Headlamp Adjusters

[Doppleganger]

@Keith Seymore

Re: 1985 K20 w/Quad lamps. Any idea why some of the bulb adjusters are green and some are white? All mine are white except one on the passenger side, which is green - but the PO was a savage so who knows what went where. They do mount a tad different (one is recessed - the other isn't) and there are different PNs, but they apparently do the same thing so there has to be a reason for the two styles.

I bought a box of both - NOS in old GM boxes. Will only need a fraction of them, so there will be spares.

This is what I am referring to:

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Many TIA.

 

[CalSgt]

lol…. All mine were green except one white, I figured one of them broke at some point in history and was just replaced with whatever was available.

That’s rad you have NOS parts, I was really careful with mine planning on reusing but they were dried up and brittle. I just replaced them with doorman auto parts store stuff.

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[PrairieDrifter]

The green ones are the good replacements. The parts stores and most aftermarket like dorman break as soon as you try to adjust them.

 

[hogdaddy]

The green ones are the good replacements. The parts stores and most aftermarket like dorman break as soon as you try to adjust them.

I bought some from Chevy dealership few years back and they were green.
The aftermarket white ones kept breaking and I think they are plastic whereas GM are nylon.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

I bought some from Chevy dealership few years back and they were green.
The aftermarket white ones kept breaking and I think they are plastic whereas GM are nylon.

There are cheap green ones too. You have to get the thick ones.

This is a good brand. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040D2SDU/

 

[RanchWelder]

Buy the AZ expensive ones or get ripped off.
The threaded hardware is NOT the same as OEM.

The high quality amazon hardware comes with studs, which will NOT work with OEM headlight housings or stock white lamp screw bushings.
You cannot swap the hardware on thse parts. It will not work to adjust your headlights.

Dorman hardware will not fit or adjust without destroying the threads, of the high dollar Amazon fittings!

Do NOT mix up the hardware!

It is absolutely NOT the same pitch and thread gauge as OEM or Dorman!

 

[Bennyt]

Just to clarify.. you guys are saying the green ones on Amazon, manufactured by Au-ve-co are good?

I've gone through a dozen dorman and other brands this year on my son's s10. They strip/ break when you install or try and adjust.

I buy auveco bolts/clips in bulk so hoping the quality is good on these too.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

Just to clarify.. you guys are saying the green ones on Amazon, manufactured by Au-ve-co are good?

I've gone through a dozen dorman and other brands this year on my son's s10. They strip/ break when you install or try and adjust.

I buy auveco bolts/clips in bulk so hoping the quality is good on these too.

5+ years in North Dakota. I'd say they're good.

 

[Doppleganger]

My originals all came out intact and in good shape. I just figured being almost 40yrs old, I'd replace them while all is apart. A seller on feebay had 2 boxes of them - in OE GM packages - still new that I picked up. But there are 2 different PNs - one for green and one for white, and I have yet to see a setup with them in specific locations.

I'm not crazy about the aftermarket self tapping threads into plastic. I think I'd run a tap through them before forcing it.

 

[BadBowtie]

I bought new GM adjust nuts from my GM dealer. They were all green, in NOS GM bags. Better than the white ones which seem to be be breaking everytime I drive my 1984 now. LoL

 

[bucket]

Just to clarify.. you guys are saying the green ones on Amazon, manufactured by Au-ve-co are good?

I've gone through a dozen dorman and other brands this year on my son's s10. They strip/ break when you install or try and adjust.

I buy auveco bolts/clips in bulk so hoping the quality is good on these too.

I've yet to find anything of poor quality from Auveco. However, I haven't used any of their products in several years. Not by choice, just no reliable local suppliers.

 

[nvrenuf]

When I replaced all the inserts on my 91 (quad headlight) I couldn’t find any that were good, they kept breaking during installation.

I ended up using some white square inserts that seems like they were for tag screws. These inserts fit the core support perfectly and the holes were the correct size for the adjuster screws.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

When I replaced all the inserts on my 91 (quad headlight) I couldn’t find any that were good, they kept breaking during installation.

I ended up using some white square inserts that seems like they were for tag screws. These inserts fit the core support perfectly and the holes were the correct size for the adjuster screws.

That's a good alternative. Just as long as you can find quality versions of them too lol

 

[nvrenuf]

That's a good alternative. Just as long as you can find quality versions of them too lol

The inserts I used were regular “Help!” brand stuff. Knock on wood, so far so good.

 

[bluex]

When I replaced all the inserts on my 91 (quad headlight) I couldn’t find any that were good, they kept breaking during installation.

I ended up using some white square inserts that seems like they were for tag screws. These inserts fit the core support perfectly and the holes were the correct size for the adjuster screws.

I just bought Dorman ones for my dually an they stripped out as soon as I tried to put tension on them with the spring. I might have to see if that will work on it. Wasted like $15 on the 4 of them, they didn't even snap into the core support very well either.

My other idea is to weld a nut to washer an then tack it to the support. The ones for it are 1/4-28 thread...