Parking Light Horseshoe Brackets?

[cv2065]

Hey all. I'm in the process of fitting my parking lights and the drivers side horseshoe bracket is not lining up. I'm sure I can 'make' it align, but wanted to know how many people are actually using these? I've read a couple of posts that state those brackets are relatively new with the MKIV and 'could' misalign the front of the body or possibly crack the parking light pad due to the stress of the bracket on the fiberglass. I have 3/4" QJ tubes and ********** grommets and was considering only using those and not the brackets. Thoughts?

[edwardb]

I've used the ********** 3/4-inch tubes and grommets on the front of three Roadster builds. Lots of others have been doing the same thing and it's very solid plus looks better IMO. My 20th Anniversary Roadster came with those new brackets. I didn't use them. They didn't line up great, I had a splitter that kind of got in the way anyway, plus I didn't think they were necessary with the larger tubes and grommets.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Had one of the first sets of brackets 2014 MK-IV build & they are installed. Don't remember it being an issue to line up.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=119959&thumb=1&d=1578115371

I also have the Finish Line grommets on the front. At 12,000 miles no sign of stress cracks in the body. My thought was they added them for a reason so I put them on. Three prior generations & earlier Mk-IV did not have them so I don't think leaving them off would be a major decision if they did not fit properly.

[Higgybulin]

I'm pretty sure, but don't quote me on this that @JeffKleiner has said before he never uses them on the cars he does. Hopefully he will chime in and confirm.

[Railroad]

I lengthened the slots and got them in the right spot. They do add a lot of rigidity to the front of the body.

[Papa]

I adjusted mine and enlarged the hole so they fit and Jeff left them on my car when he painted it. He did use the larger 3/4 tube and I provided a set of grommets.

I had actually missed one of the small bolts the first time I took the body off and cracked the pad. Jeff fixed that and still reinstalled the brackets and never recommended that I shouldn't use them.

[j.miller]

There is no problem with just the tube and grommet. That is how I did them for about 4 years when the MK4 first came out and then another year when the brackets showed up because the driver side was always way off. (keep in mind) On pick-up day in my shop I mount body, hood,doors, decklid with hinges and latches....it's a pretty full day. As of the past couple years have been putting the "eyebrows "on. I get them as close as I can and then start ripping on them with a carbide burr. If I have the car overnight I can take the time to tweek them in my monster vice...da Bat

[cv2065]

Thanks for the replies. Seems that the inherent design is off on the driver's side, which is the same for mine. I'm going to go ahead and enlarge the holes in the bracket to accommodate the weatherpack and turn signal studs. I'll install the 3/4" tubes and see how it sits before making a decision. With the weight on the tubes, still not sure what purpose these brackets serve? I'm guessing for additional rigidity, but the turn signal studs seems to be a bit fragile for that purpose.

[GoDadGo]

Like just about everyone else I have the Finish Line Grommets; however, I did take a different path and over engineered things yet again.
I created some small brackets that sit on top of the 3/4" tubes which allowed me to permanently align the front of the body with no additional effort.
The body now sits on these supports, which have rubber bumpers on top to protect the body, so I don't need the horseshoe brackets even though I installed them.
Now my front end is so well supported that I can even sit on the front fenders with very minimal body deflection so I'm happy that my MK-4's snoot will no longer droop.

[Ducky2009]

I had an issue with the brackets. The DS was not bent correctly. See link. https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?23523-Ducky2009-MK4-Build-9035&p=331716&viewfull=1#post331716
FFR send me a new brackets.