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Front sheet metal alignment w/ or without inner fenders?

12K views 33 replies 8 participants last post by  DEROID 
#1 ·
GUYS, NEED SOME GUIDENCE. FIRST BUILD. GOT THE DOORS ALIGNED SWEET, NOW I AM PUTTING FENDERS BACK ON. DO I NEED TO PUT THE INNER FENDERS ON OR CAN I DO IT WITHOUT?
THIS IS NO WHERE NEAR THE LAST TIME THE FENDERS ARE GOING ON.

AND JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS TO ALL THE GUYS WHO HAVE BEEN GIVING ALL THE HELPFUL IDEAS SO FAR. THE 2X4 TRICK TO BEND THE DOORS WORKED AWESOME.
THANKS AGAIN!!!:beers:
 
#2 ·
My experience, assemble the fenders off the car leaving every bolt slightly loose. Now set them the car and leave all of the mounting bolts loose as well, such as; radiator support where the fender bolts, upper cowl, inside door, under the rear fender and inside the inner fender. Now set your shims at all locations, use your inner cowl bolt with a 9/16 wrench to pull the fender back and adjust your gap for fit and alignment at the door. Cross measure from the upper cowl bolts to a common point on the front of the fenders.This process will get you started and roughed in.
 
#6 ·
make sure the rad support is square to the rear fender bolt a the top of the cowl the gaps are all over the place,,,,, make sure the doors do not hit the fenders at the top when the doors are wide open hard to get right in this area and have the gap between the door and fender look right
 
#4 ·
If it is just for mock up I wouldn't bother with the inners, unless they are new and have not been test fitted themselves. Most new inners don't fit well without a little tweaking.
 
#5 ·
I use a paint stir stick as a guide for gaps. 1\4 gaps have been seen on a lot of cars too. The paint stick trick has worked fine for me .
 
#9 · (Edited)
Do you want factory gaps or more consistency? What tin do you have? If you want more precision than factory, the inners will have to be installed. Final gaps are affected by tightening all bolts. If you want the top of fender to door alignment better than what the factory provides, or the fender not to be proud of the fender and not have interference issues, you have to work for it. If you look at the factory specs they show misalignment is normal.
These are modified GM panels and they exceed what my car with original, unmodified tin wears. I have other front end photos and may post as time allows.
 
#10 ·
I personally like to make the gaps as tight as i can get them. I figure out which gap is the biggest and adjust the rest back out to match. I am always going for a look over originality.
 
#11 ·
i don't the car to be show quality, but i would like it to look good. I don't mind grinding and adding metal to the fenders or doors. i did this on the trunk and it looks good.
I just ordered a bunch of leading equipment and can't wait to try it.
 
#15 · (Edited)
You don't. The rocker to fender gap spec is .09 +/-.06. As Rick stated, add material to the rocker if the gap is not pleasing to you. Door front should not go beyond leading edge of rocker and setback is normal. This is from my Lemans Blue thread and the other side is in there also. I never go over 3/16" and they are often under that.
 
#18 ·
Evaluations for gaps, alignment and possible modifications must me made with all panels installed, including the hood. Those fender to door tops are reflective of what AMD informed me of misalignment. Repairing GM assembly line take offs is preferred. Even if it means hunting and paying for them.
 
#22 ·
Deroid try this first and notice how much the gap closes and fitment with the cowl improves. BTW, when fitting the fender the cowl and lower windshield stainless should be on the car. Other wise you will be adjusting these areas all over again!

1. While fender and cowl are on the car, gently bend the top of the fender below the wind shield area up. When the top of the fender is close to aligning with the wiper cowl, stop. Now take a look under this area at the top of the firewall cowl and take note of how the fender sheet metal is in contact with the top of the firewall cowl, scratches etc. Pull the fender completely off and adjust these areas by removing material (grinding) from the inside of the fender.

2. Refit the fender, continue these actions until a tight gap gap and improved alignment with wiper cowl and windshield stainless is achieved.
Vehicle Automotive exterior Bumper Material property Car


I will explain, #3 later.
 
#25 ·
1. While fender and cowl are on the car, gently bend the top of the fender below the wind shield area up. When the top of the fender is close to aligning with the wiper cowl, stop. Now take a look under this area at the top of the firewall cowl and take note of how the fender sheet metal is in contact with the top of the firewall cowl, scratches etc. Pull the fender completely off and adjust these areas by removing material (grinding) from the inside of the fender.

2. Refit the fender, continue these actions until a tight gap gap and improved alignment with wiper cowl and windshield stainless is achieved.
Well Duh! :clonk: Sorry I don't mean to step on this thread but now I understand why my fender to windshield trim gap is so wide and the cowl panel sets a little over 1/4" above the fenders. I thought the problem was the cowl panel but now I see the fender corners need to be adjusted up. I will be removing the right fender to replace the blower motor this weekend, I think I will try bending the fenders in this area while I have the hood off. What is the preferred method of bending the fenders? I need to raise the inside corner about 3/8" to be flush with the cowl panel. How hard is the fender to bend in that area? What is the best method of bending it?
 
#27 ·
Headshake:

To fix the droop between the stainless and top of the fender follow these steps:

1. Pull the fender, cut a relief in the rear brace. (picture)

2. Install fender, without inners, bolting everything on tight except at the cowl, firewall and inside the door leave these three bolts loose.

3. Cut a clean strong 2x4 piece of wood approximately 30" long, find an assistant to hold this piece of wood for the next step.

4. Have the brave assistant hold the 2x4 along the fender edge. (picture)

5. Make adjustments to fender by hitting the 2x4 and monitoring your progress as you go.

Bicycle frame Carbon Bicycle part Material property Bicycle wheel
 
#33 ·
This is the fit now. ON THE TOP SIDE OF THE FENDER THE GAP IS SLIGHTLY LARGER BUT MUCH BETTER THAN BEFORE. NOW THE QUESTIN DO I ADD METAL TO FENDER OR DOOR??????? SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!!!!
Add to the fender. You have to factor in the geometry of the hinge and it's relationship to the door upon door opening. Adding to the door may cause it to hit the fender at various spots. Adding to the fender retains clearance. You need to align your midline first and then assess mods required for fit elsewhere. Walking someone through every aspect of alignment on line is not always an easy task. Every car presents different obstacles. All actions and reactions are to be observed, not just one. It's a choreography. All the other cars you do should get easier after your first one.
 
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