By Barrie Strachan
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S2
E Type enclosed headlamp conversion
By Barrie Strachan |
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'bugeye' headlight (see above) was a result of US Federal regulations which
went into effect in 1968. Some feel that this headlight gives better performance
than the original covered, recessed light, but I did not find that to be
the case after I converted my car to covered lights.
The photo to the right shows the Series 2 'sugar scoop' with the chrome trim and the headlight bucket removed. Notice the cylindrical extension which was spot-welded into the sugar scoop to move the headlight forward almost 3 inches. This piece is absent on a Series 1 sugar scoop. The headlight bucket mounting ring (red arrow) is located at the rear of the Series 1 scoop (where the white arrow points). The Series 2 sugar scoop can easily be removed by removing the fasteners that hold the chrome trim strip mounts in place. I have to admit that I don't remember if these were pop rivets or sheet metal screws. Either way, they come out easily. |
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next step is the removal of the extension cylinder from the sugar scoop.
This cylinder is fixed in place by about 1,000 spot welds. The welder must
have been paid by the spot weld, not by the hour. They all have to be drilled
out. The photograph below shows the original contour of the sugar scoop
(arrow).
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This
photograph (left) shows the sugar scoop with most of the extension cylinder
removed. The back end of the scoop has no structural integrity now, as
it would have been reinforced by the headlight bucket mounting ring on
a Series 1 car.
You can see a few of the holes where the spot-welds have been drilled out. |
| Fabricating
a new headlight bucket mounting ring:
I cut the inner opening with a fly cutter, as shown (right), then cut the outer circle with a bandsaw. After drilling the required holes for securing the headlight mounting bucket and adjusting screws, I tack welded the ring to the back of the sugar scoop. You can do the circle cut on a drill press or even with a hand-held drill motor, but a milling machine makes the job a lot easier. |
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I
should have taken a picture of the finished scoop out of the car, but I
didn't. Here it is (left) back in the bonnet with the headlight bucket
installed for a trial fit.
I had to cut the rear end out of the cup shaped headlight bucket to clear the vertical diaphragm of the bonnet. I didn't photograph that butchery either, but it will be obvious what needs to be done. Note how far aft of the spot-weld holes the headlight now sits. |
Much
to my surprise and dismay, I found the chrome trim rings for the glass
covers were smaller than the openings in the wing. I could have welded
some steel into the wing, but I chose to pop-rivet an aluminium extension
as shown here (below left). One could dispense with the pop rivets (which
are also used to fasten the sugar scoop - see arrows) and weld everything
in, but I really didn't want to do that. If necessary, I can remove this
assembly by just chipping off the body filler (yep, Bondo!) and drilling
out the pop rivets. This is a compound curve and making it was a lot of
fun!
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Making these pieces was a cut and dried proposition. The curve is complicated and it isn't real obvious where the cover glass (in its heavy gasket) wants to sit. Be prepared for some trial and error work here. Note the fabricated headlight bucket mounting ring at the rear of the sugar sccop (arrowed in the photograph above right). |
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The magic of bondo! It's been a year and a half and no problems yet. While I was at it, I removed the chrome beading along the tops of the wings and filled those joints also. I never did care for those chrome beads for some reason...... It was a lot of work, but I am very happy with the finished result. |
