We all know how recalcitrant headlight rims can be. This morning I was removing one that was as stubborn as they usually are, when suddenly it popped loose and the lens tumbled to the concrete floor. I was much luckier than I deserved. It didn't break. After that little reminder I think from now on I'll remember to put a large foam pad down on the floor before I take on that job.
I had to look it up.
"having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline"
Yesterday I tried taking the headlight rims off of my 1923 touring/pickup (I wanted to see what headlight bulbs I had so that I could order spares). The driver's side rim came right off (the previous owner had smeared a good layer of grease between the housing and rim), but the passenger side one is being stubborn; it will rotate, but it doesn't want to pop off after rotating. I got the bulb info I wanted from the driver's side, so I rotated the passenger side back to the locked position and plan to leave it be.
Recalcitrant - derived from the Latin word for "heel". Back when I worked for Pratt & Whitney, my boss and I went to a contentious technical meeting with one of the program managers, in which he called my boss "recalcitrant". Walking back to our desks after the meeting, my boss asked me what recalcitrant meant, when I told him he was pretty proud of himself!
A good one word synonym for recalcitrant has been used to describe many aspects of the Model T: "Stubborn".
Yes, prepare first, before commencification of derimmifying your illuminatory fixations !!
Garnet
Use the new tool, they work great,Bob
I'm in the process of putting bulbs and better reflectors in my rusty coupe. All of it is tedious at best. Reflectors won't turn. Need to practice on a few to get the hang of it. Then all will be forgotten by the next time.
Good luck
Rich
I can vouch for the "new tool" pictured by Bob Bergstadt above.
I have an original of that tool and it works great!
Keith
Pardon my newbie ignorance, but can someone show a picture of how the new tool above fits and works? It's not obvious to me, sorry.
My thought exactly. How does it work?
It slips over two rivets, then you simply push in and twist it off, sold quite a few in the last week,Bob
I believe it slides over the rivets and you can put pressure to unlock the pins then have something for leverage to twist.
Bob
You quicker than this old man Bob
Bob
Thanks, not bad for typing with one finger, almost as fast as removing the rim,Bob
Thanks, sounds like it wouldn't help with my passenger side headlight rim. I can push it in and untwist it, but it won't pull forward after being untwisted. There must be a burr or something keeping one or more of the pins from sliding out of the straight part of the guides. Luckily, the bulb works fine, so there's no need to take it apart right now.
Mark
Some times the pin holder gets bent up. Try putting a SMALL blade screwdriver under the rim at the rivet (or where the pin is) and lift lightly
so not to damage the paint or rim. try this with all three pin areas while pulling outward. I found that SOMETIMES it will allow it to slip out.
That worked, thanks Bob. Mine actually have four pin areas. After I got the rim off, I carefully reshaped a couple of bent guides and it works much better now.