Headlight pods

[Alex(UK)]

So while changing my headlights over to a LHD version I had the usual fight with galvanic corrosion and stuck screws.

So the drill had to come out to remove stuck screws.

Is it just my car or did FIAT use self tapping screws to hold the front facia onto the pod? Whatever it seems as though someone has found the hardest metal ever found for the screw and put it in soft aluminium. What fun.

So I am 2 out of 3 screws down. What I have done is drilled out and tapped a M4 thread and then I will use M4 Aluminium cross head tapered bolts to secure the facia. The goal is to eliminate the galvanic corrosion/welding and to give a more robust and easy to maintain setup.

I did consider stainless bolts instead of Aluminium, but thinking Aluminium will give a more stable.

Anyone else done anything similar? Thoughts?

 

[ng_randolph]

So while changing my headlights over to a LHD version I had the usual fight with galvanic corrosion and stuck screws.

So the drill had to come out to remove stuck screws.

Is it just my car or did FIAT use self tapping screws to hold the front facia onto the pod? Whatever it seems as though someone has found the hardest metal ever found for the screw and put it in soft aluminium. What fun.

So I am 2 out of 3 screws down. What I have done is drilled out and tapped a M4 thread and then I will use M4 Aluminium cross head tapered bolts to secure the facia. The goal is to eliminate the galvanic corrosion/welding and to give a more robust and easy to maintain setup.

I did consider stainless bolts instead of Aluminium, but thinking Aluminium will give a more stable.

Anyone else done anything similar? Thoughts?

Yes, sheet metal screws into a casting😲. I had the same experience.

 

[Dr.Jeff]

I also had frozen sheet metal screws. Definitely a poor design. So like you I drilled them out, tapped the holes, and used regular threaded fasteners to hold the covers on.

So now you have a RHD car, with LHD lights, on roads that drive on the right side?

 

[JKIDD]

Did either of you do this on the car? I have the same issue I've been ignoring for years... Nobody can see a missing bezel in the dark!

 

[ng_randolph]

Did either of you do this on the car? I have the same issue I've been ignoring for years... Nobody can see a missing bezel in the dark!

I took the pod out of the car to do this. My experience is that trying to drill out stubborn screws usually end up being a big mess, so I wanted to give myself the best odds possible.

 

[Alex(UK)]

If you drive around without a front facia to your pod, is it just the chrome trim holding your headlight in? In my experience these have a very strong habit of corroding away to almost nothing, I know I need to replace mine, but this is a job for another day. I spotted one of your US based suppliers has them new. Shame shipping to me is prohibitive, more than the price of what I'd be buying! May need to wait for that one.

Yes definitely a pod out job. If you have a pillar drill so much better, oh how I missed you for this task pillar drill. Also if you get stuck easy then to take to an engineering shop.

And yes RHD car with LHD lights driving on the WRONG side of the road. Just kidding been driving on this side for years now.

Going back to the UK took an adjustment, now driving a RHD car on the right, that will have its moments I am sure. I am thinking of fitting an overtaking camera to my passenger side sun visor and activating it from the reverse switch on my ICE, thus making it an overtake button

 

[rx1900]

Is it just my car or did FIAT use self tapping screws to hold the front facia onto the pod? Whatever it seems as though someone has found the hardest metal ever found for the screw and put it in soft aluminium. What fun

Well....yes and no !!!

Fun fact......for that trim panel in front of the headlight......on the early X1/9s - up to '78 - Fiat used a properly threaded M4 screw with a countersunk head with an oval raised head with a Phillips drive. So the holes in the headlight bucket were indeed tapped to M4. BUT....starting in '79...yes they changed to a special metric self-tapping screw that kinda looked like a wood screw.

This change is not well known...even one of our trusted X1/9 vendors seems to have got this wrong and lists the self-tapping screws for all years. I can assure you this is not true ! Not sure why Fiat made this change...perhaps as a cost saving measure..or perhaps the early screws had too much of a tendency to seize in there. Yes....the self-tapping screws usually are much easier to remove without breaking....although often the drive rounded out......

By the way....i think the headlight pod is NOT aluminum...but rather some type of "Italian pot metal"

As those self-tapping screws have kinda made a thread into the housing...you should ALWAYS use the proper screw. As a US spec screw has a much different pitch...and will make a mess of things and not hold....Problem is....metric self-tapping screws are pretty much NOT available in North America. I found this out years ago when I needed some for my own X1/9. Had to have them special-ordered in from Europe...and had to buy a box of 200.

So I also sourced the screws that hold the headlight ring in....these are always mangled by the time you get them out....and offered them up here in complete kits:

Fiat X1/9 headlight screws for sale - Part 2

Hi folks. Due to overwhelming popular demand, I am now making a second offering of my "Fiat X1/9 headlight screw kits". My first offering sold out within 24 hours, but I was able to obtain some more for those of you who missed out the first time. For more details, you can read about the initial...

xwebforums.com

Lots more detail can be found there. I still have some in stock.....

So I am 2 out of 3 screws down. What I have done is drilled out and tapped a M4 thread and then I will use M4 Aluminium cross head tapered bolts to secure the facia. The goal is to eliminate the galvanic corrosion/welding and to give a more robust and easy to maintain setup.

I did consider stainless bolts instead of Aluminium, but thinking Aluminium will give a more stable.

Yes...in your case...if the screws have snapped off and you cant remove them......you could drill them out and tap the holes to M4. And then use the early type screws. BUT..no way would I use some aluminum screws. They are too soft ! And they will corrode and will seize in there. Instead...use a nice stainless screw with a good slathering of anti-seize compound on the threads..

 

[Alex(UK)]

Thanks for the information.

I was reading this article which I found interesting.

https://www.albanycountyfasteners.com/blog/stainless-steel-and-aluminum/

By using Ally screws there should be no galvanic reaction.

Drilling the screws out I think they made them out of the toughest metal ever. If only they made the rest of the car out of that metal they would be indestructible!

 

[rx1900]

Interesting article. But. it seems like just about anything on the internet.....there are conflicting views

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Brikksen

www.brikksen.com

Aluminum...even on it's own.....does seem to corrode into a white powder......and as I said..I still reckon an aluminum screw would be quite weak anyways.....and besides,, I still dont think those headlight pods are actually aluminum.....

Whatever....I'd still use a nice stainless steel screw with a hefty dollop of antiseize....but would not be much fun here if we agreed on everything....

 

[kmead]

Aluminum...even on it's own.....does seem to corrode into a white powder......and as I said..I still reckon an aluminum screw would be quite weak anyways.....and besides,, I still dont think those headlight pods are actually aluminum.....

Whatever....I'd still use a nice stainless steel screw with a hefty dollop of antiseize....but would not be much fun here if we agreed on everything....

Zinc, however, does.

 

[rx1900]

Zinc, however, does.

Sorry....."zinc, however, does"...what ??

 

[Dr.Jeff]

Did either of you do this on the car? I have the same issue I've been ignoring for years... Nobody can see a missing bezel in the dark!

In my case the pods were already removed as part of a comprehensive restoration / customization build. I can't say how difficult it would be to do it with the pods on the car. But it seems like the access to the lower screws might be difficult.

 

[kmead]

Sorry....."zinc, however, does"...what ??

Sorry meant to delete more of your comment to make the point, zinc will turn into white powder when exposed to sulphur, water and salt. Pretty sure the door castings are zinc (alloy) not aluminum.

At some point I need to pull one of the doors and get its specific gravity. Of course the alloyed materials will muddy that data.