1948 KB5 Railway Express

KB5 Front Bumper

The front bumper had been painted black. It was also bent and twisted on the passenger side. I straightened out the twist using a come-along and securing it to the top rail of my utility trailer and wrapping the come-along around the bumper and hooking the other end to the opposite side of the trailer. Tightening of the come-along pulled and twisted the bumpber end as I worked the kinked metal edge with a 5-pound sledge hammer. When done, the bumper looked straighter than it was. The bumper was beat up and I hammered out a few dents to make it look a better.

Pic #1 & #2 - I used paint stripper on the black painted surface to remove the paint. I scraped off the paint, neutralized the paint stripped with a water rinse, and used a circular scotch pad on an air drill to clean the surface. The bumper was originally International red as most REA bumpers were. A little of the red was still left in a couple areas under the black paint.

Pic #3 - The scotch pad/drill did a basic job of cleaning the bumper, but it still had a lot of rust. I did not want to sandblast the bumper as I felt it more time/work than it was worth on the beat-up bumper. I tried sanding the bumper with my air drill and a small 40-grit sanding disc, but the rust was heavy and the sanding disc was not doing a good job on it. I switched to my electric grinder and sanding disc which did a better job in removing the rust. The disc I used was not a coarse grit so it did not chew up the metal and got much of the rust off.

Pic #4 - I used a light coat of Rustoleum Rust Reformer primer on the bumper and let it dry.

Pic #5 - I used a greenie pad to scuff up the primer and brush painted with Rustoleum Red #7762 as used on the rims. It is a lighter/brighter shade of red than the original International red.

Pic #6 & #7 - The bumper is installed and came out fairly straight. I did not do anything fancy with the small grille filler panel at the base of the radiator other than sand the grey paint/primer that was on it and put a coating of rubberized undercoating on it to help protect it a little more. It was in very poor shape and not worth investing labor into as it is basically hidden behind the grille shell. The radiator support was not too bad with more surface rust than anything. I hand sanded it to remove the loose rust and clean the metal, wiped it down with a paint cleaner, masked it off, and gave it a coating of the Rustoleum Rust Reformer and then a flat black paint to top coat. I still have to strip/paint the small bumper filler panels that fit in front of the fenders and get attached to the bumper at the 3 bolts seen on each top side of the bumper. The panel goes under the bumper and also covers the frame horns.

I like your project. Good job.

I like your project. Good job.

Thanks. I am moving right along. Have the fenders on and putting the stainless trim on the grille/fenders. Then headlight buckets/trim rings and wiring. Not as easy as it would sound, and no fast job. This will be my next installment with photos and a write-up. It is looking good and even got some positive comments from a neighbor who said he has been watching the build.

It will be going on its own gravel lot to the right of my brother's ticket house for his dinner train. You will have to walk right past it to get on board the train. He will be putting up a metal awning/car port over the truck to protect it from the weather/sun in the summer and stores it for winter. The ticket house has the REA theme and influence. i also made up 4 large sign boards on the REA history and 1 sign board for the K-Line truck history and the KB5. We decided it will spend the winter with me since it is late in the season and would only be put into storage with the accompanying payments, so it will be transported next spring to its destination.

He will add the REA logo's/decals and an advertisement panel on the sides of the box body advertising his dinner train ride when the truck arrives.

Part 1 KB5 Nose Installation: Grille & Fenders



Getting to the final assembly of the nose section. A bit of work doing it by yourself.

Pic #1 - I installed the grille shell first as this is the key part needed to attach the fenders. The grille shell is bolted to the support "ear" bracket on the radiator support. The fenders also use the same bracket as the attaching bolts go through the fender, through the grille shell, and then the bracket. I installed 1 temporary bolt/nut through the grille shell and bracket to hold it into place knowing I would have to undo the bolt/nut when fender attachment was done - bolt was snug only as I was going to have to remove it later when installing the fender. The stamped steel bracket on the driver's side was bent/twisted and only the top hole lined up. The 2 holes below this were way off and heating/bending the bracket was not something I wanted to take a chance on doing as I could mis-bend the bracket a number of ways and then have alignment issues later. It came off that way, so it went back on that way.

Pic #2 & #3 - The back rear top section on the inside of the fender which fits up against the cowl uses a seal. The original was most likely leather and used nails to secure it, but an aftermarket rubber seal I purchased is made as a replacement and does the job. I measured and cut my seal, and drilled 1/8" holes and used taper head rivets to attach the seal. I drilled 1 hole at a time through the seal, pulled it away from the fender to remove the drill chips, inserted the rivet through the seal, then the fender, and used my pop-rivet gun to pull the rivet. When going to the next hole, I pulled on the seal a bit to make it taught and held it while drilling my next hole. Did this all the way down the seal and this was done on the other fender as well. I will put a dab of black silicone sealer under the very top edge of the seal to close up the small gap so no water can get down the fender joint.

Pic #4 & #5 - I wanted to point this upper bracket that attaches to the cowl with two(2) 5/16"-24 fine thread bolts(new bolts from O'Rileys) and then uses a longer 3/8" bolt going through a rubber bushing and then through the fender using a washer/nut on the inside wheel well to tighten. I used a replacement rubber bushing purchased off Amazon, neoprene rubber 1 inch OD x 3/8 inch ID x 1 inch thick rubber spacers. They come in a 4-pack. I like using Nylock nuts for things like this versus a lock washer because you do not cinche down on the nut, but want to add tension to squeeze/compress the rubber bushing. Pic #4 is an earlier photo of the cowl where the bracket attaches.

FYI, and why I mention this, the brackets are made as a "left' and "right" bracket and I learned this when I could not get the bracket to fit correctly on the installed fender. Pic #5 is an earlier photo of the bracket still attached to the fender with one of the 5/16" bolts inserted in the bracket and just below that you can see the bolt head which is the bolt that attaches to the fender. I found that attaching the bolt to the fender was a problem when it came time to install the 5/16" bolts. Being a fine thread, the bolts have to go into the bracket nuts exactly square or the threads will not start. What I did was start both my 5/16" bolts first just enough to catch them and not pull out. Then I installed my 3/8" bolt just enough to slip the rubber bushing on, and then inserted the bolt through the fender - leave it loose as the fender is not mounted tight enough at this point where there is not enough bolt stick-out through the fender to install a washer and lock nut. If the 3/8" bolts falls out of the hole, not a big deal as the loose bracket allows you to easily fit it back into the fender once the fender is better fitted and bolted up.

Part 2 KB5 Nose Installation: Grille & Fenders


Pic #6 - To attach the passenger fender by myself, I placed my floor jack with a 1' x 1' square piece of cardboard/shipping foamboard on top of the lift platform, at the back of the fender attaching point which is a bracket near the step having the 2 bolts going through and into the lower fender. I raised the jack up where my cardboard/foam panel was level/even with the bracket with the intention of resting the rear bottom of the fender on it to support the fender as I lifted the fender into position. With the back of the fender supported, all I had to do is slip the front of the fender under the 2 bolt-hole tab that is on, and pat of, the grille shell and insert a nut/bolt to hold the front of the fender in place. This worked well and the fender supported itself through the front tab and my jack at the back.

From that point on it was a matter of installing my assorted bolts/washers/nuts to join the fender to the grill shell. First thing was to remove the earlier temporary nut/bolt I had used to hold the grille shell to the radiator bracket. The fender was not secured rigid at this point so it was easy to ply the fender/grille apart enough to get my box wrench on the bolt head and remove the nut/bolt so the bracket/grille/fender could all be bolted together as a unit. Took some doing to get the bolts in and tightened as some have to be done from underneath in order to reach them. I cheated on a couple bolts and left them out. I can see how this assembly had to have been bolted up as a unit off the truck and then lifted on as the shop manual instructs removal as a 1-piece assembly. I had to do it piece at a time working alone.

With the bolts installed in the front of the fender/grille section, the lower rear 2 fender bolts were next. The rear section of the fender near the bottom is very tight up against the box body so I used a clean rag placed between the 2 surfaces so as not to damage the paint. Trying to do the upper fender bracket/bolt was not working out as the fender was still too loose in its attachment causing the upper fender to lean outward. Pushing in on the fender and holding the fender bolt into position while reaching under the fender to install a washer and lock nut wasn't going to happen. LOL

The better route was to get the rear of the fender into position and lined up with the lower fender bracket and install the 3/8" bolts, washers, and nuts. I used a Hillman nylon bushing # 880372, 3/8-in I.D. x 9/16-in O.D. x 1/2-in long, from Lowes on the outer fender attachment and then cut down a rubber shock absorber bushing that fit the inner attachment. This took a little work as I used the jack to help get the height of the rear fender in line with the bracket holes and had to use a little force to push the lower fender in at the same time - but I got it. Once this was done, it now held the fender more rigid which made it easier to push in on the upper section of the fender to get it tighter up against the cowl and make it possible to push the 3/8" bolt with bushing through the fender hole. This provided enough threads sticking through on the inside of the fender that I could attach my washer and start the lock nut. Then is was a matter of tightening down the bolt/bushing. You can see the upper fender draw in against the cowl as you tighten the bolt. I tightened it enough to compress the rubber bushing so the upper fender's edge was even with the cowl.

Pic #7 - Driver's side fender got the same treatment but went on much faster as I knew what to do at this point. Faster is a relative term as it still took half the day! LOL

Pic #8 & #9 - Installed the grille trim that attaches to the fender. I had to reach down through the top of the grille to install the trim nuts on the trim clips and reach through the open headlight to install the outer trim nuts. Took a lot of time and patience. Finally got all the trim installed and started the install of the headlights - which will be another post since I am using a different trim ring to replace the badly pitted original ones I have.

KB5 HEADLIGHTS USING JEEP TRIM RINGS

PART 1 - PASSENGER SIDE


My headlight chrome trim rings were badly pitted and I did not want to use them nor pay a big price for a used set off Ebay that would still have some imperfections - I wanted new pieces either in chrome or stainless that I could adapt. Got the measurements from the original rings and compared them to other makes being sold for restorations. The originals were part #5931767 cast on them.

Most trim rings were the wrong diameter, too tall, or did not have the flattened curves of the originals. However, I found that the 1946-53 Willys/Jeep CJ-2A restoration replacements looked to be similar. The trim rings were close in dimensions and had a similar flattened curve to their shape. I purchased 1 for comparison and then bought a second trim ring when it looked like it may work.

A bit of a long write-up, but here is what I did to adapt these to the KB fenders. This will seem a little complicated to do, but really was not - there is a lot of test fitting and adjusting the fit as you go. Read though this and look at the pics to see if it is a job you might want to do on your truck. I would estimate 6-7 hours per headlight assembly.

Pic #1&#2 - Comparison of the original to the Jeep trim ring. Definitely different, but something workable. With the fender stripped of its headlight assembly, I fitted the trim ring to the face of the fender. It was not going to fit as the original did and the bottom of the ring fit best resting just inside on the "ledge" of the fender's headlight pocket which positioned the rest of the ring fairly evenly on the outside of the headlight opening.

I purchased a pair of Sylvania H6024STBX halogen headlamps to replace the former 6-volt headlamps. They fit right in place in the headlight "bowl"with no issues. When I mocked up one of the headlight buckets with bulb and test fitted the Jeep trim ring over it, the bulb/retaining ring protruded a good amount past the Jeep ring and did not look correct. The factory set-up also forced the Jeep trim ring downward and it no longer fit well over the fender's headlight opening. I fitted the factory ring on and the bulb/retaining ring and it still stuck out past the ring, but not like it did with the Jeep ring. Even so, I wanted the face of the bulb/retaining ring to be flush with the trim ring and I could see I had to move the assembly inward and raise the headlight bucket assembly up within the fender opening.

I studied the situation and my solution was to sink the headlight assembly inward by mounting the headlight bucket behind it's normal attachment point coming in from the front, and mount the bucket coming in from the wheel well side. I got the assembly up/in from the wheel well side and used a couple long screws/nuts and the factory holes to crudely mock-up the assembly and then place the Jeep trim ring over it.

The depth of the face of the headlight bulb was much better, but the assembly was still too low and the Jeep ring was still fitted way too low on the fender opening. So the first thing I did was pull out my die grinder and carbide bit and grind the mounting lip inside the fender at the top so as to clearance/raise the headlight bucket up. This worked to a point, but now none of the factory attachment holes lined up.

I inserted 2 long #8 machine screws/nuts in the bottom 2 holes in the bucket which allowed me to rest the bucket on the lip within the fender just above the attachment holes. Then I held the bucket in place from behind and slid the Jeep ring over the headlight assembly and it was an improvement in headlight stick-out and fitment of the trim ring. But, the base of the headlamp/retaining ring was still sunk inside the Jeep trim ring while the top was flush - it was essentially tilted. I also had several interference areas where things were hitting because the bucket was now positioned upward and these area had to be opened up.

With a loose plan in mind, the first thing needed was to position the Jeep trim ring to the headlight opening on the face of the fender and then adjust the headlamp/bucket assembly to the Jeep trim ring in order to make things work. This was going to be fabrication 101 with a lot of trial/error fitting to get things positioned where I wanted and I had no idea if this was going to work. I thought about purchasing an aftermarket headlight bucket and going from there, but decided to try the factory unit first and then a different bucket if needed.

Pic #3 - This is the driver's side, but same principal. Set the bottom of the trim ring on and slightly in the formed pocket of the headlight opening in the fender. It does not go in very deep, but more like rests just slightly inside on the ledge. Look at the top and sides of the Jeep ring and they should be well fitted up against the fender front, not up over the fender or way over to one side or the other. You will see a slight air gap on each side of the trim ring about midway as the ring is flat and the fender has a slight curve to it. If that looks good, tape the ring in place with painters tape (pulls off easier than masking tape). If the ring seems off, it will be because the base has not been fitted well, so you can move it around until you get the best even fit at the top/sides.

KB5 HEADLIGHTS USING JEEP TRIM RINGS

PART 2 - PASSENGER SIDE


Pic #4 - Installing the trim rings means fabricating new attachment clips. Look back at Pic #2 and the Jeep ring. You want to fabricate a new arc'd flat attachment clip that the top of the ring slips over and holds it in place - just like the factory ring except the attachment clip is rivetted to the headlight bucket. Since the factory clip cannot be used, you have to fabricate a new one.

Using Pic #2, I used the flap off a cereal box top to slide under the lip on the backside of the Jeep ring. This is going to be used as a template to make a more permanent attachment clip. I cut a piece about 1 1/2" square, turned my other Jeep trim ring over, and slipped my cardboard square up under the trim ring lip and then used a Sharpie to follow the radius of the lip to create the same radius onto my cardboard template. Then I cut the cardboard along the Sharpie line and if you stick it back under the trim lip, it should sit snug. Set it aside for now as the key to making this work will be the bottom attachment clip.

For the bottom clip, all you need is a 90 degree angled piece that will be attached to the fender and then drilled through from the screw hole in the base of the Jeep ring so you can use a screw to attach the trim ring to the new clip. I used what I had on hand which was an aluminum angle to which I cut a 3/4" wide piece off to make my clip. My plan was to pop-rivet the clip to the fender/headlight opening and then drill my hole for the attaching trim ring screw. Steel could be used as well. In Pic #4 you can see my lower attachment angle clip at the far left.

Pic #5 - Tools needed are a drill with a 1/8" drill bit (an extended bit works best), 1/8" pop-rivets, and pop-rivet gun. Small sheet metal screws could work, but pop-rivets are faster and less work. With the trim ring held in place with the tape, place your lower clip flat on the fender's headlight floor and flat/square up against the trim ring, centering the clip with the screw hole in the trim ring. Hold the clip in place and drill a 1/8" hole through the clip and fender. Then use a pop-rivet to secure it. If you need to twist or adjust the clip in any way, now is the time to do it before drilling/securing the next hole in the clip. Make sure the ring is still in place and where you want it. If all is good, drill your second hole through the clip/fender and pop-rivet it.

With the same 1/8" drill bit, center the drill through the trim ring screw hole and drill through the clip. If you are not comfortable doing this, use the Sharpie to make a dot on the clip where you need to drill and remove the trim ring and drill your hole. Just make sure to reinstall the trim ring exactly where it as before removing it. Then use a matching taper head stainless sheet metal screw and screw the ring to the clip. If done correctly, the ring should be tight against the clip and still evenly positioned around the headlight opening of the fender.

Pic #6 - With the ring removed to check your work, this is the lower clip installed and drilled. You should be able to put the ring right back on and it will stay on by itself and be positioned evenly on the fender opening. I had one ring that would hang up under the clip and took a little force to pull it off. I used a punch and hammer to gently tap and bend the clip up just a hair and all was good.

KB5 HEADLIGHTS USING JEEP TRIM RINGS

PART 3 - PASSENGER SIDE


Pic #7 - The Upper Attachment Tab. Go back to Pic #4 again. At the top center, in yellow, is the tab template that was partially made in the previous Pic #2 information. Your template should have the curved top and be more like a square in its overall shape. I used a flat piece of hardened aluminum (not the soft pliable aluminum) that I got from work and used on big truck trailers. I am guessing it is about 18 gauge as it seemed heavier than 20 gauge. If using steel, I would use 18 gauge.

The Jeep ring should at this point be held on the fender and held into position. Use the painters tape if this will help keep the ring centered and held in place tight against the fender. I did not need this as the lower bracket/screw did the job.

Take the cardboard template and slip it up into the Jeep ring just as it would be positioned under the trim ring lip that the attachment tab will be holding. Now push down on the template a couple times to form it to the underside opening of the headlight brow. You are doing this to make a crease/bend in the template so you will know where the bend is needed on your new attachment tab when fitting it to the fender,. Once you have that slight bend in the template, you are ready to make the actual attachment tab.

First modify the template. What I did was to cut away the small area at the base of the template to look more like a "T". I used the bend in the cardboard template as my point of reference as to where I wanted to make my top horizontal cut into the template. You want the horizontal cuts to be opposite as that is where you will be bending the tab. Make a straight line with the Sharpie if needed for the cut. Then come up vertically to meet that cut and discard the small cut piece leaving you with the "T" shaped template. That smaller base leg will conform/fit better onto the curved area up under the fender brow. The base leg of the "T" is what you will be pop-rivetting to the underside/top of the headlight opening of the fender. No set dimensions on the base leg, just cut enough to create the base leg and enough room for 2 pop-rivets used for attachment.

Next, transfer the template shape onto a cut piece of 18 GA aluminum/steel sheet the same size square as the cardboard template. Lay the cardboard "T" on top of your sheet piece and outline it with a Sharpie to transfer the template shape as I did looking at the piece to the right of my yellow template. Cut out the small notches to make the base of the "T" (I used tin snips). DO NOT toss the cardboard template away as it will be used later.

Next will be adding the bend to the attachment clip.. I used a steel block I have and C-clamp (vise would also work) and clamped the "T" to the block keeping the edge of my block even with the line of the bend, or that horizontal line that was made for the horizontal cuts of the "T". Then gently fold/bend the tab over the block to give the tab a small angle to it. If not enough, you can come back and add more bend, and if too much, you can take some out. The attachment tab at the bottom above the shears in the photo is the cut and bent attachment tab that will be used at the top of the headlight fender brow.

Take the tab and fit it into place. What is needed is the curved radius portion of the tab to be upright and square up/down (vertical) to the headlight opening in the fender. The small base of the tab that is bent under should sit flat and up tight under the fender brow. If not, bend that base more, or less, so that when you hold that tab against the underside with your finger, the top portion of the tab with the radius is vertical as seen in Pic #7.

Once the tab sits vertical, drill one (1) 1/8" hole though the attachment tab and fender brow. Then install a pop-rivet. Test fit the Jeep ring over the tab for fit. The Jeep ring won't fit correctly at this time as it may sit high, this is just a test fit to make sure it hangs about right on the tab - does not stick way out or too far in against the fender. If it looks good, drill and add the second rivet. If something is wrong, you can drill out the rivet and adjust as needed

Pic #8 - The Jeep ring will most likely sit too high on the attachment tab and not line up with the fender opening, and not allow the base of the trim ring to be screwed into its lower tab. The top of the attachment tab will need to be trimmed and brought down a little at a time for fit.

Pic #9 - Adjusting the attachment tab for ring fitment. Using the cardboard template, lay it on top of the attachment tab, but drop the template down about 1/8" from the top of the tab and use the Sharpie to draw a new line below the top of that tab following the curve/radius of the tab. You are going to grind or hand file the tab down to this line - this can become tedious as you may have to do this several times to bring the top of that tab down a little at a time to where the Jeep ring will fit the fender at the top while the bottom of the ring will fit onto the lower attachment tab.

To protect the paint when grinding or filing, I used a couple strips of painters tape on the fender behind and above the tab. Then I used a putty knife because the scraper blade is hardened steel, and fit it behind the tab and on top of the fender to protect it as I ground down the attachment tab to the Sharpie line. I supported the scraper with a plastic box under it to lift/tilt the blade so it fit snug behind the tab and left room enough to use the edge of my grinding disc. Tape the box and scraper in place on the fender. Then carefully grind/file away. Once done, test fit the Jeep ring again. Repeat as needed until you can hook the Jeep ring on top of the tab and then use the lower tab/screw to secure the ring. The Jeep ring should also set squarely on the fender opening as it did when you originally set the trim ring into place.

Pic #10 - This is how the ring should look and be fitted to the fender after hooking the Jeep trim ring at the top onto and over the attachment tab and then onto the lower attachment screw tab.

Pic #11 - #13 - I fitted the headlight bucket behind the mounting ring where it would normally have fit through from the front. To make this work with the Jeep ring, the headlight bucket and inner headlight fender area had to be modified.

Pic #11 - Here is the stock headlight bucket without any modifications. Pic #12 shows the modifications I had to make. At the top right is the original attachment tab that hooked the factory trim ring which is cut off. Just above the 9 & 3 o'clock position are 2 mounting holes. Inserted through these holes from the backside are the #8-32 x 1" machine screws and nuts to hold the screws secure. These will be used for both alignment and attachment use. At the very bottom was a rivetted tab to which the factory trim ring used to screw/hold the trim ring on (this was replaced with the fabricated lower attachment tab from above). Grind away the rivets and remove the tab. Drill a 1/16" hole near the factory rivet holding the headlight spring if yours is broken/rusted like mine was. Finally, grind off the headlight bucket "lip" and taper the lip up to about a midway point as seen in Pic #13. NOTE: I may not have had to grind the lip, but when I originally fitted the bucket from the back in a lower position, the lip was holding the headlight bulb too deep. Since raising the bucket up and using the #10 screws (noted below) at the bottom to set on the lip, I may have had enough clearance.

KB5 HEADLIGHTS USING JEEP TRIM RINGS

PART 4- PASSENGER SIDE

Pic #14 - Insert a #10-24 x 3/4" machine screw into each of the lower holes found on the left & right side of the lower trim ring attachment bracket that was removed earlier. The key here is to use a nut, or combination nut/washer(s) that measure .213" thick with a caliper as a spacer. I found a 3/16" serrated type nut worked on the #10 screw as can be seen on the right and the nut/washer combination on the left. The 3/16" nut measured .213" thick and this is where I came up with the measurement. Your headlights may be different, but this thickness was what I needed to get the lower headlamp/retaining ring where I wanted it - sticking out even with the Jeep trim ring.

Once the #8 and #10 screws are installed on the bucket, sneak the headlight bucket back under the fender and position it from the backside using the wiring/grommet hole as your pull point to make it easier to hold/fit. I positioned the headlight adjusting screw to be at the top of the fender opening at the 12 o'clock position and the left side headlight adjusting screw to be at the 9 o'clock position. The two #10 screws will be at the bottom of the opening BUT, set on top of the fender's formed headlight lip above and slightly off center from the mounting holes that the bucket would normally screw into - you can also see the clip nuts the factory used that the mounting screws would go into.

Once the lower two #10 screws have been set on the lip and the bucket pulled forward against their nut/washer and the headlamp screw adjusters are positioned at 9 & 12 o'clock, pull the top of the bucket against the mounting lip and the two #8 screws that were attached earlier will hit that lip on the top/sides. With a Sharpie, mark the spots where they hit the lip as these areas will have to be ground away so those #8 screws will pass through and later be used as the new attachment points for the bucket. You can see the Sharpie mark that I made on the lip at the upper right.

Pic #15 & #16. Pic #16 is the finished headlight bucket lip and is a good visual to help better explain Pic #15. Pic #15 shows the modifications needed to make the headlight bucket fit from behind. To make my modifications, I used my high speed die grinder and a flame/taper tip shaped carbide cutting bit. I used this type because of the smaller tip end, but a small diameter round bit would have worked as well.

First up was to remove the small factory clip nuts. It was easier to grind along the top edge with the carbide cutter to remove metal so that they would "split" in half and the halves knocked off versus trying to pry/beat them free as they were rusted on pretty good. Once they were all removed, I ground away at the top of the lip to open it up to provide clearance/access to the top headlight adjuster. Just grind this area by sight.

Then I ground my slots for the #8 machine screws. Grind enough towards the outside of each lip so the screws will pull through. Try to keep the slot width to a minimum as you grind because you want to have metal left on the sides of the screws that a washer can grab/hold to. If you grind away too much, you can easily adapt by using a larger washer, but may have to "flat spot" an edge to get it tight up against the inside edge of the fender. A flat piece of 18 gauge steel could also be made to work with a little shaping and drilling a hole for the screw. It all gets hidden behind the trim ring.

At this point after grinding, I again test fit the headlight bucket into place from the backside to see how it fit. I had to grind my screw slots a little wider as the #8 screws would not both slip through at the same time - just one or the other. A little more grinding to lengthen the slots, and test fit again until the fit was good. If you have done this correctly, your headlight adjusting screws should remain positioned at the 9 & 12 o'clock orientation within the fender opening.

If you have the mounting looking good, install the halogen headlamp/bowl that should be previously assembled. I drilled a 1/16" hole in the side of the chrome ring just above the spring's attachment hole I drilled earlier in the bucket. Then install the unit into the headlight adjusters in the bucket. You can connect the small spring that holds the chrome ring to the bucket or temporarily use a piece of painters tape as I did and install the spring later since you will have to separate the headlight from the bucket to attach the wiring.

Once again, slide the complete assembly, halogen headlamp/headlight bucket, in from the back and hold it in place. With the Sharpie, mark/outline around the outside edge of the chrome headlamp retaining ring "ears" that hold the bulb to the headlight bowl. You will see that these may be hitting the lip or close to it - I had one hitting. Once marked, remove the headlight assembly. Using the carbide cutter, grind/contour the area you just marked with the Sharpie to provide some clearance for the chrome ring's "ears". You can see what I did in Pic #16 at the 4 & 8 o'clock position on the lip.

Pic #17 - I used 2 pieces of 5/16" gas line hose split down the center at the bottom of the bucket as a seal/gasket. You can also see the headlamp/bowl spring. I made these from a generic throttle spring I had on hand by cutting them to the size I needed and shaping the ends to hook into the 1/16" holes I drilled.

KB5 HEADLIGHTS USING JEEP TRIM RINGS

PART 5 - PASSENGER SIDE


Pic #18 - Almost close to done. The headlight bucket is now inserted for the last time and secured using the top 2 #8 screws, a washer, and nut, along with the lower 2 bottom #10 screws, washers, and nuts. I used 3/16" nylok nuts on the bottom so they would not loosen up and Loktite on the upper #8 screws.

I applied Rustoleum Primer on all the bare metal areas, screws, washers, and nuts. I used a rubber grommet for the hole at the back of the bucket and slipped the headlight wiring through it and then out through the factory hole found in the inside fender well.

Pic #19 & #20 - There is a gap between the inside diameter of the Jeep trim ring and the outside diameter of the chrome headlamp retaining ring that secures the headlamp to the headlamp bowl. This gap typically gets fitted with a rubber O-ring type seal to keep out water. The seal is fitted and secured on the backside of the headlight's trim ring by 3 spring wire retainers that hold the seals against the chrome headlamp retainer ring - the factory headlight trim ring also uses one.

I purchased 2 aftermarket 1947-54 rubber O-ring headlamp seals and wire spring retainer kits thinking I might be able to use them. Wrong! LOL. The seal was too large in its diameter. I cut and removed 3/8" and butted the 2 ends together and snapped in my wire spring retainers and tried to slip the Jeep trim ring over the headlamp retaining ring. The rubber seal was too thick in its width and was not going to slip over the headlamp retaining ring. I decided to see if I could grind down some of the rubber with my die grinder and sanding drum to make the seal thinner. I did a couple passes of grinding and fitting with no luck. Got the seal about paper thin and the Jeep ring would still not slip over the headlamp retaining ring. So this was not working out as I had hoped.

But, "paper thin" got me to thinking - what if I wrapped a couple rounds of electrical tape around the headlamp retaining ring to act as my seal? I made 2 wraps with the electrical tape and the Jeep trim ring fit snug and tight over the "tape seal". The seal issue was solved.

Pic #21 - I sealed the headlight bucket where it had gaps between the bucket edge and headlight's inner fender lip with black caulking to keep water out. The truck won't ever be driven in the rain, so not a big concern. Then the headlamp/bowl was plugged into the wiring harness and set into the bucket using the 2 adjuster screws and the spring.

It looks good, but not quite 100% perfect. My headlight orientation is just slightly off looking at the cross-hatching of the headlight lens. But still, not very noticable to the untrained eye.

Pic #22 - With the other rubber seal, I cut it to give me 1 long piece. I wanted to use some kind of seal on the outside edge of the Jeep trim ring where it fits up against the fender as a seal and to keep the edge from rubbing into the paint. The cut seal fits but falls a little short because the diameter is too small. I centered it at the top and let the sides fall evenly around the trim ring. I applied with a small paint brush some JB Weld Plastic Bonder #50133H along the trim ring edge that the seal was going to fit over. Probably not the best choice in a glue, but it seemed to work in holding the seal in place. The ends want to curl inward so the clothes pins held the ends in place until the bonder cured. Any excess bonder on the front side of the seal can easily/gently be scraped off. I then placed the trim ring with seal on the fender and it seemed to fit well. I purchased another seal to replace the one I ground down.

Pic #23 - The end results. I had to tap the top attachment tab out a little due to the additional thickness of the rubber seal. Then I dropped/positioned the Jeep trim ring/seal into position at the top and screwed the ring to the lower tab at the bottom.

Pic #24 - Just for comparison, here is the trim ring without the rubber seal installed. Your choice as to how you want it to look.