Best quality headlamp mounting rings?

[Don H.]

Does anyone make an original Lucas-quality headlamp mounting ring? I refer to the single-piece chromed steel rings with three small screws that attach to the headlamp bucket. The kind shown as Moss part number 515218A. All of the reproductions I've seen are kind of nasty looking, poorly-finished, poorly-chromed things. Since so much of the ring shows on a TR's headlamps it's kind of nice to have good parts in this place.

 

My car is still running its originals, but one of them has spit where a screw goes through, so I'd like to have a backup. If it's a UK vendor, there's still enough time before TRchaeology 2017 to get one ready for me to carry home. Is anyone offering "TR gold" standard parts?

[Lebro]

Confused Don. The chrome ring (the bit you see) either has no fixing holes, & just clips on, or has one fixing hole at the bottom.

These are quite common on a lot of older british cars - Mini's for example.

The ring with three fixing holes is the non visible one, usually zinc plated & it clamps the headlamp to the "bucket" behind.

 

Bob.

[Don H.]

Not the clip-on trim ring, Bob. The ring that clamps the headlamp unit into the bucket. There are a number of different headlight bucket styles, and I might guess your car has the earlier one with sort of a two-piece clamp ring. On my car a portion of the mounting ring is quite visible projecting out of the trim ring. You can see a bit of it here:

 

Edited May 9, 2017 by Don H.

[stuart]

I will have a look in the shed tomorrow to see if i have reasonable one left, chances are they may need a rechrome but will be sound otherwise if thats any help.

Stuart.

[Alec Pringle]

I may well have one or two decent used items as well, Don, I'll have a dig before you get here !

 

Cheers

 

Alec

[Don H.]

Thanks, Stuart and Alec --

 

Yes, have a look through your stash, Alec. Let's hold off on a rechroming project for now, Stuart, although it may come to that at some point.

 

My retaining rims look exactly like the ones in this eBay auction. My best guess is that they were original Lucas parts circa 1980, put on by the guy I got my car from, who worked at an import car parts counter at the time. He still does, in fact, but it's Maserati, Bentley, and so on nowadays.

 

One can see where a rim in the auction photos has a broken screw slot. Mine is exactly like this. The exposed chrome part has a really nice finish, though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAGUAR-E-Type-XKE-LUCAS-DECAL-STICKER-HEADLIGHT-7-RETAINING-TRIM-RING-54521913-/232310484641?hash=item3616c8aea1:g:0jMAAOSwIWVY-8Fk&vxp=mtr

 

 

Edited May 9, 2017 by Don H.

[Lebro]

All clear now - I stand corrected, they are chrome ! As I said though, many different cars use them, & they do appear on ebay

 

Bob.

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

Remember there are different 'depth' versions of this retaining rim. The issue came up earlier in this forum with a car having wobbly headlamps, that were cured by the addition of a bit of rubber sandwiched between lamp lens and retainer rim. I think the change happened when the bucket went from 3 to 2 adjuster.

 

All my NOS and used rims have three round holes for the screws not slots as your pic shews. In fact I have not ever seen slotted type before - Install with the weld line at at the bottom.

 

Peter W

[Lebro]

Mine have "keyhole" slots. they allow you to "bayonette" the whole lamp assy out of the bucket without loosing your beam adjustments.

never seen any without them.

 

Bob.