Front Sheet Metal Grief

[55 Fargo]

Hi all, well been working on the front clip, trying to line up the hood, the fenders etc. So far my progress sucks, I am no body man, and it is beginning to show, my inexperience is now a real handicap.

I have the doors respectable, the drivers side fender gap along the door is very good, the gap along the hood and fender is okay, but the fnder is higher than the edge of the hood on the drivers side, in the mddle, not all the way along.

The right side fender gap along the front of the door, is now ay too wide, a friend of mine and I used the body jack under the rad saddle with the 2 bolts loosened to push the fron clip toward the drivers side, now my right side is out. The gap along the right side along the top of the fender is not bad.

I need to get the right side fender pushed back toward the door, about 3/8 to 1/2 an inch, that would close the gap at the front edge of the door. The hood would need tweaking again. If you look down the center of the hood from the front of the car you can see the front clip going crooked off center.

I have read all the shop manual stuff, and have tried things that some of you guys have mentioned, not sure what to do next.

I gotta get this sheet metal straightened up someway.

Any advice and/or expereince welcomed..

Thanx Fred PS this is starting to be a consuming thing in my life, I have trouble focusing on other things, when I cannot solve a problem with this car, another lesson that I should have started with a better specimen.

Addendum Guys go easy on me LOL

[oldmopar]

Just a thought but have you tried shims not sure if they use them in the 40's but having put some new sheet metal on my 79 gmc things did not look too good until I got the shims in the right places

Ed

[Frank Elder]

I know that you will be able to Finish what you have started Fred. I have watched your progress since I was a lurker to an active member!

It can be very frustrating at times, and rewarding seconds after you have solved the problem. I am reminded of the time I tried finishing drywall...my rookie attempt in our first house.

Was cussing up a storm and complaining to Esmey that nothing was going my way. She said and I quote" Why don't you just get back in there and troubleshoot it!" With that I put my best foot forward and conquered the living room. Now I know this does'nt solve your problem, but you must know we are rooting for you.

So just get back in there..FRANKIE47

[grey beard]

Fred,

I have found that the holes in the front crossmember support - where the radiator support two bolts rest - are quite large and allow for both side-to-side movement as well as fore and aft. This may be helpful to know when you loseen these up and try to pry things one way or another.

Body work is just like plumbing - there is no one right way. Do whatever it takes to get it right - and sometimes you need to thiink out of the box, so to speak.

Basic logic says you must first allign your doors up with the welded quarter panels on a car. The quarters are welded, so they are fixed. Once doors match quarters satisfactorily, move on forward and get the fenders to allign with the front door edges. It is for this reason that the nose has so many adjustments. Most of the bolts that hold the nose sheetmetal to the radiator support fit throutgh slotted holes. All of these are adjustments. Also, get some GM front end shims - slotted to slide in without removing nuts and bolts - and use these to get your nose elevation - up and down - where you need it at the radiator support point. I recently had to use three shims on one side and zero on the other in order to get a bent radiator support to sit straight on the frame.

Hope this helps. Let us know what happens for you.

[55 Fargo]

Hi Guys, thanx for the replies, last night after working a 12.5 hour shift then cutting an acre of grass I was ready to try and work on this.

I loosened the fender bolts, the rad cradle bolts, and went to work.

The doors are aliigned fine now, the fenders are pretty darn good, the gaps along both fron door edges are nice and close now.

Next the hood, then some more tweaking, and it should be okay.

Thanx for having patience on this one you guys, sometimes uncharted territory ain't much fun.

My well meaning friend who helped me line things up, well put it this way, I had to undo some of this to get things to fit a lot better.........Fred

[Frank Elder]

Nice troubleshooting Fred!!!!

FRANKIE47

[JoelOkie]

From another well meaning friend, Fred. GB pretty much hit it head on.....on old cars (especially old ones, it seems), you flat out have to be imaginative , and inventive, think outside the box, and if what you are doing is not working, definately don't be afraid to try something else, whether it sounds conventional or not! Your well-meaning friend may be a really good body man, probably particularly on newer models, but the older ones are often a different case in themselves, especially when there are so many variables, and possibilities about how they can be fitted. Good going on the headway. Get back to the bodywork soon now. Joel