I'm starting to assemble my 55 F100 front sheet metal for fitment and alignment. Some parts still need a little cosmetic work but I thought I would test fit everything first just in case some mods had to be made. I'm adding a front tilt hood, so some fab will happen there, door gaps to even out, etc.
Questions:
1) When assembling how easy should the parts fit together, so when they are painted all goes well? As I'm assembling now I need to use a center punch in the holes to get them to line up with a little force in some cases.
2) Do I need to have all the bolts in if it looks good with only a few installed?
3) What is the tell tale that all is aligned properly? I'm thinking the hood gaping to the fenders? (My cab is on new mounting hardware and secured down to the frame.)

 

1, sometimes you have to tweak them a little.. do it now, not after paint. mine lined up perfectly after paint
2, I'm a fan of every bolt hole had a reason.. use it.. Not for alignment purposes tho

for 3, see AXRacers post..

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...ml#post5984604

sam

 

Thanks for the link...great write up! I'm assuming with the front tilt hood everything is the same until I mount the hardware for the hood.
Sdetweil, I searched for alignment ...how did you find this link?

 

I knew AX posted it, and so used the advanced search and only looked for his posts.. with 'alignment'

people call me Sam!

Sam

 

Thanks and okay Sam!
By the way sure like the look of your truck! How long was the build process? Did you do it all yourself?

 

I did not pre fit my parts and waited until after paint.
Some front end pieces needed much persuation, but, all finall went together without paint damage.Bed and rear no probs.

 

I still think I need to pre fit ....not wanting any surprises! I have a little bit of customizing to do so there will be some adjustments to be made I'm guessing.
I somethimes feel that I want to just bolt it to gether and paint it sooooo much easier.

 

Thanks. I didn't do the final paint or the interior, i know my limits. Everything else I did. I prefit everything, you can see pics in my gallery. Still there were a couple places I missed.

We painted everywhere, one piece at a time.

10 yrs start to finish, 5 yrs sitting while I worked on my kids cars.

Sam

 

Always pre fit it'll save a lot of heartache if things go wrong later! It also serves as a good reminder of how everything goes back together, so the eventual final assembly will go easier.

Its also a good chance to check you have all the bits/bolts etc you will need in the correct sizes.

 

and on the doors (or other places where u may have had problems), make sure after alignment to drill pilot holes so you can line everything back up quickly..also saves on scratches..

Sam