myponyrocks
I have more billet on the Stang than most women ha
- Apr 18, 2004
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Does the Rubber Seal Around the Front Headlights Stretch?
- Thread starter RED2001GT
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What do you mean in your post? Do you mean that the headlight assembly unit will remain in its current position with a little bit of a gap existing from the current fix that the bodyshop owner did to it today?
myponyrocks
I have more billet on the Stang than most women ha
- Apr 18, 2004
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Yes it shouldn't move from its current position if you don't mess with it. Unless they cheated some how? Not sure what they did exactly?
I'm sorry for not being able to post any pictures yet. I haven't even had any time to drive and enjoy my Mustang since I brought it home from the bodyshop yesterday. It's been sitting inside my garage. My heating system broke and I've been running around for the past few days trying to get it fixed. I needed a brand new boiler for my house. I am going to post some pictures of the small gap in the headlight unit thru my photobucket account as soon as the heating guy finishes putting the brand new boiler the basement.
I'm hoping that the headlight unit will be able to stay snug where it's currently at right now after the bodyshop tried to fix the gap. There is still a gap there, but it's not as bad as it was before. The rubber seal on top of the headlight unit is like touching the front pointed part of the fender. Also, the rubber seal on the headlight unit is just touching the inside edge of the front pointed part of the fender, but there's still a small gap there. There's no more that can be done to make the gap any smaller.
I'm hoping that the headlight unit will be able to stay snug where it's currently at right now after the bodyshop tried to fix the gap. There is still a gap there, but it's not as bad as it was before. The rubber seal on top of the headlight unit is like touching the front pointed part of the fender. Also, the rubber seal on the headlight unit is just touching the inside edge of the front pointed part of the fender, but there's still a small gap there. There's no more that can be done to make the gap any smaller.
Well, the bodyshop didn't charge me anymore than what I already paid them to do all the body work. They were nice enough to not charge me anything extra for when I returned my Mustang to them for the 2nd and 3rd time for them to do the gap repair and the orange peel repair and the wet sanding on the front bumper.
Yeah, and it's very cold up here right now. Putting a brand new boiler in my house is expensive. I have to pay the heating technician $65 an hour for all the labor. The damaged boiler was swapped for another brand new one because it was still under warranty. But the labor is still going to kill me. Plus, I'm probably going to need to spend a few hundred dollars more for attachements that need to go on the boiler because some of theold original attachements need replacment from heat damage and/or age.
I inspected the area around passenger side headlight assembly unit. This is what I found:
1. I noticed that the part of the bumper which goes up underneath the hood where the hood closes on it on the passenger side has a few millimeters more of space between the distance from the top of the bumper and the hood. The driver's side has less distance between the top of the bumper where the hood closes on it and the hood. The location of the space which I am talking about here is the "angled step" that is exposed when the hood is clompletely shut over the bumper. The hood shuts and seals properly over the top of the bumper. The only space which exists that I am trying to describe here is on the top part of the bumper that angles upwards towards the hood. There "is" supposed to be some space in this area between the hood and the top of the bumper, but there is a little bit more space on the passenger side in this location than there is on the driver's side on my Mustang.
2. I also noticed that the passenger side headlight assembly unit has a few millimeters more of space than the driver's side headlight assembly unit at the location between the headlight unit and the part of the bumper which goes upwards that meets with the hood.
When my car got hit, the passenger side of the bumper where the bumper goes upwards and meets the hood was pushed in a few millimeters. The bodyshop owner had to straighten it out. I believe that he pulled the piston on the bumper's shock absorber to do the fix and to straighten it out.
I am getting the feeling that the gap is being caused from the bumper's piston shock absorber on the passenger side. Maybe when the bodyshop owner pulled on the bumper to straighten it out, the piston was pulled outwards a few millimeters too far "OR" the piston wasn't pulled outwards far enough, therefore causing the gap when he put the headlight assembly unit back on the car. The bodyshop owner told me that he measured everything in order to make sure that the bumper was straight when he pulled it outwards. He said that everything was measured accurately before and after he pulled the bumper outwards and that all distances were even.
Do you think that the passenger side bumper piston was pushed out too far or NOT pushed out too far during the repairs causing the gap? As far as I can see, the bumper is on correctly and it is not crooked anywhere. The only place where I see any difference in spacing is ONLY in the area where the top of the bumper meets with the hood on the passenger side. And it's very very hard to tell that there is a difference in the distance between the top of the bumper and the hood unless you really look at that area very closely. You need to be looking ONLY at the exact spot which I am describing here where the top of the bumper meets with the hood from bending down and looking at it ONLY from the side of the car to notice this. And you notice this only at the spot where ONLY the top part of the bumper which meets with the hood.
Do you think that the bumper's piston settled outwards too much or outwards too much when the bodyshop tried to pull it to straighten it out? Do you think that the piston is too far out or not far out enough to cause the gap between the headlight unit and the front pointed part of the front fender?
Does this all make sense?
1. I noticed that the part of the bumper which goes up underneath the hood where the hood closes on it on the passenger side has a few millimeters more of space between the distance from the top of the bumper and the hood. The driver's side has less distance between the top of the bumper where the hood closes on it and the hood. The location of the space which I am talking about here is the "angled step" that is exposed when the hood is clompletely shut over the bumper. The hood shuts and seals properly over the top of the bumper. The only space which exists that I am trying to describe here is on the top part of the bumper that angles upwards towards the hood. There "is" supposed to be some space in this area between the hood and the top of the bumper, but there is a little bit more space on the passenger side in this location than there is on the driver's side on my Mustang.
2. I also noticed that the passenger side headlight assembly unit has a few millimeters more of space than the driver's side headlight assembly unit at the location between the headlight unit and the part of the bumper which goes upwards that meets with the hood.
When my car got hit, the passenger side of the bumper where the bumper goes upwards and meets the hood was pushed in a few millimeters. The bodyshop owner had to straighten it out. I believe that he pulled the piston on the bumper's shock absorber to do the fix and to straighten it out.
I am getting the feeling that the gap is being caused from the bumper's piston shock absorber on the passenger side. Maybe when the bodyshop owner pulled on the bumper to straighten it out, the piston was pulled outwards a few millimeters too far "OR" the piston wasn't pulled outwards far enough, therefore causing the gap when he put the headlight assembly unit back on the car. The bodyshop owner told me that he measured everything in order to make sure that the bumper was straight when he pulled it outwards. He said that everything was measured accurately before and after he pulled the bumper outwards and that all distances were even.
Do you think that the passenger side bumper piston was pushed out too far or NOT pushed out too far during the repairs causing the gap? As far as I can see, the bumper is on correctly and it is not crooked anywhere. The only place where I see any difference in spacing is ONLY in the area where the top of the bumper meets with the hood on the passenger side. And it's very very hard to tell that there is a difference in the distance between the top of the bumper and the hood unless you really look at that area very closely. You need to be looking ONLY at the exact spot which I am describing here where the top of the bumper meets with the hood from bending down and looking at it ONLY from the side of the car to notice this. And you notice this only at the spot where ONLY the top part of the bumper which meets with the hood.
Do you think that the bumper's piston settled outwards too much or outwards too much when the bodyshop tried to pull it to straighten it out? Do you think that the piston is too far out or not far out enough to cause the gap between the headlight unit and the front pointed part of the front fender?
Does this all make sense?
RedDaemon
10 Year Member
The bumper pistons are hidden behind the front bumper. They cannot be seen or accessed with the bumper on.measure the pistons?
I am wondering whether or not the passenger side piston is what's causing the gap problem? Maybe the piston's position is off a few millimeters causing the few millimeters of space to occur on the passenger side between the top of the bumper and the hood on the angled top part of the bumper?
I don't understand HOW the bumper piston can be off when the bodyshop technician measured everything to make sure that everything was straight after he pulled out the bumper to do the adjustments on the bumper piston? The bodyshop said that they "DID" measure everything very carefully "before" and "after" they straightened and pulled out the bumper after they took the front bumper off the car. So, if everything was measured correctly, HOW can the bumper piston be off if this is what is causing the gap problem?
I cannot think of anything else that would be causing the gap between the passenger headlight assembly unit and the front pointed part of the front fender if nothing is bent, broken or cracked.
Do you think that this is what's causing the gap?
myponyrocks
I have more billet on the Stang than most women ha
- Apr 18, 2004
- 1,219
- 0
- 37
You are right and I will take some pictures.
My car is currently at Ford Service for an oil change and to be mounted with 4 snow tires. By the time that I get my car back it will be dark out, so I will not be able to post any pictures today. Plus, it's drizzling outside.
I will try to post pictures tommorrow if the weather is clear and if I can find some time. Sorry.
Hi I'm a student at compton el Camino College auto collision and paint and my project is a 2001 mustang I'm painting for my sister. I have good news for this problem of the gap. Yes my sister car have the same problem it might take 2 people for this job. The problem is the head light mount the pice in the middle. You need to remove the head light also remove the front bumper so It won't get scratch. Then losing all the boats on the headlight mount in the middle two bolts are facing sideways and two bolts are facing straight loosen all of them on both sides right and left side of passenger and driver side not the ones on the fender but in the middle of the car near the radiator. This is where the second person comes in handy have him lift the headlight mount up as high as it can go it has to be tilted up just like a plane taking off. Have him hold it without losing the angle then tighten all the bolts up and install the headlights to see if they're close to the edge of the fender this is how I solve my problem everything comes out okay just reinstall the bumper and the headlight and you be good. If they don't adjust the headlight mount facing up correctly as high as it can go it would be too low for the headlights to reach the edge of the fender
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