[Perry]

Hey guys so on my 93 TA passenger side headlight. The plastic stoppers that keep the headlight up when on and down when closed is now broken not sure what its called its a plastic piece with stoppers top and bottom. Can anyone help

 

[cocobolo95]

The 4th gen parts books are available to download in the sticky threads of 4th gen section. Good resource

But, don't know if small parts like that are still available from GM. Try PartsZoneOnline - $195 Duramax LB7 Fuel Injectors - Your Source For Discount Genuine GM, ACDelco, and Mopar Parts They discount GM parts. Just get the part or parts numbers you need, from parts book, then plu the numbers into their search lines.

If new parts not available, try craigslist. Many people are parting 4th gen firebirds. If you don't find anything in your local city, expand your search out as far as your willing to drive to pick parts up.

Also try this salvage yard search engine Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market you can search your city, state, region, or whole country, and US to find your parts. These yards ship parts on a daily basis.

Finally, try ebay and amazon, you never know what you might find there.

 

[Perry]

Well after looking at this piece. It seems like I may be a little screwed. The stoppers. Both of them broke off. The piece is not a small replacement piece. I'm gonna have to glue the stoppers back on. Any idea what the best adhesive is for plastic on plastic but strong enough not to break off

 

[cocobolo95]

epoxy, reinforced with some glass fiber, should hold up to the strain of the headlight bucket hitting. Be sure to clean any oil or grease off the gluing area, and rough up the piece to be glued and what it's being glued to with 60 or 80 grit sandpaper. Then clean again.

 

[Black95TA]

Part is a headlight mounting panel. Try here, reasonable price:
93 1993 Pontiac Firebird Headlight Mounting Panel - Body Electrical - Action Crash - PartsGeek

 

[Perry]

Awesome thanks for the link. I checked out the part but from the picture I don't see the stoppers?

 

[GaryDoug]

Which part do you need, the part that is fixed in place, or one of the parts that are movable? They are marked with the three red arrows. GM has the movable parts and the fixed part (astronomical $ price for this one).
LAMPS/FRONT (EXC EUROPEAN EXPORT MAE). Fits: 1993 Pontiac Firebird | Nalley Buick GMC Brunswick

 

[Perry]

I would have to say the fixed part only because I can seem to find the bracket in that picture that has the stoppers for this headlight. I've been trying to take a picture of it but I can't get a good one

 

[Perry]

Are these parts even still available I can't even use my headlights as the passenger just keeps going up and down

 

[Black95TA]

The stops are part of the part shown in my link. I have the whole nose of my TA apart and was repairing a crack in that piece, and double checked that they are molded to that part.

 

[GaryDoug]

I now assume you are talking about the cylindrical "posts" that act as the stops, as shown in the attached photo. In that case, they are definitely on the large fixed piece. I wonder if it would be possible to install a bolt there, perhaps cushioned by a plastic pipe/sleeve of some kind, instead of replacing the entire part.
By any chance have you previously installed a metal headlamp door motor gear on that side? I have heard of problems with the stops breaking if the gear was the type without the rubber cushion.

 

[Perry]

So if my bottom stop piece. By piece I mean a decent size piece of plastic has broken off how can I repair it and hope it holds. I don't use the lights that much but would still like to be able to

 

[Black95TA]

Did the post break off or a chunk of the plastic piece the stop is molded in to?

 

[cocobolo95]

Test the plastic with a soldering iron. If the iron melts both pieces of plastic, you can try plastic welding the 2 pieces back together.

If the plastic doesn't melt, that means it's thermo set plastic. To repair it, I would take the whole assembly off the car. Using layup epoxy and Kevlar cloth, which will make the strongest repair, use a bolt a little smaller than the broken piece. From the back and the front make repair patches using the epoxy and Kevlar cloth. Of course the plastic piece should be roughed up with 60 grit sand paper and cleaned. When the repair cures, the bolt will be sticking out where the original plastic stop was. Coat the bolt with epoxy, a really thick epoxy like jb weld will work for this. That way the stop will be a little kinder to the parts being hit together when the motor works.

Google search will show you where supplies of Kevlar and thin epoxy resin & hardener can be obtained. www.uscomposites.com/index.html is where I buy my frp supplies. since Kevlar is expensive and the minimum order is a yard, I suggest the 6 inch wide material @$5.25 a yard.

 

[Perry]

A whole chunk broke off.

 

[cocobolo95]

The repair process will work on a large chunk also. Just make sure to get the bolt being used as the stop in the correct place.

 

[GaryDoug]

I would just epoxy the stops back on, but in order to make it stronger, place a bolt in the hole all the way through. If the hole doesn't go all the way through now, drill it.

 

[cocobolo95]

Yes that's another good way to do it. My problem is I'm always fighting between the German in me who wants to over engineer and make it last forever, and the French in me that wants to stick it together with chewing gum, then get on with life.