1932 Ford headlight restore - follow-up question

deuce-deacon

deuce-deacon

Member
Thanks in advance for help with this.

I'm restoring two headlights from a '32. I've been able to remove the inner trim ring by grinding out the tiny spot welds.

And now the obvious question. What do restorers do to re-attach the new replacement rings? Spot weld or solder them? Use rivets? Use small screws/nuts? Use nothing?

I'd sure appreciate an answer as to what would be the best approach based on members' experience with replacement rings.
 
I've never done a restore on these headlamps but I can suggest rivet alternatives.The smallest rivets available that are easy to install would be nut plate Cherry rivets. They are 3/32" shank and are 100 degree flush head type. They can be pulled with a standard pop rivet type apparatus. They are also available in round head for other purposes but most nut plates are attached with flush head types. Long sizes can be shortened by removing the pin and cutting them down. If the hole is larger than 3/32" then a larger pop type rivet may have to do the job but I don't know if flush or round head types would be better for this application. A washer can be used on the tail end but some adhesive or sealant would be required to hold the part firmly.

Here is a link so you can see what they look like. http://www.skygeek.com/cherry-aerospace-ccr264cs3-05-rivet-blind-flush-hd-cres.html

Spot welding might be difficult in there but if Ford did it then it can be done with the right tooling.
 
Many, many years ago I watched an incredibly accomplished welder attach stainless steel wire of a gauge not much heavier than ordinary screening to stainless pipe. It can be done, but probably not by a novice. Don't remember if it was TIG or MIG.
 
I think I used garden variety pop rivets, and then filed down the outer heads a bit so they wouldn't interfere with the rims. I recall it was fairly difficult to drill thru the stainless; be sure to back up the edge of the bucket with a block of wood clamped in a vise or something so you can apply pretty good force and not distort the bucket. Good luck
 
As a follow up, the rivets worked great! I used 3/32" stainless steel rivets with domed heads from McMaster-Carr.

Hardest part was drilling out the holes in the stainless steel buckets. I found it was easier to punch a starter hole then drill.

Once installed, no clearance issues when mounting the outer trim rings. Perfect solution!!
 
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