi,

I found this in with the box of headlight stuff. Not sure what it is or where it goes, and I only have one.

Anyone recognize it?

Thanks,

jtb

[namba209]

If you look at the gear teeth on the rotating mechanism, you'll note that the end gear teeth are not full length as the others are. This is because it takes the rotating mass to impact the locking and unlocking mechanisms to go to the locked position in both open and closed position. I seriously doubt a linear actuator will spin the headlites with enuff speed to get the buckets locked in either position, unless you get an extremely fast acting actuator. Best bet IMHO is to get the cable working if possible, or replace it.

[jtb]

I thought one or more people had successfully used a linear actuator for their headlights already? One could always use a weaker spring for the latching mechanism, as the actuator would help hold the headlights in position (closed or open). Or with a fancy (read expensive) actuator you can program the positions and eliminate the latches.
I would like to run a cable, but the transmission I am using is in the way... I suppose I could try a different location for the handle and cable, but running a linear actuator seems simpler (to me).
One other issue I now have is I can get both lights with the rod to operate smoothly - in the opposite direction of stock! (cw to close, ccw to open when viewed from in front of the car) When I try the 'correct' rotation, the buckets bind in the recesses. Weird.

jtb

[namba209]

On the Opel Association of North America website, Wayne Torman has an outstanding tech article on the headlights. How to remove, install and adjust, complete with Opel drawings and a great text. You have to use Google to get to the site. I did it last nite just for grins and the article is still there. HTH.

[hallgeir]

Originally Posted by namba209 On the Opel Association of North America website, Wayne Torman has an outstanding tech article on the headlights. How to remove, install and adjust, complete with Opel drawings and a great text. You have to use Google to get to the site. I did it last nite just for grins and the article is still there. HTH.

jtb, Ron, that article is also at the Tech Center here at OpelGT.com, and yes, it is an outstanding article. I used it when I repaired my headlight mechanism, and even I managed to get it right . All you need to know is covered in that article. Here`s a shortcut: Headlights - page 1 of 2

Good luck.

[namba209]

I'll be dipped, I didn't know that. It's cool though that such an article is available to us here on the site. Thanx for the info.

[jtb]

Oh yeah, I already had that article, otherwise I couldn't have gotten as far as I have!!!
I still don't know why my lights are only happy swivelling 'backwards', but they do swivel, so that's great for now. I just wanted to figure them out and get them in position before paint.

Thanks!

jtb

[DESTEC]

JTB

If your head light buckets are free on one end of the travel and seem to bind a little at the other end of the travel: picture this:

Imagine a line drawn from the front mounting pin thru the aperture of the head light mechanism where the wire come through. The mechanism plane HAS to be perpendicular to this imaginary line in both the X and Y planes.

If the car has even been tapped let alone wrecked, that fragile geometry goes out the window quickly.

Get a machined rod that fits snuggly into the aperture of the Head Light mechanism: It should point right to the front mounting pin; if not, there is only a few 'regular' adjustments to the HLM that can be made; other is brute force to get those planes to line up, i.e., be perpendicular.

hth,

jj

[jtb]

OK, Thanks for the info!
Indeed, the car had been 'tapped' previously on the front left corner, which is why the one bucket was binding. I have straightened out the swivel mounting point on the offending bucket (should have known the Germans would have made it flat!) and now I have my headlights both rotating as they ought to

I have them connected with the control rod, but I'm still debating whether to try to adapt the stock cable mechanism (because my swapped transmission interferes) or try a linear actuator. Hmmm...

jtb

[namba209]

What tranny did you put in? I've never heard of a problem with the Getrag and I don't have a problem with the T-5 in Willit?. Maybe something else?

[DESTEC]

Geometry for a start for those wishing to build his own linear actuator.