New Headlights, Cobra Style

Car Nut said:

Was the install difficult and did you need to fix the aim of the headlights?

I've got to get new headlights, especially at that price. What did you think of the quality and fit/finish?

Great looking car and the lights sure make a good difference. Your color scheme sure is different, but I like it the more I look at it.

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Thanks for the compliments. I guess I'm going for a retro look of sorts, with the louvers and the c-stripes on the sides. Mostly, I want my 'stang to be unique, and I think I've succeeded.

The install wasn't too difficult. The hardest part is the single retaining clip on the upper headlight mount. I used pliers to remove it, but putting it back on was nasty. The other supports just have clips that need to be squeezed, and you can work them out. I was able to have the headlights replaced and aligned in about two hours.

You'll definitely need to align the headlights. Most instructions I've read, say to move your 'stang about 10'-15' in front of a wall, make sure the ground is level, do some measuring, etc. As long as your current headlights are aligned now, you don't need to do all that. Here's how I did it:

Park your 'stang in front of something big, with about half a car's length between you. If you don't have that available, throw a blanket over some trash cans or boxes; that's what I did. All you need is something to shine your headlights on to. Of course, it should be dark enough so you can see your lights. Turn your lights on, and you should see two bright spots that stand out from the rest of the light. That's the center of each headlight. Take some tape and mark those spots. Now you can turn off your headlights, and swap them out.

I first pulled one of the old headlights. I had to remove the corner light to get the headlight out. Note the support the retaining clip was on - it's different than the other two. this will be relevant when installign the new headlight. I next compared the supports on the new one to the old, and adjusted the new one so they were close to the same length. This technique should align the new headlights pretty close to the old ones. Go ahead and install the new headlight. There are guides in the headlight panel for each of the supports. Curse the damn retaining clip, but you'll eventually get it back on. The other two supports should Now turn the lights on, and see how close the center of the new headlight is to the old one. It's probably off, mine was.

To adjust the alignment, you have two points of adjustment. The easiest one is the lower-right support; it takes a phillips-head screwdriver. If my memory serves me right, turning it clockwise will both lower and pull the light outwards; counter-clockwise will move it up and inwards. The second adjustment is the lower-left support. You'll have to reach behind the light and find the back of the support. The end of the metal screw has a hex-end to it, which can be gripped by a pair of pliers. Hold the plastic support with one hand, and use the pliers to twist the screw with the other. this will move the headlight left and right (inwards & outwards).

I adjusted the lower-right support first, until the center of the headlight was level with the tape mark I made earlier. I used the other support to fine-tune the alignment.

Repeat all this for the other headlight. It sounds like a lot, but it'll be easier when you try it.

As for the quality, I think they're really nice. They look solid, and fit right into place without problems. I don't know if they leak or not, but there seems to be enough glue around the edges of them all.