Headlight Lens Retaining Clips

[Karl Wescott]

I had a number of bags of the aftermarket ones with a few projects I acquired. I was working on a 1932 headlight and opened up a pack of springs and way too strong and chipped the glass when taking it off. I opened another package and bent into a weird configuration .
I have been in the spring and wire form industry for over 20 years . I was hoping to use up stuff just sitting collecting dust and space . So I did that by throwing the packages away and making some tooling for a kick press . I made mine out of .062 302 stainless spring wire that we have cut offs from Motorola antennas and worked great. I am tempted to call macs and give the a quote for springs
So what's the wire form they sell for universal fit ?

Go for it!

Don't expect to make a whole lot of money though, you will find that most restorers/street rodders tend to buy cheap random quality (china) rather than paying for top quality stuff. You will likely never recover your tooling costs at shop rates. However if the tooling time counts as hobby time you could have a nice little side business.

Mac's is a volume seller, however they tend to stay with what sells (see above), and the general resistance to change (if it ain't broke, don't fix it). You initial market will likely be the more onesey twosey purchases from smaller more personally orientated resellers such as All Ford, C&G, Roy Nacewicz, etc, ourselves included. If you do the Model A clips Snyders and Brattons among others will pay for and sell quality.

Be wary of copying someone else's reproductions... to often they made an error. Search out and find NOS for examples, then double check that they are right. Research the parts books for interchanges.

Watch this forum for where people have issues... another clip demand is for body side and grille moldings, the available ones tend to be too hard for easy installation and will often break. The little clips that hold the sheetmetal upholstery covered door opening trim 1935-40 is not reproduced (yet... hint... hint...), and this might be the breakthrough part that Mac's might pick up where they would not consider changing suppliers for the lens clips otherwise.

Good luck and have fun

 

[vulture]

Karl, we have made small lots of springs 50 pcs to 500,000 for Ford GM and Chrysler . Along with a number of companies using small runs of Porto type items. Unfortunately none of them products in manufacturing has a good markup anymore. I have done just a dozen for guys working on inventions and such as well as . I don't mind helping guys in need and I can help. I do know dealing with some companies it's very hard to get to the folks that make that decision to change and fix issues . It's just a shame to buy a restoration product and it doesn't work at all or needs to be reworked.