Installing a new headlight

[Gordon Webster]

My right headlight was looking pretty old and cloudly so I bought a new one on eBay as someone suggested. The installation is not for anyone that isn't quite handy. I first had to cut off the black plastic trim piece on the top. Then I had to grind the rest of the black plastic off the front edge and some of the ribs until it was flush with the clear lens. I had to turn one plug on the light to get a bolt out of the way. Then I had to cut the center hole in the coach a little larger to fit the large round center cap on the light. Then I had to grind the front inside corner off about an inch, all the way into the mounting bracket. I also had to break apart the aluminum mounting brackets obviously made by Beaver and re-glue them into the new light. Then the original amber bulb holder would not work on the new light so had to cut it off and rewire to the newer bulb in a plug that I could find no fitting for so I finally made some fittings to use. The main wiring to the headlight had different colored wires than the old one so had to figure that out also.
Note-Previously owner had gotten the left one replaced and said they charged him $650. It doesn't sound as bad as it did when he first told me now.
Just a post to warn anyone that might think this would be an easy task.

[William Brosam]

any pictures is it the navigator headlight like mine?

[Keith Moffett]

Ford still sells OEM headlights for the 2000 Navigator.  Are these the headlights on your coach.  We own an 2000 Navigator as well as a coach that uses those headlights.  I did some research and found that the ones on Ebay and so on are not an exact replacement for OEM.  I was on a Navigator forum and someone had much the same experience you did only they were installing it in a Navigator.
I last checked the cost on Ford /Lincoln replacements and they were $280. at the dealer.

Keith

[Gerald Farris]

Keith,
Yes, your coach uses Lincoln headlights, but Beaver had to modify them to fit the fiberglass front cap. Even if you pay the high price at Ford for a replacement headlight, you will need to modify it to fit the Beaver mount.

The easiest and most economical correction for a cloudy headlight lens is to use one of the headlight polishing kits that are available from numerous retailers.

Gerald  

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Keith,
Following up on Gerald's comment, Turtle Wax has a headlight restore kit that worked very well for me on numerous vehicles including my coach. Available at most auto parts stores.
Steve

[Bill Sprague]

I bought a 3M Headlight polish kit becaise it comes with a round sponge polish pad to be used with an electric drill.  It also has a variety of sanding disks for extreme work.  I've used the sponge polisher with Meguires Headlight polish with good results.  I recently saw some Meguires headlight sealer that I may try.  

Polishing does not seem to be permanent.  It seems I need to do it about every 6 months.  

[Jim Skatzka]

You may want to try what I did on our last coach.  I wet sanded the lights with 1000 grit paper let them dry totally, taped off the surrounding area then spayed them with clear krylon fusion made for plastics. When we traded the coach in 2 yrs later the headlights were still crystal clear.  When the lights on our present coach need attention I will do the same thing.

Jim

[Edward Buker]

Jim,

Interesting approach. That clear Krylon seems to be very well UV protected. I have used it on outside items and it does not yellow and peel in the Alabama coastal area sun. It has held up now for a few years without peeling or delaminating.

Later Ed

[Jim Skatzka]

Ed, the krylon fusion is designed specific for bonding to plastic so it does work well. all I ever did to them after was put a coat of wax on them when doing the rest of coach.  Good luck!

Jim

[Joel Ashley]

When our coach was new I had plastic film applied to our headlights.  At 8 years old they show no sign of fogging over.  It's the same film used on the front caps, and I assume there is some sort of UV protection built into it.  I had a stone take out the lens of one of my little "driving lights" right off the bat, so the only reason I had the film put on the headlights was to help mitigate such damage to them.

The only issue is that due to the curvature of the lens, over time and seasons the film tends to buckle along a couple edges, allowing dirt to get trapped underneath.  The installer across the street from BCS replaced them once a few years back, and they looked great again out of the gate, but within a couple years the edge buckling appeared again.  Nevertheless, no rock chipped headlamps and no fogging of their lenses.

I know Bruce, that used to do painting at BCS, could expertly micro-trim front cap film to get edges laid flat again, and he showed me how when the coach was new.  But you have to get after such things before much dirt gets underneath, so I haven't ever tried that fix on the headlamp film buckles.  I may yet give it a shot.  Or check in once more with the installer the next time I'm at BCS.

Joel

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

Joel,

That installer of film across the street from BCS is Darren Coffell of Driving Force Graphics:  542-617-1265

Larry