Headlight housing material?

Rooster

piccole ma cattive
Dropping this here as a precursor for a new secret project for the bumblebee.

Anybody remember what the headlight housings are made of? I.E.-Aluminum, magnesium, adamantium.

TIA
 
I am pretty certain they are a zinc die cast part. I haven't had one in my hand for many decades, a quick dip in a graduated volumetric of water and then carefully weighing will tell the tale with some simple calculations to determine its mass.

If you pick it up and if feels "heavy" versus somewhat surprisingly light, its likely zinc. Zinc weighs three times what aluminum weighs. You could use some Drano on an exposed section of the metal, zinc will turn black I believe and aluminum will just get somewhat shinier.
 
Aluminum seemed too easy a guess

I couldn't find anything else in the archives, but I only searched for a little while. Seems like folks have described the pods and the targa bar receivers as made of "pot metal" in the past. Wiki says that is a generic term for die-cast zinc. So there is a nod in your direction Karl.

I have looked at a pod long ago and it did not strike me as being aluminum, but I really have no idea.
 
Thanks Jim and Karl. I didn't think it was aluminum, maybe cast. Next question, can it be welded?
 
Well the wiki states

"Pot metal is not easily glued, soldered or welded."

Now, having said that we still haven't clarified exactly what metal the pods are made of. Wait for it........ pod metal... nailed it.
 
Two more votes for POT METAL from BBrown & Tony...

And noooooo... you can't even toss it in the trash right... As I dunno where it should go... Recycling, Yard Waste, or Garbage.

I think the name even originated from JUNK, like saying in the old daze... "He's going to pot!"

These aren't too hard to find... and I imagine you probably broke a hinge hole... just best to replace and repaint, or visa-versa...
 
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And noooooo... you can't even toss it in the trash right... As I dunno where is should go... Recycling, Yard Waste, or Garbage.

I think the name even originated from JUNK, like saying in the old daze... "he's going to pot!"

These aren't too hard to find... and I imagine you probably broke a hinge hole... just best to replace and repaint, or visa-versa...

Dropping this here as a precursor for a new secret project for the bumblebee.

^this

I did find out you can "weld" it with Royal Kirkrod. Actually need to use a TIG setup.
 
Welding headlight pods

I had one with a crack in it from PO.
Tried to TIG it with aluminum...did not do it.
I think it is a mix of stuff...too much trash in it to aluminum tig.
kept cracking when I could get a tack or short bead.
Ended up using the aluminum filler rod from Harbor Freight with a torch.
Worked it into the void, it too kept cracking...from there JB weld to fill in then plastic..
Glen
 
"Pot Metal" is generally made up primarily of zinc. Zinc is not weldable. It may contain tin, antimony, aluminum and some small amount of iron. Either way it is not a good structural material given the various sub components are not exactly high grade alloys or particularly compatible with each other..
 
They can be brassed together with skill

I watched a good old school bodyman brass them and it worked fine. I have seen a new school bodyman use bondo that was aluminum based and it also worked well but was thick on the underside for strength
 
OK Guys... I now know WHY Mike asked...

and it is NOT to repair a headlight pod... but he wants to modify one.

(I will not GIVE AWAY his secret project... but send $20 bucks to my PayPal account and I'll tell you all about it...)

BUT... if someone here is looking to repair or replace a headlight pod, please read on.

As for headlight pods in general... They are relatively inexpensive as compared to finding a SKILLED craftsman that knows the ins and outs of welding on pot metal and what they would charge. Then there is all the clean up and Bondo required to make it look good. I believe Glen here said that JB Weld worked the best for him and would probably be great for any and all non-stressed areas... but I dunno if it would be good to repair a busted hinge.

Anyway...

http://www.midwest-bayless.com/stor...Detail.aspx?sid=1&sfid=208227&c=0&i=250928352

or...

http://www.fiatplus.com/RIGHT-HEADLIGHT-POD-ASSEMBLY.html

and lastly...

TDSKIP (aka Tom Deutsch) here on the board has a pair he would probably let go for a fair price also.

HTH!
 
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