V2Rocket

Wondering if any of you light-street or race guys could share photos/description of your "manual popup headlight" setups.

I am aware of the brackets that vt951 made but they won't work due to my car's unique front frame structure.

Hardware-store solutions are ok...just thinking about making some room up front, car isn't driven enough to really worry about "automatic lights".

Dougs951S

the lights on my 951 are simply pinned in place with a large self tapping screw. I Deleted the bar and the uprights that support the motor and linkages and ran the scew straight into the sheet metal. It passes through the little hole in the bottom of the triangular "swing arm" on each light that points down and touches shet metal when the lights are all thr way up. I'll take a pic later today. no issues in several years and its about as light as you could get.

Noahs944

Doug's idea spawned a thought.

In our cars, where each side has a bolts with a 4mm threaded fastener (adjustable stop), could we remove that fastener and where the stop hits the sheet metal, install a threaded nut insert (for example: ). Thanks for the inspiration Doug!

Previously I used the brackets that vt951 designed, and it's tough to beat... since I've given away to a friend.

Alternatively, for super lightweight, I notice the Italians often use very small 90 degree angle brackets for what appears to be "fixed only", I'm sorry I can't seem to find a close up, but if you squint you can see. Unfortunately our headlight designed aren't strong enough to support this design unless you add extensive reinforcement.



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Now i know this sounds silly, but could you fabricate something using a bicycle cable & a hood latch cable lever.

V2Rocket

Noah, that's a good idea, maybe even easier to put a stud/welded bolt in the right spot on the sheet metal, leave the hole on the light "brace" open, and then fit a nut. I'd recommend some kind of rubber bumper thing in the assembly just to absorb any crazy shocks.

Unfortunately for my car, neither this nor the cool vt951 brackets will work. The chassis structure from the front struts forward is completely custom and things aren't in the same places as they were on the original frame.

Noahs944

V2,
If you care to share pictures maybe it would help the brain storming.

V2Rocket

No photos handy, but the structure is modeled after the stock frame.
So the stock flip-up headlight mechanism is all there but the mounting points are slightly different...enough that those cool brackets don't quite fit (I tried them).

So I'm really looking for any ideas/pictures of manual headlight setups that people have rigged up. I know one guy in Spec racing who just used some of those rubber bungie straps hooked around the strut brace to hold them down...

V2Rocket

moar!