55.2-59 Head light trim rings

[Johns327]

My 1955.2 headlight trim doesn't seem to fit right. I have original fenders, headlight buckets, and re-chromed trim rings. I don't ever recall them fitting correctly. Is there any way to adjust these? I was thinking of cutting the support post and re-welding but that seems like a radical solution. Is there something I'm missing?
Sorry about the rolled picture, but you can see the gap on top.

[mongocanfly]

All the fittings should have been done before pai t and rechrome....where do the rings hit? Can you see that?....

[Johns327]

Greg, the rings come done to their mounting points on the cups, they don’t hit the body.
I was thinking to cut those straps and shortening them, but common sense kicked in and I realized that would jack up the relationship with light and the ring.
The problem I think is between the cup and the fender lip. Thinking of pulling the cups out and seeing if I can solve it there. Unless there is something else someone can suggest.

Yeah it’s been on my to do fix list just got overlooked before paint.

[sack54]

switch sides ,they may fit much better.simple but might work, My right fits the left better

[Johns327]

Sack54,
I did switch them and you were correct one side did fit a little bit better.

The key, I think, is the bucket and how it fits the fender. What I'm not sure of is options on what to do. Maybe add small about of depth to it would take up the gap. I will have to tear it apart and see.

Thanks for the suggestion.
John

[Divine 59]

Have you tried swapping the headlight buckets? If the headlight trim rings fit before something is different on the re-install. Try swapping the right to left and vice versa before modifying anything.

[Johns327]

Divine59
That’s an idea that I will explore. There will be a lot of swapping around before any metal is touched for sure.
I was even considering buying one repop (don’t hate me) just to give that a try. Might even use that as my experimental item.
I’ve noticed this problem on other trucks so I know it’s not unique to mine, and I’ve seen some great fitting ones so I know it’s solvable.

It’s just another wrinkle to work out.
John

[idbeast]

Originally Posted by Johns327

Divine59
That’s an idea that I will explore. There will be a lot of swapping around before any metal is touched for sure.
I was even considering buying one repop (don’t hate me) just to give that a try. Might even use that as my experimental item.
I’ve noticed this problem on other trucks so I know it’s not unique to mine, and I’ve seen some great fitting ones so I know it’s solvable.

It’s just another wrinkle to work out.
John

I've got repops on mine and it looks the same as yours.

Jim W.

[duramax55]

jhons 327 the good fiting ones were reworked before body work. Mine didnt fit worth a dam, i had to add tin to ftll the gaps then did the body work and now they fit nice. Fitment from new were not good

[bowt1ed]

My chrome repops didn't fit as good as the originals (which wasn't much to write home about), but I also did a bit of nip/tuck on mine during the metal and bodywork, so they fit like a glove now.

Cheers, Jim

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by Johns327

My 1955.2 headlight trim doesn't seem to fit right. I have original fenders, headlight buckets, and re-chromed trim rings. I don't ever recall them fitting correctly. Is there any way to adjust these? I was thinking of cutting the support post and re-welding but that seems like a radical solution. Is there something I'm missing?
Sorry about the rolled picture, but you can see the gap on top.

Mine didn't fit well after rechroming the headlight bezels either, but I believe I removed the chrome plating on the back of my headlight bezels where they hit the buckets and flipped the buckets and headlight trims back and forth to find a good fit. I think that's what I did. I couldn't get them perfect either. Sorry, my memory is only good for a few days.

[Johns327]

Duramax55 and Bowt1ed, yeah I should have worked it before paint, but that ship has sailed so now I’m going to an alternative.

My56chevytruck, I might give that idea of a quick grind a run. As far as memory, old trucks, old guys, they go together, now what we’re we talking about?

John

[idbeast]

Originally Posted by Johns327

Duramax55 and Bowt1ed, yeah I should have worked it before paint, but that ship has sailed so now I’m going to an alternative.

My56chevytruck, I might give that idea of a quick grind a run. As far as memory, old trucks, old guys, they go together, now what we’re we talking about?

John

I didn't even think about checking out mine. However first part of next week I'm going to take mine and my buckets out to see how they look screwed together and see what can be carefully filled down to help the fit

Jim W

[Coupeguy2001]

If anybody wants to try another original set of headlight rings, i would be open to loaning out a set of painted ones to see how they fit.
Beware, they are over 60 years old, and the tool and die makers have all passed away, so there’s no one to blame anymore.
Hillenger512@cox.net

[duramax55]

you could get some playdo and roll out some stripes that you could put in between the two then screw ring on. Then you would know where t`hey are tight

[idbeast]

Originally Posted by duramax55

you could get some playdo and roll out some stripes that you could put in between the two then screw ring on. Then you would know where t`hey are tight

Good idea!

[Johns327]

idbeast (Jim), be careful with that beautiful truck, love that color. It was on my short list "going to paint it ___".

Coupeguy2001, Thank you for the kind offer. As for myself I have one OEM set, one Repop, and I have a friend who will loan me his locally. Maybe some one else might want to take you up on it.

duramax55, good call and I have some playdough I bought for some other trouble shooting. May be giving that a try.

John

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by sack54

switch sides ,they may fit much better.simple but might work, My right fits the left better

Genius!

[paulspickupparts]

You might try removing the headlight buckets and just holding the bezels themselves up to the fender opening. They you can figure out where you have to make adjustments . Just curious, have your fenders ever had a repair panel installed over the top of the headlight? Weird fits always seem to happen after installing a repair panel . Good luck, great looking paint.

[Johns327]

paulspickupparts, Thanks on the color. The fenders are all OEM no patches. This problem has been with the truck since the late 70's when I painted back then. It was on my list of crude that doesn't fit correctly just forgot about when your doing something that takes 2+ years. I think its all in the mounting panel. I was going to remove everything like you suggested and tape in the rings to check fit. Also I was going to bench assemble the buckets and lights to verify there isn't any interference.
Problem is something shinny has flashed by, I'm have transmission troubles and that jumped to the top of my list, so this will have to wait until that problem that is keeping me from driving it is resolved.
I've attached this old scanned in slide, not the greatest but I was a kid when I took it. This is right after the paint job and assembly of the front chrome. The gaps are there back then.

Thanks for the input,
John

[paulspickupparts]

Hah . Thats a great looking driveway . Looks like a mid 60's Riviera . And then that stubnnose and maybe a sparton camper on the back. Good stuff.

[Johns327]

paulspickupparts,
Good catch, that is a Spartan 30' trailer on a Ford cab over stretched to 24' wheelbase that my Dad and I built for a motor home. Dang thing was powered by a 292 with a 4 speed and 2 speed rear end, I was amazed at what it could do. The car was a Mercury Montego(?) with a 400 Cleveland, it was a curser. That brake drum is a Corvair that we made into a sand buggy. But the point was those headlight rings were whacked back then.

I may have found my transmission issue so while I was filling the transmission with ATF in I stared at those headlight rings again. If this transmission issue is really behind me those should be next on my list.

John

[57tailgater]

Not this equally relates to your situation but I have older fiberglass front fenders on my '57 and stock trim rings come nowhere near fitting. Rather than working the fiberglass to fit, I used what I had available at the time: a couple of '50's Willys (Jeep) pickup headlight buckets and trim rings. The trim fits just right into the recess. It's different but that's ok with me. Hopefully you won't need to go to my extent and get yours resolved.

[Johns327]

Wow, thought I’d update this head light trim rings thread I started. Life and everything put this task down on the list, it took a long time to bubble back to the surface. So I pulled the bucks out and cleaned up the back sides of those and found a little metal spot that needed addressing. Then I turned my attention to the fenders where they mounted. After removing the primer build, paint, clear coat I got it down to metal, then started tweaking that. As usual a lot of assembly, check, disassemble, tweak, and repeat. But I spent the day and it came out WAY better than what I started with. If I were painting the truck, I can see some areas that you could work and get these things in really tight, but that ship has sailed and I’m pretty dang happy with where they ended up. Now on to the A/C vents.