[DeTomaso] Headlight Raising Speed

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/7/10 6:08:26 AM, rob at dumoulins.net writes:

> Out of curiosity, I added a spring between the radiator mount and the 
> gear assembly where the motor attaches.  It takes less effort to raise now and 
> still closes all the way. I've got a week to wait until my new parts come 
> in to tell how it works with the motor.  Has anybody else done this and
> if so, do the headlights come up quicker?
> 
Not that I've heard, Rob. While the weight is noticable, it depends on the 
speed travelled how hard the motor works and thus how fast the raise/lower 
occurs. One owner at Bonneville removed a defective motor assembly, and found 
the wind blast alone picked up the headlights, slowing him down. So he ran 
a 1/4" BOLT thru the center mount and the headlight bar ('71 only). On the 
next run, the bolt sheared.... He wound up putting the motor and gearbox back 
in just to hold the assembly down. While you probably aren't gonna run 
speeds like his, it indicates the headlights may lift and bounce at somewhat 
lower speeds if not restrained. On many cars, a misadjustment in gear mesh 
between the drive motor gear and the big sector-gear on the bar allows 
headlights to bounce. This wears the gears, chips paint and if the lights are up & 
on, it annoys the h... outa anyone in front of you. If you add a 
helper-spring, I suggest making sure the gear mesh is tight by adjusting the 
motor/gearbox height on its slotted mounting boltholes. 
Another tip: the motor is the same one used in the window raise/lower 
system and uses the same plastic gear that often fails. Add an aftermarket bronze 
gear from any of the vendors to the windows AND the headlight motor 
gearboxes to permanently eliminate this failure point. Good luck- J DeRyke