How to remove a '29 rad. shell?

Great Lakes Greg

Great Lakes Greg

Well-known member
I feel kind of dense asking this. How does the wiring fit through the hole in the rad shell? The conduit won't fit over the twolite plug one way and the hole in the shell is too small for the conduit bezel to fit through going the other direction.
It's got to be something simple I am missing here. Thanks experts.
 
Greg,

You should have no real problem here..Hmmmmmmm.

Is it an original shell or repop?

It could be a very early 29 shell with the smaller holes for the 1928 style set up of two wires instead of the three. Hmmmmmm.

There were also different sizes of the rubber grommet, which by the way should be cut at an angle (see my article on my website).

Where is my brain at?

Pluck
 
Stick the small end of the conduit into the grommet in the radiator shell, then feed the wires through the conduit. I tend to stick the conduit WAY into the shell, then pull it back out after I have the ends of the wires through.

But maybe you're asking how to get it apart? Remove the conduit ferrule from the headlight, then disengage the wire ends from the plug. Then the wires will pull through the conduit, after which you can remove the conduit from the shell.

Joe
 
My guess is your headlights are the two wire 1928 and early 1929 with the small base, and your radiator shell has small holes to match the two wire setup. Your conduits may be the larger diameter 1929-31. If this makes sense you need the smaller diameter 1928 type conduits which full line dealers stock.
 
The individual wires are removes from the plug.

20810.jpg
 
On a 28 Radiator Shell all 3 holes, headlights and horn, are the same small size. On a 29 Radiator Shell the horn hole is small and the headlight holes are larger to accomodate 3 wires and the larger headlight conduits.

Ron
 
It is an origional shell on a very origional car, first week of March '29 and according to the Standards is in the change over from two wire to three wire. I suppose I am lucky enough to have holes that are to small for the plug to fit through. Mike V in Florida showed a plug with accomodations to remove the wires. My plug is a solid bakelite piece with the terminal heads too large to pull through. Mighty fine fix you've gotten yourself into.
 
What is the embossed shape around the crank hole? The original shell for fluted headlights has an oval emossed opening.

The shell for the new Twolite headlights has a bell shaped emossed crank hole.
 
Great Lakes Greg said:
...My plug is a solid bakelite piece with the terminal heads too large to pull through...
Click to expand...

I certainly can't claim to have seen every different piece of headlight connecting hardware that was ever made, but I suspect your solid plug with no reliefs to remove the wires is not OE.

If it were me, I would cut the plug to release the wires and order a pair of the correct plugs from any of the usual suppliers.

Now to wait for one of the people who actually know things to post photos of original solid plugs and prove me wrong! :o

Joe
 
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