Spider headlight replacement with Carello covers, revisited

[Scott Fisher <sfisher71@domain.elided>]

Well, I've just replaced both headlamps in my 1974
Spider, which has the Carello headlamp covers
installed in the "European" manner -- with the
headlamps behind the fender, instead of in front of
them.  The second one was SO much easier than the
first that I thought I'd let you know what I learned.

First: I bought my Spider with the covers installed
and the headlights repositioned -- I didn't do the
installation myself.  But I now see a lot more about
how it was done, and it was done pretty well.

On my installation, there is a small (3-5mm wide)
stainless trim ring that fits around the opening. 
It's sort of U-shaped in cross section and made of
stainless steel; it's a press-fit (hand press) and
removes by hand.  Be careful not to kink it -- take it
slow, and apply pressure evenly when removing it. 
After you've removed it, you'll find access to the
headlamp clip screws SO much easier.

Once the trim ring has been removed and set aside,
you'll find five small Philips-head screws.  Ignore
the two at 12 and 9 o'clock -- they're the adjusters,
and VERY easy to get to.  (In fact, there are
rectangular windows in the fender that allow access to
the adjusters, so you can probably adjust the lamps
without removing the trim rings.)  The ones you want
are at about 120-degree intervals, and they go through
the stainless retaining ring that holds the headlight
in place.  

Here's the Big Tip: you do NOT have to remove those
screws -- just loosen them four or five turns.  Then
you can rotate the headlight retaining ring till the
wider part of the slots line up with the screws, and
the headlight retaining ring just pops off.  (Well,
it'll probably be held in place by road grime and
force of habit, but it pries off easily.)  If you
remove the screws, you run the risk of dropping one
down into the depths of the Spider's nose.  Not fun. 
If you DO remove them, use a dab of distributor grease
on the end of your Philips screwdriver to hold them in
place while you get them started on reinstallation.

Now, how do you get them out of that hole?  It's a bit
like trying to get a 6" ring out of a 5" hole -- but
not quite.  There are notches and tabs cut out around
the perimeter of the retaining ring, and notches cut
out in the fender (for aiming the headlights).  Rotate
the retaining ring back and forth till you get the
narrow parts of the ring lined up, then slide it out
at an angle.  Persistence is your friend.

You will, of course, want to polish up the stainless
headlight retaining rings before you put them back in.
 Which you do in the opposite of the way you took them
out -- slide them in at an angle, then rotate them
till the notches line up and it slips into place.

Tightening them up is much easier if you didn't remove
their mounting screws.  Make sure you align the wider
parts of the mounting slots with the screws, then fit
the retaining ring over them and twist the whole thing
till they "snick" into place.  Be careful that the
headlamp doesn't go out of alignment when you twist
the retaining ring into place.  When it snicks into
place, tighten the retaining-ring mounting screws.

Now, refit the trim rings.  Again, they work best if
you simply start levering them into place -- don't
force them, just use hand pressure to slip them over
the edge of the sheet metal.  When they're in place,
test the headlights to make sure you've got them
plugged in (it's easy -- U.S. Spiders have a
three-prong plug that can't be misaligned with the
headlamps).  Now you can install the headlamp covers
and be ready to see, as well as look, your best.

--Scott Fisher
  Tualatin, Oregon

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