87-93 Headlight Adjustment Procedure

Shawn · 12-13-2005

Greetings, fellow 'Stang owners and admirers! I just bought a pair of brand new headlights for $70, thanks so much to AllFordMustangs.com (

) for the link to Performance Parts, Inc who I got them from. Those folks are friendly, and quick. My order went out the same day I ordered!!!

Okay, so here's my dilema: I had a friend who has worked with Mustangs for 30 years change everything, but he did it so fast I couldn't keep track of exactly what is what and why! He had to replace one backing plate, and the lights installed fine. He said they look like the adjustment is okay, but of course it was daylight. This is my first Mustang since 25 years ago when I had a '65, so I'm not familiar at all with how to adjust these '88 headlights.

They aren't TOO far off, but they do need adjusting! Both sides are inward a little, especially the driver's side. And they could go up just a hair. I know there is a trick to adjusting these things! It seems like it might be an art! Do I only loosen the side that needs to come OUT, and then tighten the side that needs to come IN? If anyone has a diagram showing the back of the backing plate and exactly which nuts to turn, I'd appreciate if you could e-mail it to me at: 88mustanglx@comcast.net and I'd be forever greatful.

ALL the nuts seem tight, so I don't want to loosen or tighten the wrong ones! PLEASE HELP! I want to see a little further!

Thanks everyone for any input!

Shawn

Shawn · 12-15-2005

Does anyone know how to adjust these headlights? Of the probably thousands of members with 87-93 Mustangs, I would think at least a few have adjusted their headlights at one time or another. Please, friends, I need some help here. I need to see down the road instead of down in front of my car. I know it can't be that hard to adjust these, but I figured it might be easier if someone could tell me exactly which nuts to turn on back of these lights.

Thanks again, for any advice you might be able to offer.

Snake1 · 12-16-2005

There's a long threaded square end bolt, top left, as you're looking at driver's side headlight think it's got a white collar on it aginst the cross member,that's for side to side and up and down is on the other side of the light on the bottom if I remember corectly (88's in the rented garage for the winter) a small metric socket will fit on the end of the adjustment bolt.
have a close look and you should be able to tell the difference between the hold down bolts and the adjustment bolts.

Shawn · 12-16-2005

Thanks much!

I think I can figure it out by what you said. I just noticed there are so many screws with nuts on them! Do you have to loosen any then tighten the other, or just turn the nut? I hope this works. So as I'm looking down from standing over it, on the driver's side, it would be the one on the radiator side that does the up and down, if I understand you right, and the fender side ones are side to side. Cool. I can figure that out.

I appreciate the info. You're a big help. I didn't want to just start cranking on any nut behind the light, because it's pretty much fine as it is, so I didn't want to get it any WORSE. But thanks to your pointers, I think this will work.

Geez, you would think when you spend $15 on a repair manual, it could at least say more than "Take your vehicle to a repair shop and have the headlights adjusted".

Shawn

Snake1 · 12-17-2005

You don't have to undo any bolts or nuts, just turn the end of the adjusment bolts like I mentioned.