I cant seem to get any thing to line up correctly. I'm talking fenders, hood, doors, etc. My question is...where do I start? I've been fighting this for some time now. A little background on my car.... Car suffered front end damage. Frame seems to be ok, but front apron on driver side was crunched about a foot past radiator support and has been "beaten" back into shape, damage was most likely above frame because the seam on the bottom of the frame looks nice and straight. ( i plan to change this and the rad support for appearance reasons later). D/s door "pops" up when opened and when closed sticks out past the rocker panel about 1/8 to 3/16 on the bottom. I have to slam it to get it to shut all the way. Door is not the original. both fenders and hood are not original as well and dont line up to great either. When I removed the d/s fender there was some plastic type rope which i assume was to space the fender up but i'm not sure. I guess what i'm looking for is some solid advice and tips on where to begin with the allignment process. I want to begin to do body work but i also want the satisfaction of knowing that all the pieces will go together correctly before i even start. Is this the right way to go about it? I'm know there are some good bodymen/gals out there and your advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks much! Jamie
Always start by aligning the door bottom edge to the rocker panel and back edge to the quarter panel. These 2 items are nonadjustable so you have to align them first. Next I look at the widow frame and see how it fits along the top and back edge. The top can be tweeked slightly buy putting some force on the frame. Next I bolt on the fender and align the bottom to the door and rocker panel. Tighten that down and then work the door seem. At the same time you can have your hood on to keep an eye on that line. The hood and fender lines are last. Be aware that these lines were not perfect from the factory. Sometimes you have to compromise.
What he said. All this effort is wasted, though, if you have worn door hinges. Make sure that they have no slop at all and save your sanity. On that note, are you interested in some manual labor to help get things lined up? I will have some time next weekend if you need someone to lift and hold while you adjust. BTW, shims ARE authorized. My car had a number of shims at verious places from the factory. Remember, quality was not job one in those days.
Hey, thanks Jay. I will have to take you up on that! we'll talk. Door hinges seem to be ok, I'm fearing a crooked car, please God let my instincts be wrong!
