Headlight cover screws, rear window & indicator lights

[Greg]

Greetings, all

One question & two hints ...

I would like to adjust the alignment of the headlight covers on my 1990 V
special so that they are flush with the surrounding bonnet & wing when
retracted. Technical hitch - there is paint over spray & 14 years of
stubbornness preventing the retaining screws from being unscrewed. Several
garage people have had a go at moving them but are relucent to try too hard
for fear of rounding the screws. Impact screwdriver seems a bad idea given
the lack of support behind the screws. Any thoughts or advice ?

Hint 1. For those who fold their rear window (like me - it's stuffed
anyway) but who would like to preserve it a little - instead of the noodle
idea which has been around for a while to minimise creasing, try a vacuum
cleaner wand wrapped in polar fleece or similar. I've found that the noodle
diameter (70mm) is too large & it slightly raises the folded hood,
preventing a hard top from locating properly. The wand ($5 at your local
vacuum cleaner shop) is a smaller diameter (32mm), but still achieves some
of what the noodle does. And a hard top fits over just fine.

Hint 2. For those who need to disassemble the front indicator assembly (in
my case to polish off some residual crud left after someone tried to dry out
come condensation I guess) - the process provided on the site written by
zorruno works really well - heat gun & patience. Two refinements - 1) start
separating the assembly working from the bottom. The clips on the bottom
are further from the front edge & can be released easier than the top ones.
2) A small soldering iron can be used to melt any stubborn clips out of the
way - removes the risk of uncontrolled cracking of the clear plastic.

Avagoodweegend

Greg

[Ian Chapman]

Hi Greg

If it's the trailing edge of your headlight covers that need to be
adjusted - they bend by hand as they are thin sheet metal. Just open
the bonnet and gently lift the back edge of the covers up a bit- close
the bonnet and check, repeat if needed to line up with the bonnet. The
back edge of the covers get pushed down usually when staring lovingly at
your engine bay wondering what to bit to clean, modify, adjust,
explore!

Hope this helps with your problem.

Ian

[SLYDIT]

I tried to get my headlight lid screws off also,The
screw heads are VERY soft, and I ended up drilling the
heads off, removing the lid, then used a pair of
pliers to unscrew what was left of the original screws
then replaced them all with stainless steel screws and
washers so i know ill be able to adjust them till my
hearts content!