Center headlight bracket style

[1967 eight barrel]

I can't help in my case as the nose, hood and headlamp bracket are reproductions.

[mjv458]

Shelby #458, 3 hole style, SA completion 1/30/67

[Terry Curry]

Shelby Mustang #504- San Jose build date January 9th, SA build date January 30 - 3 hole

[Tor]

Number 872,buildt 30/1-67,two hole

Tor

[tonys_shelby]

#706 2 hole SA completion date 01/18/67

[cascade-classics]

These are actually a pair of supports I have.  In addition to the "number of holes" I was curious about the way the two hole and three hole brackets are welded to the center support.  The two hole is mounted towards the "front" of the center support bracket and directly to the vertical bar.  The three hole is mounted farther back and has an additional horizontal lower brace running from the vertical center support to the mounting plate.  This mounting positions causes the headlights to be farther back on Support 2 than 1.  Someone posted a picture of a three hole but it is not mounted to the center support the same way the original pictures show.  Thoughts? 

[JD]

^^^ yes, two parts vs one part and
the number of holes and
the shape/footprint of the parts and
which plane they are attached to are all variables.

[Richstang]

The variety of the plates helps to explain why so many cars have the center light either flush, near flush, or raised in the grille.
I always wondered if that was just an assembly issue or not. Thanks for the comments here!

[mwilson7]

Has anyone ever seen a car with outboard lights that also had the center light bracket installed in the car?

[Bob Gaines]

Has anyone ever seen a car with outboard lights that also had the center light bracket installed in the car?

No, but I can't remember how many outboard headlight cars that I have seen that have been retro fitted with inboard lights.

[csheff]

887 has two hole style

[bob wolfley]

My 67 500 is number 512 and has the 3 hole bracket

[rmarble57]

#23 - 2 holes.

[JD]

#23 - 2 holes.

The early cars with the band/clamp style method of holding the headlight buckets does not use these plates being discussed (see replies #10 and #12 on the first page).

I would think that #23 would not have the plates for holding any of the four headlight buckets.  Perhaps they were changed out at some point in it's history.

Not to go too far off-track but the plates being discussed were the second method of attaching the smaller diameter (1960 Galaxie) head light buckets to the '67 Shelby's.  This was a much simpler, faster and easier way to accomplish this addition/change. As to when this change of method occurred not sure but I do know that car #112 (completed at Shelby American Dec 5th, 1966) has the plates (one hole in each plate) for the inboards and the band/clamps for the fender lights - so some of both at that point in time.

Here are a couple of photos to help illustrate what was initially done.  Note this was a very Mickey Mouse/Rube Goldberg way of doing something and a real PITA !  The plates method for both the fender lights and both versions of the grille mounted high-beams (not driving lights) inboard or outboard was a step forward in getting the lights on the cars.

[JD]

...one more of the parts and some not related...