Fixed headlights adjustment

clive f

Busy user
has anyone on here got a set of the fixed non pop up headlights on their C5?
If so which make do you have and have you been able to adjust the beam pattern to suit our MOT requirements?
 

Stingray

CCCUK Member
No, never had those on my C5. However, a chap called Nigel Dobbie (can't remember his CCUK name) had a set on his C5 back in the day and I'm sure he must have had to pass some MOTs with them. You might be able to track him down as he's definitely still a Vette owner.
 

Rich

Administrator
I had some too. I adjusted them by marking a template on my garage wall. Never had an MoT issue, but I would describe their performance as a couple of candles fluttering in the breeze.

C5R at Fame 2.jpg
 

clive f

Busy user
thanks for the replies, love the car Rich!
have been doing a fair bit of research contacting different suppliers across the pond, and it seems that the sealed pods from the likes of Depo and Corvette Mods only have an up and down adjustment for the lights/beams, but being projector lights the beam pattern is different to a standard reflector lense so I assume all is ok, but then somehow the lenses of the projector lights have a plate in them to give off the beam pattern for right side of road driving, so still no guarrantee of an mot pass over here.
I think Ive come up with a way of replacing the seized adjusters by using some nuts and bolts and a bit of careful tig welding, Ill try it out today, if that works it opens up all sorts of options, mainly being able to keep pop ups, but going for smaller projector lights, as with the 4eyec design, but using lights made for uk use to give correct beam pattern.

out of interest I find that the standard light lenses for USA cars were made from plastic, euro spec cars from the factory came with glass lenses as euro laws being stricter on headlight beam pattern, but still made for right hand side road driving, a good suggested upgrade is to replace standard lenses with the euro spec glass ones, and are best part of $500 a side?!!
 

Rich

Administrator
out of interest I find that the standard light lenses for USA cars were made from plastic, euro spec cars from the factory came with glass lenses as euro laws being stricter on headlight beam pattern, but still made for right hand side road driving, a good suggested upgrade is to replace standard lenses with the euro spec glass ones, and are best part of $500 a side?!!

But surely if you were to use Euro lenses, you would run into MoT difficulties due to the beam pattern? I can do better than quote from the CCCUK C5 Buyers Guide:
"Euro cars were fitted with dual lens headlights. UK lights dipped to the left (known as T85 headlights) as opposed to the rest of Europe which had T84 headlights. The standard flat beam US single lens headlights will pass our MoT, but T84 lights will need beam deflectors. T85 units are becoming rare."

Thank you for the comment on my old C5 - sold many years ago and now back to standard and owned by a Member.
 

clive f

Busy user
I was refering to the price rather than the fact that they would still be useless in the UK, mine are marked up as DOT HR95 whatever that means, I imagine they are us spec versions.

I`ve managed to replace the old seized adjusters today, and am now looking at making a twin projector light set up each side with uk spec lights from car builder solutions, which will give the lazy eye look, as in the lids don`t pop up so far. fingers crossed, will post up results when and if it all works and is done.
 
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