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A Headlight Rim Removal Tool


Removing rims from electric headlights is often difficult. Sometimes they are well stuck, and getting a good enough grip to turn them is hard or impossible without some kind of tool. I believe the the kind of tool shown here used to be sold  by some of the parts dealers, but that's not the case now as far as I know. If you want one of these you have to make it yourself. Fortunately that's not difficult. Here's how I made mine.



Start with ¹⁄₈" x  ¾" flat stock.
The circumference of a headlight rim is slightly over 28", so we cut two 14" halves.



Make a hinge to hold the two halves together. I used a little piece of  ¹⁄₈" pipe and a couple of nuts.
My welding isn't pretty, but in this case it works.


Clamp the hinge to a junk rim that will serve as a guide for bending the flat stock.

Turn the flat stock orange and bend it around the rim.


The two halves should meet with just a little space between them. If they overlap or touch you can trim them a little to make the space.

Weld on a handle by the hinge and others at the end of each half. ³⁄₈" round stock works for this. Note that I've drilled four holes that will fit over the rivets on the rim.

Lining the inside of the tool with Gorilla tape will prevent scratching your rims.


The tool gives you a good grip on the rim to turn it counter clockwise to remove.

You may need to lean in against the rim to turn it.
When you put the rims back on, rub candle wax on the inside and on the bucket where the rim sits to help them turn.


When removing or installing headlight rims it's not a bad idea to have a carpet or foam pad on the floor in case of a dropped lens.

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