aiming autodynasty headlights

[Bouchie11982]

well for the some that i know that have these headlights as well. they took out the adjusters/aimers and the black rubber surrounding piece of the headlights and replaced it with the stock ones from your own car. they just work better an with teh black surrouding piece on the aftermarket ones, they pu a thicker piece on there which made it harder to get it on the car because you had to fight with that s well as putting it in.
both of the headlights, black and the chrome ones, look good on the silvermist car, so that would make it even tougher

[tommy00gt1]

When I installed my new assemblies a few weeks ago, I put some G.E. Silicone II clear rubber sealant all around the existing caulking. Figured I'd enhance that seal a little bit.
Do you have a date set for that ticket thing , Katie ? Good luck... hope you come out favorably.

[Bouchie11982]

no date set yet.....i'm waiting for it though! it's getting annoying cuz i want it over with.

[coupe]

Originally Posted by CUSTOMGAGT2000SEDAN

with out step to step photo's your blk thing / adjustment thing is going to be over my head. i just hope all i need to do is pay close attention to how i take out the old lights and make sure everything on new lights looks exact or is transfered over the exact same . so you need to trannsfer some parts ?

and i know the blk chrome would look better on my metallic silver mist but if i go all chrome i will eliminate the loss of light problem and rainbow effect correct ? but the only thing left will be the aiming concern correct. what other problems or concerns have i missed?

Did you even read this thread?

[Bouchie11982]

for anyone interested, here's what the chrome headlights would look on a silver (darker silver) grand am

[tommy00gt1]

Hmmm... I can't get the pic to load here. Might be my security settings on this new Dell computer though; not sure yet but I'll play around with the settings here.

The guy asking about adjustments.... If it's any help, when you take your stock assembly out, put it side by side to your new one. Then look at the three adjusters and try to eyeball it and try to adjust the new one as close to the old one (for depth-wise). That was what I had the most trouble with because I didn't check for depth, and I had a bitch of a time trying to fit the adjusters into the tiny slots where they go.
One was way too deep; the other was too short to fit / lock into the slot. took me some time, but I finally figured it out. It was my first time screwing around with headlight assemblies, so it was all new to me.......

I used brand new G.M. stock assemblies, so I don't have any idea about aftermarket ones.... I bought 'em at a ridiculous low price from someone who ordered them from G.M.PartsDirect, but sold the car and had the lights left over; still wrapped up in the original box. Fortunately for me, I got them for a fraction of what they cost. I almost ordered 'em from AutoDynasty too, but I couldn't pass up this deal I got.... plus, I don't need the hassles of the cops around here... they seem to be going on a blitz here lately and stopping anyone with lighting mods.

I would guess that aftermarket ones would install the same as stockers... If worse comes to worse, swap your adjusters from the old to the new ones.

[coupe]

Finaly drove my car at night to see what my headlights are aimed like.
They where so high that i was lighting the tree tops They didnt even tough the ground
So the next day i took them back out......again. I screwed the 3rd track guide back down a good 8-10 turns.

The only reason its frustrating for me is becuase:
A) i dont have a flat driveway so i have to drive somewhere to use a big flat wall.
B) I dont drive my car when its dark out for me to aim them. Its not dark till 10pm in which case im in bed and the sun rises at 5:30am in which case im just getting up.

Im very upset, i think i might have them figured out, just gotta find time to aim them at night, or at least be awake to do it.

[tommy00gt1]

Awe man, that blows...... The way I did mine was to park my car in front of the garage door; open the garage; put my headlights on; then put patches of masking tape onto the back wall of the garage where the low beams and high beams hit. That way when I installed the new ones, I could adjust my beams to where the making tape is.. worked great. Then I drove it to a Mass Inspection station and asked them if they would let me drive the car into their bay just to see if my beams were accurate. Luckily, they were right-on the button... So the making tape worked out great.

I had the biggest problem with the black colored adjuster..... if that one is way off, it is impossible to adjust your beam down to road level; it will be way too high. I spent more damn time screweing around with that black one, ....

I also didn't want my assemblies to stick out or protrude too far outwards because it looks terrible with too much of that black rubber gasket showing. So, that meant adjusting all three adjusters to allow me to move the whole assembly inwards. It looks so much better with the assemblies moved inwards so that the damn black gasket fits better and doesn't show as much. If the assemblies stick out too much, that black gasket looks like hell.

[coupe]

Originally Posted by tommy00gt1

Awe man, that blows...... The way I did mine was to park my car in front of the garage door; open the garage; put my headlights on; then put patches of masking tape onto the back wall of the garage where the low beams and high beams hit. That way when I installed the new ones, I could adjust my beams to where the making tape is.. worked great. Then I drove it to a Mass Inspection station and asked them if they would let me drive the car into their bay just to see if my beams were accurate. Luckily, they were right-on the button... So the making tape worked out great.

That would work for me to but my driveway isnt flat enough for me to do that.

Originally Posted by tommy00gt1

I had the biggest problem with the black colored adjuster..... if that one is way off, it is impossible to adjust your beam down to road level; it will be way too high. I spent more damn time screweing around with that black one, .....

Yup thats the one messing with me. I cranked them all the way out as far as i could before it fell off the threads. Thats was a bit to far
So the next day after i realized i was lighting the tree tops instead of the road i cranked them back down. They are about half way down the threads now.

Originally Posted by tommy00gt1

I also didn't want my assemblies to stick out or protrude too far outwards because it looks terrible with too much of that black rubber gasket showing. So, that meant adjusting all three adjusters to allow me to move the whole assembly inwards. It looks so much better with the assemblies moved inwards so that the damn black gasket fits better and doesn't show as much. If the assemblies stick out too much, that black gasket looks like hell.

Thats what my goal is. I can get them aimed perfectly but either the headlights are sticking out to far from the fender or sucked right into the fender. I cant seem to get them flush AND aimed right.

Now this would be alot easier if i had a flat driveway. I literally have to find a parking lot with a big wall and mess with the headlights for a few hours. But of course it isnt dark till about 10pm and of course by that time im dead tired and am in no mood to go do that.

[tommy00gt1]

Oh wow.. I see your situation now... no flat ground. I was so upset with them sticking out too much; it looked ridiculous to have that assembly sticking out... What I had to do was screw/unscrew all three adjusters the same amount of turns.... if I only moved one of them, then my beam was way up in the trees too. So I found that I had to move all three adjusters by the same amount, that worked out good for me.

Too bad you didn't think of that masking tape... it helped me soooooo much to align mine with that tape on the wall. Even if your car was parked on a hill, maybe you could have put the tape somewhere where you could pull up your car close to your house. Even on a hill, you could have put tape where the (old headlights) beam was. Then without moving your car, installed the new ones and try to get the beams lined up to the tape on the wall. That helped me so much.

But if you didn't do the tape; your probably limited to trying to line them up at nighttime. That's a tough thing to do , but maybe you're only solution other than to take the car to an inspection place and ask them if you can check the aim.

Man, why did Pontiac have to design a setup like this, ?????

[Bouchie11982]

well i got my headlight back in yesterday after taking it out to fix the rubber thing aroudn it. now i have the headlight in, but with no black rubber around it and omg...it is aimed WAY OFF! i think aimed more towards the ground, the corner, towards the fender is sticking out a bit, not sure if it is like tht or what. i have to look at it later today. meanwhile im driving around looking lieka dork with one rubber piece

[coupe]

Originally Posted by tommy00gt1

Too bad you didn't think of that masking tape... it helped me soooooo much to align mine with that tape on the wall. Even if your car was parked on a hill, maybe you could have put the tape somewhere where you could pull up your car close to your house. Even on a hill, you could have put tape where the (old headlights) beam was. Then without moving your car, installed the new ones and try to get the beams lined up to the tape on the wall. That helped me so much.

That was my first mistake and now its costing me big time. Im ussually good at things like this that need fine adjustments but for some reason these are giving me a run for my money. I just never thought it would be this hard to do.

Originally Posted by tommy00gt1

But if you didn't do the tape; your probably limited to trying to line them up at nighttime. That's a tough thing to do , but maybe you're only solution other than to take the car to an inspection place and ask them if you can check the aim.

Man, why did Pontiac have to design a setup like this, ?????

We dont have inspection places here, i would have to pay a body shop to aim them and that would be just to embarasing

I found a parking lot with a big wall and i bought some little spot lights (for people who dont have underhood lights) that plug in to your cig lighter and im just gonna have to try and get them aimed in that parking lot with those little lights Its gonna suck to have to pull those headlights over and over again in a dark parking lot with nothing more than that little spot light

Ive probably taken my headlights out now about 20 times

[tommy00gt1]

Yikes Katie...... It sounds like the black colored one is off... Mine was way off too, so I had to screw around with all three adjusters to get them all at the proper "depth"... At first, mine were way too far sticking out...... had to move all three inwards a bit.

Gee... I hope I don't get a burned out bulb in the near future; I don't want to have to screw with 'em again, !!!

EDIT >>> Oops, I meant to say I think the white one is way off... not the black one. I think yours is off because of that lone white one in the far corner.... But, you'll probably find that if you move only one adjuster, you'll also have to compensate for that by moving the other two also.... or you'll never aim the correctly.

[tommy00gt1]

Oh jeez; that sucks Randy.. (we were both typing at the same time). I think I ended up taking mine out about six times.... I sprouted a few more gray hairs in my goatee, ..... Now I gotta clip 'em out......

[Bouchie11982]

GRRRR! the adjuster with the screws in it....well to adjust it, that little hole IS NOW STRIPPED!!! i can't adjust it.....M&^%$#F$%&^R Tommy i cannot for the life of me get that headlight in now....oh and now im getting condensation inside the headlight!!!!! grrrr......the only thing that is stopped from it going in the headlight is that little black adjuster, i didn't change anything on it though....so i have no idea what the problem is .........these headlights are becoming such a headache!!

[tommy00gt1]

It's the black one that's giving you the troubles?? O.K., you'll need plyers or visegrips to firmly hold the threaded part..... because it just spins and spins.You have to hold tightly with plyers, then turn that plastic black (wing) thing....
I had thought mine was stripped too.... as the entire threaded rod spins.... but you'll see that when you hold tight with plyers, you can then move that plastic thing inwards or outwards..

[Bouchie11982]

that black piece that is the bottom part that is closest to the fender is what gives me troubles. my dad got it in with no troubles at all before. i don't know how he did it. it does seem to go in but it just has issues with the retaining clip. and some times it's hard to see if the lines match up because it's such at a hard angle.....grrr....these headlights are the pits. oh i know the little hole there is stripped because as i was trying to adjust it, little metal shavings kept coming out until i could no longer get a grip on it with the tool i was using.
Tommy, you don't happen to have AIM or anything do you?

[tommy00gt1]

Oh gosh no, Katie... I don't even know what AIM is, ????? I'm still learning this computer stuff...I'm a late bloomer, . Got my very first Dell computer at 50 years old !!!
But if you have metal shavings, then I would say yes, something is stripped. That damn black one is what gave me a headache too..... I didn't know if it needed to go inwards, or outwards; because the retainer would not lock it. It was all "trial & error"... moving it inwards and outwards until that retainer clip finally locked when I pushed down on the retainer.

Pontiac really gets an award for that design..... On a forum, I mentioned that it took me four hours to change my headlights; I just about got laughed at. But it is indeed, a pain in the ass...

I guess all you can doKatie is to keep on moving that black plastic thing in or out until it locks. For me, I had to grasp the threaded part with plyers... and don't let it spin; because it spins freely and gives you the impression of it being stripped. So when you grasp the threaded part and hold it firmly, you can then turn the black plastic part with your other hand. For me, it was that damn black one that was trouble...

[tommy00gt1]

Are you sure you grabbed that threaded rod with plyers ???? Because I remember doing mine and that rod just spun freely.... wouldn't move in or out. But when you grab the rod with plyers, you can then turn the black plastic part. That is the part you spin... not the rod.

[Bouchie11982]

well the thing is that my father got it in O.K. all he did was push in the bottom and that's what i've been doing but mine hasn't gone in. i;m on a verge of a god damn break down because if this ****ing cop didn't pull me over i would have never had this issue! and now, since i didn't have the black weather stripping on teh car yesterday, i have moisture in my headlight now....im so pissed off at everything.
well im trying to do it with the stocker adjusters. and im impatient and upset because of the moisture in the damn headlight now. and my father comes home in like 40 minutes from work. and...omg...im so mad at sucha stupid thing im shaking. i've had issues with this damn headlight when i first got them