Thread: Headlight Bar problem

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My wife got me....uuummmm I mean Santa brought me a new dropped headlight bar for my car. I took the old one off and went to put the new one on and the holes did not line up. I measured the two and my old one is 41" long and the new one is 43". Is there a difference between length and years? (P.S. no length jokes please....LOL!)

What are the differences between 28/29 and 30/31 headlight bars?

I am running a 28/29 fender package on my model A roadster pickup, with a swapmeet original headlight bar---it measures 42" overall length. I think that in its original form it was probably 41". I remember when I first installed it, it seemed too short, and when I tightened the bolts up that hold it onto the fenders and fender braces, it seemed like it was "pulling" the fenders out of shape, so I cut two peices of 1/4" plate the same profile as the ends of the headlight bar and welded them all around to lengthen it a little bit. Its an old, old, headlight bar.---brian

Gennie Shifter has different part numbers for '28/'29 and '30/'31. Other suppliers have the same part number for all four years. Sounds like you may have to call Santa, see where he picked it up and ask him.

Yeah I've got an e-mail into them now. Thanks guys.

I went out into the garage and re-measured the bars and the new dropped bar is indeed 42" like brian's. The problem must lie in my car. Is it possible that when the car was built that they also chopped the width? I'm gonna go out and measure the width and see what I get.

From A post to A post across the windshield it is roughly 46 inches. Anyone else able to measure their's? Thanks!

I doubt if any width was cut. The difference could be in the way the fenders are mounted. The fender supports are not always consistent, and they affect the way the fenders hang. Are your fenders glass or steel. Also, are the fender supports original or repro? When I built my A-bone, I tried repro fender braces, but ended up tossing them and using the originals.

They are glass. The braces I'm not sure about but I think the fenders have been chopped and not the body. Look at this picture of my rear fenders. They look much more slender that others on A models. They are only 4 inches wide.

Glass fender specs depend on the manufacturer and the original they pulled the form from. They also can move around in storage before shipment. I went through two sets of Speedway fenders (took the first set back, threw the second set away) before I found a pair from Dwight Gibbon (back when Gibbon knew what was going on) that worked.

Your car is built to the correct width. The front fenders have metal braces underneath then that are in line with the headlight bar holes and bolt to the sides of the frame. Without the braces in place, the front fenders will be very "floppy". The way to install the correct width headlight bar is to loosen off the bolts that hold these steel fender braces to the frame so that things will get a bit "floppy". This will let you spread the fenders far enough apart to get the bolts that hold the headlight bar in place--thru the headlight bar, thru the fender, and thru the corresponding hole in the fender brace---put the nuts on and leave them loose, not tightened. Then gradually retighten the bolts which hold the steel fender braces to the frame. After they have been tightened, (gradually, a bit on each side, alternating as you do it), then tighten up the bolts in the headlight bar.---A little prayer helps as you do this----

WOW brianrupnow, that all makes sense. Now if I can get it accomplished...LOL!

And to make life even more interesting, you might also have to section the fender support some and elongate holes to get everything to fit up correctly with 'glass front fenders. A '31 Slant windshield sedan also has a lot of other strange parts as well as it was the precursor for the '32 - but that doesn't mean they will interchange either, as I found out the hard way a few years ago.

As usual brianrupnow helped me again. I'm gonna have to put you on payroll or something. I've lost count of the times you have came through for me with my continous questions.

I loosened the bolts and the bar slid right into place. I have yet to tighten the bolts back, but they are in place. After dinner I'm gonna go out and finish up. Of course I will have to take it off again soon, my girl is scheduled to be painted this month.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hot Damn!!! I've helped save another hotrod problem. Thats what this forum is all about. I hang out here and on the HAMB----It seems that on this forum, I get a lot of thanks, and on the HAMB I get insulted in 15 different flavours.---Brian