Headlamp bucket electric motor options

[hemi68charger]

Hey gang...

A friend asked me and I wasn't quite sure since my Daytona has the original vacuum pods..

What are the options you have seen that work good utilizing electric motor(s) for the lifting the headlamps doors on our nosed-wonders?

Thanks..

[Seabeckredneck]

  A few months ago I found a nice set at ChargerSpecialties.net. But looking now, it seems they have sold to AMS Obsolete. I don't know if the new owners carry them or not. Good luck. I'm looking for some as well. I knew I should have bought them when I had the chance!

[bannedbird]

Thread on this board someplace about this.  I never found a "kit" for 'Bird or 'Tona headlights.  The electric conversion is for the normal charger headlight doors.  Apparently that motor does not have the capacity to actuate the heavier nose cone style lights (at not least for very long).  If I find the thread I'll link it here.  There are a few members that have posted how they made their own conversions.

[Seabeckredneck]

Thread on this board someplace about this.  I never found a "kit" for 'Bird or 'Tona headlights.  The electric conversion is for the normal charger headlight doors.  Apparently that motor does not have the capacity to actuate the heavier nose cone style lights (at not least for very long).  If I find the thread I'll link it here.  There are a few members that have posted how they made their own conversions.

  I'll keep my eyes open to see what you find. Likewise, if I find something, i'll post it here too.

  Chris

[DAY CLONA]

Best to fabricate your own set up, you'll need an electric motor that has limits built in to shut off, then redirect the motors direction when required, I'd recommend the readily available mid/late 80's Fiero/Firebird motors, they are a L and R designation design, they have internal mechanical and electrical stops, this way you can create a mount for the motor that can attach to the factory style Z bar and utilize the original style mounting bolts of the inner headlight bucket plate, fabricate an arm for the existing Tona/Bird headlight pivot, mount adjustable stops on the plate to control the motor pivots travel, and not have to worry about the motor being stopped in an electrical load stop which will eventually burn out the motor, the GM motor when forced to stop along it's travel disengages the gear mechanically and electrically and ready's it for reversal when activated electrically again, making it an ideal canidate over other motor designs,  I'd suggest your linkage from the motor's pivot arm to the wingcar's pivot frame arm be equipped with a L and R thread heim joint to fine tune adjustments, I applied this design to the 71 G-Series wingcars that I constructed/fabricated parts for, as well as the repro Daytona parts that I fabricated/installed on Mike Musto's aka Mr Angry "Angrier" Daytona build, everything was a bolt on plate/arm deal to avoid customizing factory style/repro parts.....

FYI: the Fiero/Firebird motors also have a mechanical knob to activate the motors manually up/down in travel should they fail electrically

Mike  

[RT Daddy]

I used a motor from a LeBaron, the motor from the Charger Daytonas/IROC Daytona.  Fabricated brackets and used springs to counterbalance the weight of the buckets, and another bracket to activate a limit switch to stop the rotation.

[bannedbird]

Good info.  Thanks for those last 2 posts.

[hemi68charger]

Thanks everyone.. 

[oldcarnut]

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,136726.0.html.      I've been off the board for a long time but I used a mid 80s Porshe headlight motor. 

[daytonalo]

Lets see the here the orig simple don't reinvent the wheel vacuum pods lasted 51 years and apparently that's not long enough for you ! Total insanity ! Replace the pods and reinvent something else as dirt nap too soon for all of us   

[hemi68charger]

Lets see the here the orig simple don't reinvent the wheel vacuum pods lasted 51 years and apparently that's not long enough for you ! Total insanity ! Replace the pods and reinvent something else as dirt nap too soon for all of us   

The original intent of this thread was an alternative because, the person who asked me this question is making a clone Daytona and doesn't have all that original stuff....

[Golden-Arm]

Lets see the here the orig simple don't reinvent the wheel vacuum pods lasted 51 years and apparently that's not long enough for you ! Total insanity ! Replace the pods and reinvent something else as dirt nap too soon for all of us   

except, they don't last 50 years. sure, some do. others didnt last two or three years before they started failing. is there an actual, reliable, functioning replacement? if there is, post a link to it and help out your brothers. is the need for something new due to the fact that there is no viable solution for failing pods.  it sure looks that way,

[DAY CLONA]

Lets see the here the orig simple don't reinvent the wheel vacuum pods lasted 51 years and apparently that's not long enough for you ! Total insanity ! Replace the pods and reinvent something else as dirt nap too soon for all of us   

except, they don't last 50 years. sure, some do. others didnt last two or three years before they started failing. is there an actual, reliable, functioning replacement? if there is, post a link to it and help out your brothers. is the need for something new due to the fact that there is no viable solution for failing pods.  it sure looks that way,

The factory system while functional, is a marginal design at best, if properly engineered an alternate operation such as an electric motor or electric lift cylinder would be a better choice to lift/support the load of the headlite door/pivot assy......if anyone has ever driven a Tona/Bird with the factory set up, they know what I'm talking about, esp the "bouncy" lights at night


Mike

[odcics2]

Folks always forget that the only reason wing cars were produced is to homologate them for racing.
If not for those rules 51 years ago, the only ones that would exist would be the few race examples left.

So, they were slapped together with whatever they had!!
Certainly, there were no thoughts towards longevity of components.

[bannedbird]

And those "eyes" start drooping at a stop light (low idle). ("eyes" = "headlight" - LOL). 

[NHCharger]

My Daytona clone has a fiberglass nose from the 80's/90's. The headlight doors lay back, not pop up, the headlights are mounted behind the doors. The problem I had was above 45 mph the pods didn't have enough juice to keep the doors up. I bought two linear actuators and replaced the vac pods. They are operated by a rocker switch that I installed on the cover plate for the A/C vent to the left of the steering column. you could probably rig up something similar.