Light getting thru sides of headlight hoods

[Bluemill]

There are black plastic hoods that surround the sides of the headlight assemblies you see in the raised position. When the lights are on, a lot of light comes thru the cracks at the top inner edges, easily seen from inside the car. It's not a terrible thing, but it does look a little Hokey (sorry Va Tech folks!) as far as fit and finish goes. The screws that hold these in place have cone shaped inside heads that auto center the pieces, so you can't shift them up tight and then tack down the screws down to correct it. Very flat inner edge screws of the same size might work, but they can't be too thick, so that they would hit the side of the hood and fender when retracting.

I tried electric tape, but it soon softened with the heat of the lights, and were "Blowing in the wind."

I know there is someone out there who came up with something clever to fill in the gaps and stop the chinks of light from coming out the sides.

Any ideas?

Best,

Bluemill

[vettex2]

use a heat gun or hair dryer to shape them and then dip in cold water to quench
DON'T over heat them
worked for me

[ToolGuy]

You could try what Vettex2 suggests and it would probably work.

What year is you Vette though?

There was one style bezel used for 97-98 and then GM switched to another style to repalce all. The newer used a different plug on the side to remove and adjust the headlamps. The plug is the key is telling what kind of bezel you have. The newer style plug inserts and twists close. The older is just a plug. So what I'm getting at is, the older bezel may also be prone to warpage. One car had one of each bezel and the old one was warped (like you describe and drove me nuts) and missing the plug, I've since replaced it with the newer style bezel.

Here is a pic of the newer style plug. The old does not exist anymore unless it's on someones car.

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 C5 CORVETTE HEADLAMP BEZEL PLUG | eBay

[vettex2]

I had the old style and then the new style put on under warranty
I did the heat deal to the new style ones

[ToolGuy]

Originally Posted by vettex2

I had the old style and then the new style put on under warranty
I did the heat deal to the new style ones

Interesting. Both of my newer style have not done this but the older one did. Oh well, it was just a thought.

[vettex2]

the good news is that it worked !

[Junkman]

I simply loosened my up, readjusted them and tightened them down. Only needed a Philips screwdriver.

[froggy47]

Originally Posted by Bluemill

There are black plastic hoods that surround the sides of the headlight assemblies you see in the raised position. When the lights are on, a lot of light comes thru the cracks at the top inner edges, easily seen from inside the car. It's not a terrible thing, but it does look a little Hokey (sorry Va Tech folks!) as far as fit and finish goes. The screws that hold these in place have cone shaped inside heads that auto center the pieces, so you can't shift them up tight and then tack down the screws down to correct it. Very flat inner edge screws of the same size might work, but they can't be too thick, so that they would hit the side of the hood and fender when retracting.

I tried electric tape, but it soon softened with the heat of the lights, and were "Blowing in the wind."

I know there is someone out there who came up with something clever to fill in the gaps and stop the chinks of light from coming out the sides.

Any ideas?

Best,

Bluemill

A small bead of rtv or silicone (black) wherever the light leaks thru.

[vettex2]

Originally Posted by froggy47

A small bead of rtv or silicone (black) wherever the light leaks thru.

I preferred to make them fit correctly

[SebringBill]

Originally Posted by ToolGuy

You could try what Vettex2 suggests and it would probably work.

What year is you Vette though?

There was one style bezel used for 97-98 and then GM switched to another style to repalce all. The newer used a different plug on the side to remove and adjust the headlamps. The plug is the key is telling what kind of bezel you have. The newer style plug inserts and twists close. The older is just a plug. So what I'm getting at is, the older bezel may also be prone to warpage. One car had one of each bezel and the old one was warped (like you describe and drove me nuts) and missing the plug, I've since replaced it with the newer style bezel.

Here is a pic of the newer style plug. The old does not exist anymore unless it's on someones car.

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 C5 CORVETTE HEADLAMP BEZEL PLUG | eBay

Technically the twist-to-lock plug is the 3rd series. Early 97s (earlier than my #0993) had a 7/8" push-in plug. The bezel was changed to the larger ~2" push-in plug, then later changed to the twistee version. I managed to snag an NOS bag of the 7/8" plugs, then realized that my car had the 2nd series bezels! I'd be happy to help anyone out there with the 1st or 2nd series bezels (and/or plugs) by taking those obsolete pieces off their hands!