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How to Adjust the Headlights on a 1979 Cadillac

If you own a 1979 Cadillac you own a piece of history. 1979 represents the tail end of the Cadillac's heyday, when it was still one of the only luxury automobiles available. Keeping a 30-plus-year-old car up and running can be expensive, but one job is simple and free. Keep your Cadillac's headlights properly aligned by taking a few measurements and adjusting a few screws. With this job done you can be sure you'll be driving safely at night while looking great in a classic car.

Tools Used: Screwdriver set, Masking tape

Adjust Headlights

Park your Cadillac about a foot from a large wall or garage door. The ground should be flat and level, and you'll need about 25 feet behind you to back up after you take your measurements.

Load the Caddy with a weight that is representative of normal driving conditions. Don't forget the weight of the driver. For best results you should have a friend sit in the driver's seat while you align the headlights.

Mark the wall with masking tape to represent the horizontal and vertical axis points of each headlight. Put a six-foot strip of tape starting from the center point of the driver's-side light across to the center of the passenger's-side light. Then take two six-inch pieces of tape and put a vertical strip directly in front of each headlight, creating a cross shape that will act as a target for each headlight beam.

Back the Cadillac up 25 feet and turn on the headlights. Notice where the beams land relative to the tape marks. Ideally, both lights should hit about two inches below the long horizontal strip to properly light the road ahead of you. The passenger's-side light should land directly on the smaller vertical strip while the driver's-side should be two inches to the right to avoid blinding oncoming traffic.

Open the hood of the Caddy and go to the rear of the driver's side headlight assembly. Look along the top of the housing and then down the right side. In the center of each you will find an adjustment screw.Adjust each screw with a screwdriver while watching how it affects the light beams. Continue until the light hits the intended mark. Repeat the process with the other headlight. Close the hood when finished.

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