Fullsizelover

Hi all, the vessel with my car is due to arrive within 2 weeks, after which I have to go to the official car inspection agency who approve this. Now I want to be prepared since the agency is 100 miles from my home. I have to replace the sealed beams with Halogen (bought some Hella which shipped with the car), is this simply done by removing the screws from the front bezel with a Philips screw driver? Also do the front and rear turn signals/brake lights all have 1157 bulbs?
Thanks and regards!

jaunty75

As far as replacing the headlights, it's straightforward. Remove the trim pieces that surround the headlights, and you'll see screws along the sides of them that hold them in their brackets. These brackets have screws on them that you turn in or out to aim the headlights. Remove the screws that actually hold the headlight to the bracket, and the headlight will come out. You'll have to remove the connector from the rear of the light by just pulling it off. The low-beams will have a three-prong connector and the high-beams a two-prong.

Installation of the new lights is just the reverse of all this.

Taillight, brake light, and turn signal bulbs are 1157.
Backup light bulbs are 1156.
The license plate illuminating bulb is 194.

starfire

Yes, they are Phillips heads. Bring some penetrating oil like PB Blaster. Sometimes those screws can be very hard to remove.

The headlight adjusting screws look different than the ones that hold the bracket in place. You will be able to see which is which (I think there are only two adjusters, and four that hold the bracket on). Don't mess with the headlight adjusting screws until you know if they need adjusting (they most likely will not) or not.

Oh, pull the plugs from the back before you take the bracket screws out. Its easier to pull the plug when the headlight is still securely attached to the car.

MDchanic

Once the headlight bezels are off, the headlight bulbs are retained in the cups by round stainless steel rings, with three screws each. These screws are often rusted, and can be hard to remove without stripping the screw heads or stripping the nylon adjuster sleeves that the adjuster screws run in when you push hard. If one screw is stubborn, it is only essential to remove two of the three screws on each light, if you are careful. The bulbs are located in the cups with three standoffs each, which fit into notches in the cups.
If you strip the nylon adjuster inserts, new ones can be obtained inexpensively from Dorman for most models, but there are a few oddballs that would require ingenuity to fix.

- Eric

jaunty75

Except that by '76, the headlights on all the full-size Oldsmobiles were rectangular.

MDchanic

Sorry, couldn't tell from that view that the car was a '76.

In that case...

The headlight bulbs are retained in the cups by rectangular stainless steel frames, with four screws each. These screws are often rusted, and can be hard to remove without stripping the screw heads or stripping the nylon adjuster sleeves that the adjuster screws run in when you push hard. If one screw is stubborn, it is only essential to remove two of the four screws on each light, if you are careful, so that you can bend the frame forward and maneuver the bulb out.

- Eric

jaunty75

I couldn't either. It's in his signature block.

MDchanic

Oh.

- Eric