I was wondering if anyone has had this same problem. I have a 69, and I am having trouble fitting the grille. It is a standard grille, and when I try to fit the grille I can get the top and bottom to fit nicely, but I have pretty large gaps on both sides. I have all new front end sheet metal from Classic Industries (OER?), and the grille is also a repro from Classic. I don't think any bodywork will fix the gaps, because the contour of the fenders looks real nice and I think any bending of the panels will look bad. Any suggestions on how to close these gaps?

Yes, a tricky piece to get to fit right.

The whole opening will affect the grill insert. You will need to "adjust" all the metal around the inside of the opening where the grill fits in. The fender extensions, the top header panel, the lower valance all contribute to the fit of the grill at the outside edges. I had to take a hammer to the extensions to get them to line up with the lower valance. You can adjust the flanges to "push" the sides out and close the gaps. It was a hard piece to get right but worth the effort. Hope this helps.

-Mark.

I agree with stingr, take the time to get it right. I can't tell you how many times I have seen a car with a great paint job, but lousy fitment. I'm sure they are WOWed by the casual onlooker, but your peers (the ones who have worked through a restoration) will see it, and so will you.

I was wallpapering mu kitchen a few years ago, and when I turned a corner, I got one panel a little off plumb. I thought I could "straighten" it, but after two more panels, it was still out of plumb. I decided to take the paper off, and redo it. My mother was visiting, and said, "Why go to all that trouble, you are the only one who will notice it?" I said, "That's exactly why I'm going to redo it. I'll notice it every time I look at it!" Now every time I look at it, I say, "Boy, am I glad I took the time to make it right!"

Thanks for the input. I will try and adjust sheet metal this weekend and see how it works. Could I install the grille on the header and lower valance and then loosen up the sheet metal and try and close the gap, or would you just adjust without the grille partially installed and take the grille in and out to check fitment.