Tigerists:
Last night I installed the mesh headlight covers that I just got from
Triple-C. I like them much better than the cheap department-store set I had
bought earlier.
To install them on a Sunbeam requires one modification to the car. The
clips that retain the guards are held on by the screws that secure the
retaining ring for the sealed beam (the thin bright ring, not the exterior,
painted, peaked cast unit); no way will these clips fit in the clearance
between the two rings-- so the clips must go _under_ the retaining ring,
between it and the glass. This requires bending the ring at three places, I
used Vice-Grips to flatten the metal to allow the clips to stick out.
The result? Benefits:
A) period appearance: I think it's in keeping with the car, and likely to
stay so; these are stainless steel, won't rust.
B) protection: no so sure. I wanted them to mount close, the cheap set I
got earlier was almost flat, little curvature and stuck out at least 3/4"
from the glass. The new ones follow the curve of the glass well, and are
close up against the glass-- 3/16". Looks good, but too close to afford
adequate protection? I want to eventually mount my Cibie Z-beam conversions
on the car once I add the appropriate relay, and don't want to lose one to
a stone.
C) Peaked rim retention: 2 years ago one of the cast peaked rims popped off
of the car when I hit a bump @ 70mph, tore up the paint a lot. Subsequent
discussions on the List offered several modification to ensure it wouldn't
happen again, all seemed viable. But mounting a set of these guards, tight
as the fit is, prevents the ring from coming loose. As a matter of fact, a
roadside replacement of a burned-out sealed beam could be a time-consumer!
Any downside? well, the exposed ends of the mounting clip (also
stainless
steel) weren't finished that well. On each light, two are tucked up against
the peaked cast rim (oh, by the way, this is for a Mk I; I'm not certain I
would recommend this on a Mk II),so you don't notice, but the lowermost of
the three clips-per-side sticks out prominently. These are also a little
more expensive at $21.95/pair.
There's occasionally some advantage to not living on the left coast;
being
about a 2-hour drive away from York, PA, meant I got my order one day after
e-mailing my request in. The rest of the stuff was pretty cool as well:
Tiger post-cards, Tiger embroidered sweat shirt, Lucas "prince of darkness"
T-shirt. The key fob I got says Sunbeam Tiger around the periphery, and
merely "V8" in the center; these guys really could use some logos and
stuff, help out if you can.
"I can't get no-- Satis-traction"
Lawrence R. Wright
Purchasing Analyst
Andrews Office Products, Divison of USOP
PH 301-386-7923 FX 301-386-5333
lrw@aop.com
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