I have egg all over my face. I needed to clean under the plain glass window on my Series 1 E-Type covered headlight. I easily removed the chrome trim piece, elliptical window glass and the rubber seal. (Which incidently had been caulked on both sides with a messy, black goo). I have tried, for two nights now, to put it all back without success. The rubber seal is smaller than the periphery of the glass window and I just cannot get the glass to stay in the rubber seals groove whilst I place it on the body and then put the chrome trim in place . As fast as I put it in the groove at one point, the tension in the rubber pulls it off somewhere else. I get the impression that I need about four pair of hands to hold it whilst I place it in exactly the right position on the car, then when you take a hand away to place the chrome trim piece on the rubber, the rubber flips up and off again. I just cannot find a way to do this. Is there a trick I am missing here?, I desperately need help. Thanks, Ted Burrow.

Submitted by htech@cwnet.com on Thu, 12/09/2004 - 14:34

It has always been my understanding that the reason the covered headlights were changed was due to a California law making covered headlights illegal.

This has always annoyed me a lot when I see all the Japanease imports with ccovered headlights. Apparently, with the properly placed contributions, you can influence our California lawmakers to wink at the enforcement of the laws they have created. Tom Hughes

Submitted by mcload@ev1.net on Thu, 12/09/2004 - 00:01

Ed: Welcome to the joys of covered headlights! You might want to start with a fresh set of seals; perhaps the ones you have are repro rejects. I don't recall having the problem that you are having.

If you want to use the same seals, try this. Use some brushable super glue in one small area in the gasket then push the glass in. Once it has cured and is holding, move down another few inches and do a spot there. Work all the way around until the glass is being held by the gasket.

If you were to try this with a new seal, you'll have to first clean the groove out with laquer thinner to remove the release compound or else the glue won't stick.

I understand that the seal was glued down to the body, but in the future, try to remove the seal and glass together. As a side note, no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to get the seal to keep out water. There are any number of places where it can get it. This is why Jag went to the open light in Series 2.

Good luck.

Patrick McLoad
1966 E-Type, Right-hand Drive Roadster
#1E1445

PS: You could try putting the seals in hot water and then stretching them abit, but they'll probably cool back down to their normal size and you'll soon return to fighting them.