FJ62 Headlight Help/Advice

[dreday]

Hey there, I recently picked up an ’89 FJ62 and started swapping the headlight bulbs just to get it street legal for now. I ran into a problem with completely rusted & stripped screws on the retaining rings and wasn’t sure what the best next step is.

Should I replace the whole headlight assemblies, or is there a hardware kit available for the rings? Any ideas with getting the screws loose? I applied some PB and closed them back up for now. I have thought about upgrading to Holley RetroBrights down the road, but for now I’m planning to stick with standard halogens.

Adding this for reference (not my image).

Thanks!

 

[dreday]

Sorry for the noob ? BTW

 

[MWM1]

So I had to use vise grips to get the screws out. Toyota part numbers:
81136-12571 Screws for Headlight Sealed Beam Retaining Rings.
93540-84016 Screws, for Headlamp Bezels, 4 required for each Bezel
Chrome plated screws 93319-14010
Also, I used the following vendor for my FJ62 headlights:

7" LED Headlight Kits | 5.75" LED Headlight Kits | LED Headlights

LED headlight kits for all US and international vehicles with 7 inch and 5.75 inch Round Headlights. See specific specs to ensure a perfect fit.

vintagecarleds.com

 

[SteveH]

You may be able to get a needle nose vise grip pliers on the screw heads, after you drown them in WD40 and wait a day. Be sure to put a death-grip on the screw heads so that the vise grip pliers don't just slip and round off the screw a bit more.

I installed non-DOT headlights (European pattern) for the low beams and that helped, and they were cheap and plugged right into the harness. The non-DOT low beam lights put a lot more light to the side and upward, which is good for lighting ditches and road signs. At night, with low and high beams on, it's pretty good.

I didn't want to spend $1K on super-duper headlights for a truck I rarely drive a night.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Put antisieze on them when you put them back in.I always use vise grips to remove them.

 

[KLF]

Oh man... I remember messing with those, when I had my '62. The rings and the mounts are super flimsy. They strip out really easily, even if the screws are in good shape, which they never are.

I seem to remember I took a good sharp drill bit and used what remains of the phillips head to drill off the heads of the screws. Use a good rust penetrant, like PB Blaster or Kroil (WD-40 is not), then run the remains of the screws the rest of the way through the back of the mounts. I gave up on the threads and used stainless #8 screws with nuts. You'll need to remove the grill, but you probably already know that.

I installed Hella E-code lamps with high power Halogen bulbs, I had to make a special harness to bypass the weak OEM wiring. I have the wiring diagram and a list of parts, if you're interested. This was from 2002, so it will need to be updated. It was quite a project, but well worth it.

Good luck.

 

[Lead Head]

I used a small "crack torch" and heated the screws up screaming hot, hit them from the back with PB Blaster, torched them again, and they came right out. They were cemented in place prior to doing that, however.