[DeTomaso] Headlight shake fix

jderyke at aol.com jderyke at aol.com
Sun Sep 13 00:50:00 EDT 2020


The age-old fix for Pantera headlight shake is to untighten one or two of the three small bolts that hold the drive motor in mesh with the sector gear welded onto the headlight bar. Let the motor-driven gear settle by gravity into full mesh with the big sector gear. Then retighten the bolts. This removes most or all of the excess gear lash that causes most headlight shake.

I have seen Panteras with bent sector gears, possibly from an unrepaired front-end collision. Some will ride nearly off the small motor-driven gear, so be prepared to brute-force the sector gear straight (or straight-er) so this doesn't contribute. Speculating, very stiff suspension springs on stiffly set coil-overs, or maybe just 20 to 30-profile 'rubber-band' front tires on poorly maintained streets might make such shake worse. 
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Mead Photography <scott at scottmeadphotography.com>
To: Julian Kift <julian_kift at hotmail.com>
Cc: detomaso <DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com>
Sent: Sat, Sep 12, 2020 9:15 pm
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Headlight shake fix

  Last time I had my car in to Don Byars' place, he replaced the cracked
  plastic headlamp gear with a new brass one. I don't know if it's the
  gear, or if Don somehow clocked it and the motor, but there's no longer
  any flutter in my headlamps (I have the SACC HIDs - POCA June 2018
  Newsletter, From Frog to Quad
  - [1]https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/999896/documents/201
  8_06_1819920430.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIA6MYUE6DNNNCCDT4J&Expires=1599970
  707&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D2018_06.pdf&Sig
  nature=9oOmurTKkgRU%2B2iK07yWvMTx6RY%3D), with the exception of hitting
  a sizable pothole. Then everything shakes!

  Sent from my iPhone

    On Sep 12, 2020, at 5:50 PM, Julian Kift <julian_kift at hotmail.com>
    wrote:

    On the Amerisport lights I know folks whom have added a bump stop to
    the bucket and adjusted so when raised it just creates tension
  against
    the light and front of the fender. There may be a fix within the mesh
    of the gear and drive, but the weight of the light is forward of the
    pivot so I like the bump stop method, but not yet executed on my car.
    That said, I do believe a lot of the headlight shake I see if from a
    stiffly sprung front end and the car bouncing more than the lights
    moving independently. BTW I have the ultra low profile Amerisport
  60mm
    lights, with a very sharp upper light cutoff, which I think adds to
  the
    perception of the shake from the driving seat.
    Julian
      __________________________________________________________________
    From: DeTomaso <detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com> on behalf
  of
    Charles Engles <cengles at cox.net>
    Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2020 5:40 PM
    To: redcatman74 at gmail.com <redcatman74 at gmail.com>; 'detomaso'
    <DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com>
    Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Headlight shake fix
    Dear Dick,
                  I was thinking about this very thing today.  I left
  after
    sunrise and drove through a hundred miles of fog with my headlights
  up
    and was reminded of the Pantera headlight shake.  I could not recall
    what the fix is, but I do recall that it does exist.  I am keen to
  hear
    what it is.
                                  Warmest regards, Chuck Engles
    -----Original Message-----
    From: DeTomaso [[1]mailto:detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com]
  On
    Behalf Of Dick Koch
    Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2020 12:13 PM
    To: detomaso
    Subject: [DeTomaso] Headlight shake fix
    In my latest refresh of my Pantera, I am doing several improvements I
    never got to before,, one of which is the headlight shake. I know
  this
    has been covered before, so if anybody can remember what they did to
    fix the problem, I would appreciate telling me what they did to
  remedy
    it.
    Dick Koch - Atlanta
    _______________________________________________
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    message posted here to all past, current, or future members of the
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  archive
    or approve the archiving of list messages.
  References
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    2. http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
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References

  1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/999896/documents/2018_06_1819920430.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIA6MYUE6DNNNCCDT4J&Expires=1599970707&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D2018_06.pdf&Signature=9oOmurTKkgRU%2B2iK07yWvMTx6RY%3D
_______________________________________________


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-------------- next part --------------
   The age-old fix for Pantera headlight shake is to untighten one or two
   of the three small bolts that hold the drive motor in mesh with the
   sector gear welded onto the headlight bar. Let the motor-driven gear
   settle by gravity into full mesh with the big sector gear. Then
   retighten the bolts. This removes most or all of the excess gear lash
   that causes most headlight shake.
   I have seen Panteras with bent sector gears, possibly from an
   unrepaired front-end collision. Some will ride nearly off the small
   motor-driven gear, so be prepared to brute-force the sector gear
   straight (or straight-er) so this doesn't contribute. Speculating, very
   stiff suspension springs on stiffly set coil-overs, or maybe just 20 to
   30-profile 'rubber-band' front tires on poorly maintained streets might
   make such shake worse.
   -----Original Message-----
   From: Scott Mead Photography <scott at scottmeadphotography.com>
   To: Julian Kift <julian_kift at hotmail.com>
   Cc: detomaso <DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com>
   Sent: Sat, Sep 12, 2020 9:15 pm
   Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Headlight shake fix
     Last time I had my car in to Don Byars' place, he replaced the
   cracked
     plastic headlamp gear with a new brass one. I don't know if it's the
     gear, or if Don somehow clocked it and the motor, but there's no
   longer
     any flutter in my headlamps (I have the SACC HIDs - POCA June 2018
     Newsletter, From Frog to Quad
     -
   [1][1]https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/999896/documents/20
   1

   8_06_1819920430.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIA6MYUE6DNNNCCDT4J&Expires=1599970

   707&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D2018_06.pdf&Sig
     nature=9oOmurTKkgRU%2B2iK07yWvMTx6RY%3D), with the exception of
   hitting
     a sizable pothole. Then everything shakes!
     Sent from my iPhone
       On Sep 12, 2020, at 5:50 PM, Julian Kift
   <[2]julian_kift at hotmail.com>
       wrote:
       On the Amerisport lights I know folks whom have added a bump stop
   to
       the bucket and adjusted so when raised it just creates tension
     against
       the light and front of the fender. There may be a fix within the
   mesh
       of the gear and drive, but the weight of the light is forward of
   the
       pivot so I like the bump stop method, but not yet executed on my
   car.
       That said, I do believe a lot of the headlight shake I see if from
   a
       stiffly sprung front end and the car bouncing more than the lights
       moving independently. BTW I have the ultra low profile Amerisport
     60mm
       lights, with a very sharp upper light cutoff, which I think adds to
     the
       perception of the shake from the driving seat.
       Julian

   __________________________________________________________________
       From: DeTomaso <[3]detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com> on
   behalf
     of
       Charles Engles <[4]cengles at cox.net>
       Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2020 5:40 PM
       To: [5]redcatman74 at gmail.com <[6]redcatman74 at gmail.com>; 'detomaso'
       <[7]DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com>
       Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Headlight shake fix
       Dear Dick,
                     I was thinking about this very thing today.  I left
     after
       sunrise and drove through a hundred miles of fog with my headlights
     up
       and was reminded of the Pantera headlight shake.  I could not
   recall
       what the fix is, but I do recall that it does exist.  I am keen to
     hear
       what it is.
                                     Warmest regards, Chuck Engles
       -----Original Message-----
       From: DeTomaso
   [[1]mailto:[8]detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com]
     On
       Behalf Of Dick Koch
       Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2020 12:13 PM
       To: detomaso
       Subject: [DeTomaso] Headlight shake fix
       In my latest refresh of my Pantera, I am doing several improvements
   I
       never got to before,, one of which is the headlight shake. I know
     this
       has been covered before, so if anybody can remember what they did
   to
       fix the problem, I would appreciate telling me what they did to
     remedy
       it.
       Dick Koch - Atlanta
       _______________________________________________
       Detomaso Email List is not managed by POCA
       Posted emails must not exceed 1.5 Megabytes
       DeTomaso mailing list
       [9]DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com
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       To manage your subscription (change email address, unsubscribe,
   etc.)
       use the links above.
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     any
       message posted here to all past, current, or future members of the
       list. They also grant the list owner permission to maintain an
     archive
       or approve the archiving of list messages.
     References
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       2. [12]http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
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   any
     message posted here to all past, current, or future members of the
     list. They also grant the list owner permission to maintain an
   archive
     or approve the archiving of list messages.
   References
     1.
   [15]https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/999896/documents/2018
   _06_1819920430.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIA6MYUE6DNNNCCDT4J&Expires=15999707
   07&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D2018_06.pdf&Sign
   ature=9oOmurTKkgRU%2B2iK07yWvMTx6RY%3D
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   Detomaso Email List is not managed by POCA
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   [17]http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
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   use the links above.
   Members who post to this list grant license to the list to forward any
   message posted here to all past, current, or future members of the
   list. They also grant the list owner permission to maintain an archive
   or approve the archiving of list messages.

References

   1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/999896/documents/201
   2. mailto:julian_kift at hotmail.com
   3. mailto:detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com
   4. mailto:cengles at cox.net
   5. mailto:redcatman74 at gmail.com
   6. mailto:redcatman74 at gmail.com
   7. mailto:DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com
   8. mailto:detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com
   9. mailto:DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com
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  15. https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/999896/documents/2018_06_1819920430.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIA6MYUE6DNNNCCDT4J&Expires=1599970707&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D2018_06.pdf&Signature=9oOmurTKkgRU%2B2iK07yWvMTx6RY%3D
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