4104 rear marker light cowl question.

[zubzub]

Very specific to 4104, but may apply to other same era buses.  The rear bullet marker lights are housed in a "cowling" (mounting gismo).  The rusted screws  for the individual bullets are impossible to remove  without damaging the glass bullets (one has already cracked from the adjacent vibration of a small impact screwdriver)  Rather than risking more bullets I thought I would remove the whole housing, I thought there were screw holes in the housing but they just seem to be blind holes....Is the cowling held on from the inside or are the "blind " holes actually broken off bolts that the PO has already tried to drill.
Also once again why the hell would anyone use plain steel machine screws into aluminum?

[Len Silva]

The whole assembly was held on with two bolts through the top which are probably long gone.  I can't tell you how to remove it because there is no telling what the PO might have done.  It may just be held in place with adhesive of some type.

When you get it off, I suggest drilling the bezel mounting screw holes over size and using brass or stainless threaded inserts.
http://www.ezlok.com/InsertsMetal/stainlessSteel.html