. ill even give you beer after it looks that good
Hood and Grille Shell Alignment
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,462
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From: Hartford, AL
Hood and Grille Shell Alignment
Spent a good part of 4 hours Saturday, aligning and realigning panels getting body straight as possible before last filler and 2k primer. It's been quite a long time since the hood has been back on and aligning hood with fenders and grille shell. I finally got the grille and hood to this point, and the shell still seems to have a very slight gap on each end. The hood seems to be perfectly aligned with the fender fronts. Does it get any better than this. Any pics you guys have of this angle would be appreciated.
Doing this bodywork...I know now why painter's body men get the $$ to do a high quality job.
Doing this bodywork...I know now why painter's body men get the $$ to do a high quality job.
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I agree with everyone else. I've aligned a lot of panels before on various cars, That's about as good as anyone can hope for. It's the type of hood springs/ brackets that are on these trucks that makes the hood sit in different positions at different times. The back of my hood sits high (I think bending the mounts inward a little is what I'll have to do). Just make sure your hood won't ever scrub the front grill and you'll be fine.
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Josh
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Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Austin, TX
Personally, I think it's aligned too closely. As mentioned earlier, the hood will wiggle around slightly at high speed, or going over bumps. With it that close to the grill, I think it will scuff the paint job on the hood. It does look great, but there is more to panel alignment than just looks.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Hartford, AL
I wasn't trying to brag....it should have read. Does it get any better than this? (i left out the question mark)Thanks for the kind remarks...I guess I am super pickey. Then I think and remind myself gaps were quite large in '73 and trucks were built to be trucks. They weren't out to win beauty contests. I am pretty happy with it, was just curious as to how it looked compared to others.
Also, I think I will possibly put a little protective strip down the front to help with any possible rub.
Bullitt390...I know what your talking about at the cowl I have it flush....but I think my hinges or springs are worn some because when it closes I can still push down on the hood right at the cowl and get it to go down another 1/16". Would that be weak springs or just wear in the hinge?
Also, I think I will possibly put a little protective strip down the front to help with any possible rub.
Bullitt390...I know what your talking about at the cowl I have it flush....but I think my hinges or springs are worn some because when it closes I can still push down on the hood right at the cowl and get it to go down another 1/16". Would that be weak springs or just wear in the hinge?
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I think hinge wear, a little sliding, or just the nature of these hinges. Get it so it uniformly stops in a similar (correct) place. You can always get it to work though. I had worn door hinges on my old Charger that I fixed by tilting the doors up more. Go figure.
Thanks for the info bullit390. I only say "bend in" on mine because my hood got dinged on one of the front corners. My hinges appear to have spread outward (from the impact or from wear over time), and scrub the insides of the hood, preventing it from going down properly. If I go to the rear of the hood and press down, it goes down more too. I'll give your trick a try though. Thanks again.
Thanks for the info bullit390. I only say "bend in" on mine because my hood got dinged on one of the front corners. My hinges appear to have spread outward (from the impact or from wear over time), and scrub the insides of the hood, preventing it from going down properly. If I go to the rear of the hood and press down, it goes down more too. I'll give your trick a try though. Thanks again.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Hartford, AL
Looking at my gaps again, I think I 'm good now. I have at least a 1/16" in the center from from of hood to grille and more like 1/8 to 3/16" on the edges. I also have the hood rubbers adjusted tight to minimize wiggle. I can always adjust the grille out a little more if needed. I am going to drive with the primer to see if I get any rubbing before I put on the finish coat. Thanks again for the input and remarks.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Hesperia, CA
I think that hood is a little close and you are definitely going to rub some paint off. It would look good for a rarely driven show truck, but you are liable to have some problems if this is a daily driver.
As far as the hinge problems bulletsneverlie mentions the drivers side hinge on my 77 got so bad that it bowed out and was rubbing the side of the hood. It was rubbing so bad that it was actually catching on the hood. The noise was terrible when you tried to close the hood and I was afraid that the hood was going to get damaged. I checked the price of a replacement hinge and was totally shocked. I took the hinge off and examined it. It looks like the rivets just wear out from lack of lube and constant opening and closing. I laid my hinge on an anvil and pound down the rivet to tighten it up and it seemed to help for awhile. I was seriously considering machining some shoulder bolts to replace the rivets to cure the problem, but my son bought a 75 for parts and I got the hinge off of it. The problem is now solved.
As far as the hinge problems bulletsneverlie mentions the drivers side hinge on my 77 got so bad that it bowed out and was rubbing the side of the hood. It was rubbing so bad that it was actually catching on the hood. The noise was terrible when you tried to close the hood and I was afraid that the hood was going to get damaged. I checked the price of a replacement hinge and was totally shocked. I took the hinge off and examined it. It looks like the rivets just wear out from lack of lube and constant opening and closing. I laid my hinge on an anvil and pound down the rivet to tighten it up and it seemed to help for awhile. I was seriously considering machining some shoulder bolts to replace the rivets to cure the problem, but my son bought a 75 for parts and I got the hinge off of it. The problem is now solved.
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Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Davison, Mi.
Ever think about how much time you take to massage bady panels to get them were you want them, and then think about the guys on the assembly line that have a few minutes max to get them right? I've seen them work in the past, they're brutal. But fast and effective.
Nice work 73FOMO but I agree that that gap is a little too close, and frankly it looks a little odd to me. Like it's supposed to have a larger gap.
Nice work 73FOMO but I agree that that gap is a little too close, and frankly it looks a little odd to me. Like it's supposed to have a larger gap.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Hartford, AL
Yeah...I posted that somewhere else recently. I don't know how they got these panels aligned on an assembly line with any speed! I expanded the gap slightly in the center by moving the grill, I think I am good now, or I could possibly slide the hood back a fraction to tighten gap at cowl.
What kind of gap do you guys have between cowl and hood? Measurement wise. I am between 5/16" and 3/8".
Speaking of that. What kind of gap width would be considered standard for doors, cowl, and hood? I know the hood gap with the fender is fairly wide due to the hood rubbers. I think that gap is probably at least 3/8" no matter what.
What kind of gap do you guys have between cowl and hood? Measurement wise. I am between 5/16" and 3/8".
Speaking of that. What kind of gap width would be considered standard for doors, cowl, and hood? I know the hood gap with the fender is fairly wide due to the hood rubbers. I think that gap is probably at least 3/8" no matter what.
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Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Davison, Mi.
Well let me put it this way. I can see my truck from where I'm sitting, parked in front of my pole barn. It's about 120 feet to my pole barn. My truck is dark blue. It's sunny outside.
I can see the gap from here. It's huge! lol
Sorry. I know that didn't help.
It looks like about a half inch from here.
I can see the gap from here. It's huge! lol
Sorry. I know that didn't help.
It looks like about a half inch from here.
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