Headlights don't fit in buckets

[motherone]

I have a '67 beetle with '66 fenders and lights. The lights don't fit into the light buckets all the way around. It gets hung up on the bottom (the curves don't line up) and I can't even fit the seal around it. The headlight bucket sets out about 1/8" and the top lip is good. Can I grind the bucket down or bend the metal in to make the fit better?

Thanks!

[andk5591]

Picture would sure help as well as details like are these original VW fenders or aftermarket? Same with the headlight assys.
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D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[panicman]

No. Don't do that.

Can you post a picture? It is very hard to imagine what you are talking about.

Are the fenders reproduction, or original German?

Are the lights reproduction or original German (og)?

Are the headlight assemblies in fact 66 and down? Are the fenders, in fact 66 and down?

Are you hanging the top lip of the chrome headlight ring on the metal lip at the top of the headlight bucket, then allowing the headlight to lower in? Please post pics and/or give a detailed description of what you are doing to seat the headlight assemblies.
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Plate of shrimp

[motherone]

Sorry! Pictures help

You can see the top fits snug and the bottom doesn't. It gets caught up on the round lip that sticks out from the fenders. I have the fender to light gasket (not pictured). I just gets lost behind the headlamp assemby because the bottom doesn't fit over the headlight bucket. I think the fenders are repros.

This is our first VW Beetle. We purchased the car in pieces and are trying to put it together from books and information from the web. It's a "family project" for our 17 year old daughter!

Thanks for any help! I'll be posting here alot in the next few weeks as we are in a big push to get this DONE!

[motherone]

Not sure what year anything is! I believe that the fenders are 1966 and headlights too.

I'm hanging the assemby on the top lip and letting it fall into the bucket, but it is getting caught up in the bottom bucket lip.

Thanks!

[dschup]

Are the wire clips inside the chrome trim ring catching on the bottom lip?

[panicman]

Thanks for the pic. I hate to keep you running out there, but could you take a pic of the fender with the headlight off from about 2 feet back, so I can see the fender and bucket?

Also, did you run the retaining screw into the fender at the bottom? There should be a tab at the bottom of the hl ring with a hole. The screw holds the assembly to the car at that location, and you should have a threaded hole right at the bottom of the bucket. When you tighten it (don't go crazy, though) does that tighten the assembly against the seal? Also, there should be a rubber seal the stretches around the bucket on the outside of the fender. Is it in place?
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[andk5591]

Take the gasket out and try it. I had an issue with a crappy seal that wouldnt let the trim ring seat right. Got a set from Wolfsburg West and it all went together just fine.
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[motherone]

Here are more photos! I can get the tab and the screw at the bottom started, but it won't go down. I think it's getting caught on the headlamp bucket lip. I'm afraid to crank it down too hard!
Maybe the photos can help!

Here's the HL bucket

and the headlamp (tension springs popped out when I took it off! I hate to suckers!

It keeps getting hung up on the bottom. Maybe I should try bending in the lip on the headlight bucket.

I finally got the passenger side done!

[panicman]

All of that should be compatible and the fenders don't look badly bent. My guess is you're having trouble because of that damaged rim on the headlight bucket. You should be able to play around with it until the headlight seats, but I doubt it will ever seal correctly. Careful with those springs, wear safety glasses. Those things fly like mad when they get away from you, and they are regarded as eyeball killers.

You could do whatever it takes to hang the headlight, and watch out for a bargain on a replacement fender... Normal range is around $50 each for og used for early 60's.
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[dschup]

+1 on the headlight bucket rim. What kind of paint is that?

[hitest]

just how much stucco IS in the way? Are you using the white spacers under the ring tab like you're supposed to?

They look like bedlined German fenders with Taiwanese(sp) headlights. shave the fender guacamole a little and try German assemblies in there- they'll fit well.
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[panicman]

Yeah, I wasn't going to ask, but what is all over the car?
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[Keith]

[motherone]

Thanks for all the input. The paint job is a DIY from http://monstaliner.com/ in Tarheel Blue. It's a truckbed liner paint that we sprayed on. It's got an orange peel texture to it. Something a bit different - but very durable for a teenager car!

[BluzBug]

[motherone]

Thank you all for the help! I finally got everything fitting snug!

Now I hope I wired I everything correctly so I don't have to take them back out!

[KTPhil]

Well, with the large turn signal bulbs in the socket intended for the smaller parking light bulb, you might be taking them out more often.

Your right side headlamp looks like its tilted, so you may be throwing light into incoming drivers. Be sure to re-aim them after you get it all working properly.