Headlight Nightmare

[almac]

so I went to change my headlight bulbs(H3) today and thought it was going to be a cakewalk.
was I wrong.
right side no problem. everything came apart nice and quick. about 15 minutes.
Left side was a nightmare. the screws on the front molding are stripped to hell! what makes matters worse is that in order to get to them with a drill to drill them out, I think I'm going to have to take off or drop the front bushbar.
so is the bullbar a pain to take off or what? am I to expect more pain?

[Growlerbearnz]

I've had to deal with that one too. I think in the end I removed the front bumper. The screws go into some plastic block things, and if you squeeze the tags on the plastic block it'll come out of the headlamp bracket.

The bush bar is fairly easy- remove the plastic first, and the bolts holding it to the body are obvious. They're likely to be fairly rusted too, so watch out for that one.

Incidentally, there's an easy way to re-install that headlamp trim/side light when you get around to it: remove the plastic blocks from the headlamp bracket and screw them onto the plastic trim/side light, and then when you push the trim into place the blocks will just click into their holes. No fiddling around with a screwdriver and dropping the screws into the bumper.

[hawkdrver]

Didn't want to start a new thread - I had a similar experience changing mine. Short version of the story, out of four bulbs, there were three different types of bulb between sealed beam and drop in, and different number of terminals on each. So I ended up getting LED headlights, and had to download the wiring diagram. Then there was the drilling. Literally 100% of the rust on my 88 Delica was located in the headlight assembly. Currently on day four of my one hour headlight change.

Now the question I came to ask: Anyone know where to find the front piece of the headlight bracket? Or, is there an equivalent piece from another vehicle? A couple of the screw tabs didn't survive the drilling. I can fabricate a fix but I'd rather not if there are parts to be had.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Hi Hawkdrver,
One place worth going to is the Delica FAQ Section, which you can find in the board index page. Beside your drivers seat is a skinny little hatch with a finger grip. Underneath that is your wagon's frame number, you're going to need that. Driving an eighty-eight, I suspect you have the twin square headlamps, which is kind of unique in the Delica community as sometime in 1990 they all got the one piece E-type units. However, this is not to say that your headlamps are hard to come by. Firstly, look into "Useful Links for Vehicle Part Identification Purposes." There are a view parts search engines (this is where your frame number comes in handy) that will supply you with the OEM & PNC numbers. Now you have a choice: You can make your purchases on line (say, Amayama) or cross reference with local suppliers.

I recently replaced my rear right axle seals, bearing and retainer. These are also used in the Dodge Raider (uncertain which year). Mitsubishi Canada carries these products and told me that they would be $70Cdn for each bearing (I got two of each) and $50 for each retainer ring. This added up to $240 Cdn plus any applicable taxes and they could have them in for me in two weeks. I ended up buying Japanese ones through Amayama. Bearings were $27Cdn each, Retainers were $18Cdn each. With shipping I paid $148 for both pairs and I received them in less that a week.

Take a gander through the Delica FAQ Section, there are a few useful datums to be had. Also check out the Technical Reference Libraries, both L300 and L400. Some of the L400s came with similar parts as the Starwagon, such as the rear axle with leaf springs and drum brakes. Sort and compare.

Falco.

[hawkdrver]

Just for reference, the headlamps I have, just need the front of the mounting brackets and yes I do have the four separate ones. I'll take a look, thanks Falco.