I am having trouble with this task boys...got the doors lined up with the rear quarters, mounted the fenders..all screwey..bulge in the middle, couldn't get it out..
Decided to mount the hood just to have a boo.. got it fitting OK but the traditional bulge half way down the hood line. Squeeked the fenders out a tad at the core support, and now the passenger door catches the fender.
D'ya think I would be better off having the guy at the body shop do it before the paint session???
I may try again tomorrow but....Arggggh!
Last edited by Dave's White Rock '68 Droptop; 01/07/0704:51 AM.
Agreed. I'll work at it some more tomorrow, then call the shop and book friday before the paint if all else fails...Maybe a case to let the pro's take it on?
Are you using NOS fenders? I had to use substantial force to get the bulge out of the middle of mine. I used a piece of 2x6 laid flat at the edge of the fender and a 2 lb hammer. The driver side required a very slight amount of filler after this procedure. I also had to pry the bottoms down with a pry bar to get three thick shims in. These two things seem to be common for NOS fenders from what I've found. You may also need to pry up on the fender top from inside the door jamb to get the contour at the top matching.
to me the fenders bulging means that you don't have enuogh shims at the bottom of the fender. check the fenders to see if they are alighned.do this by using a tape measure and cross measure them from the large bolt at the rear to the small bolt at the front. they should be within a 1/4 or less. the body also has to match up with the holes on the frame pad. and the core support has to cross measure evenly. if you thinks thats bad, do crown molding on a crooked house!!!!
I took yesterday afternoon off to shake it off. Will go at it tonight with both your recommendations, leaving the 2lb hammer trick till last! I thought about the pry bar technique last nite with my head on the pillow (where I do my best FGF conceptualizations).
I may have to drill out the hole for the bottom attachment to move it in an eighth more. I assume that is allowed?
One of the fenders is an OOS (old old stock) used unit that was in mint shape but off another bird.
Ho4, are you refering to the top large bolt cross measured to the small ones at the rad core on the opposite side?
you want to measure in opposite sides but in the same locations. the way you reference your problem, it sounds as if you dont have enough shim in the fender with the buldge!! [censored] thin shim to start with thicker shims as needed.
andy
Andy
due to budget cutbacks, the light at the end of the tunnel has been disconnected for non payment.
The original fenders should be okay with just shimming. You shouldn't need to open any holes if all is original. Leave your inner fender loosely bolted to the fender and completely unbolt the core support. Get the fenders lined up to the doors with enough gap at the back for the hood (minimum 1/4" plus hood width. You can square it up as the others suggest after you get it aligned to the door. Also check your a-pillar stainless after you get the fenders on. Don't be afraid to drill new hold if it's not right, but you need the header chrome on to know where the a-pillar moldings go.
Be patient - these are the details that make a lot of difference.
Agreed. I was going to attack it tonight but I was busy trying to fix the paint at the back jamb of the drivers door...must not have adequetly sanded off the clear coat and made a mess of it..and 4 days to go to the paint shop...!
I did sit down and had a hard look at it tonight and I am an eigth short on th hood spacing and I'm running out of adjusment on the passenger door...it needs to move outboard but I'm at the end of the adjusment at the hinge. I'm going to take Thursday and Friday off to buy some time to get it right.
Starting to loose sleep here!
Last edited by Dave's White Rock '68 Droptop; 01/09/0703:48 AM.
Would one of those "factory assembly manuals" that I see on ebay help with this? Apparently, the xeroxed an old copy and are now selling them for 30 bucks.....with some pages too light to read.
dave, yes, thats what I mean. the body is a good fixed location.just pick a spot and work with it. keep the position of the tape in same area on both bolts. then measure to the front of the fender in a area that is the same on the other side. in a cross fashion. when they are equal in measurement on both sides; the the fenders are square. the same can be applied to any area you choose. this is a good way to see if the body is square and no damage. starting with the core will eliminate one part of you problem. good luck..
Worked on it for 4 hours tonight and managed to get somewhere.
Finally. have everything square, now it appears the hood is just over 1/16" to far to the pass. side, so it's a little tight against the fender on that side and a bit open on the other. Figure I can fix that by moving the hood over a little on the hinges as other than that the lines are square.
I still have a 1/8" bulge in the middle of the pass side hood mid way against the fender, but will move the hood over first then see.
One thing I noticed is that when I lower the hood I need to push down on the rear to get it to come down the last 3/8"...D'ya think that is weak springs? I seem to recall a thread along those lines.
Arrrh...panel alignment. 1st and 2nd gens are tuff. Even marking everything and counting shims during removal doesnt aways work. The frt bumpers can throw off hood to fender height also, so check that.
Found the best way to keep the fenders straight is to remove them with core support and liners still attached if possible. Only time i didnt run into problems.
Removed my 350 hood and installed a shaker scoop. Took me 3 nights to get it close. Had to walk away several times. After look'n and measure'n, found the fenders are almost 1/4" off from cowl to front bar to the left. Looks like both fdrs were removed at one time, so looks like i have another project this year.
Where can one purchase extra shims if needed? I have not seen them in my travels to many auto parts shops, and have asked for them but no-one so far supplied them. i re-used some old ones and a large washer in one case.
My project was disassembled literally to every nut and bolt for the resto.
Do the bumpers, and their respective brackets not have a lot of adjustment in them? I wasn't too worried about hanging them yet as long as the front was straight. I planned on leaving them off till the paint was done this weekend.
Dave, I get the shims from one of my wholesalers that sells auto body parts. Try asking at a body shop where they get them from. I would think a good auto parts store should be able to get them.
-=>Lee<=- Due to budget constraints the "light at the end of the tunnel" has been turned off!
I'll check Napa. Having said that I now have the passenger side as sweet as it could be. I'm going to attack the drivers side in an hour or so after a trip to Napa. drivers side was pretty good so far, needed to drop the door down tho.
Loading it up for the booth tomorrow, damned if we didn't get a rare snowfall last nite, freezing temperatures today and tomorrow. Sunshine tho, no rain so that was my main worry in transporting it.
Took me 4 hours to get home from work last nite. Some of these west coast "immigrants" have no idea how to drive in snow. I watched one guy on the bridge deck burn off one front tire to the rim, change it (left the rim/tire in the middle of the road) then proceeded to burn off the space saver 150 yds up. The 8 lane bridge was like a parking lot. And me with no 6 pack in my emergency kit!
Originally Posted by Dave's White Rock '68 Droptop
Tomorrow, final walk around then at 5 on to the flat deck wrecker...
Dave, don't say "Wrecker" when talking about the bird! Yikes... Flat Bed Car carrier or transport etc...
I know how you feel... we've had the same weather down here, and people just don't get it? Usually I'd take the bird or the Bug out and play, but it's all just sheer Ice and Idiots out there now. Never had problems in Minn, or even driving my 68 bird in Tahoe in the winter... people knew how to drive...
Yah, I felt "wrecker" was a little ominous....got the thing on the flat deck, immediately got a call from the shop, and their make up air wasn't dealing with the UNSEASONABLE 10 F weather...the booth can't get to temp. Told em it's on its way either way. Followed it out and had a rum coke with them at the shop...yup, damned cold for the wet coast. We'll monitor the temp this weekend to see if we can go....but not looking good.
I'm originally from Calgary 25 years ago so watching these idiots drive the white stuff never ceases to amaze me.
If they can store it for a week or two (or even do a final block sanding in the mean time) until it warms up some... that would be great. Usually on something like this, they can appreciate the car and will do the best they can and wont rush it... especially with these temps! Hope it warms up soon so they can spray it soon!
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