1968 Fender alignment

[p51]

I just added a monte carlo bar and replaced the old (slightly bowed) export brace with a premium export brace. In doing so I had to move the shock towers apart by about an additional 1/8"+ (the driver side had sagged inward somewhat). Now, no surprise, the gap between the hood and the driver side fender top is ~1/8" to big (~1/4" overall). So...

How do I adjust the fender to close the gap back to 1/8"? I assume that I have to loosen the six bolts along the top of the fender and the two bolts from fender to radiator support and push it into place. Is this correct? Any hints on what to do and how to do it would be appreciated.

Thanks
James

 

[robert campbell]

Take some chalk and mark the fender lip as it laps onto the inner fender panels. Loosen the six bolts a bit and lean on the fender and it should move. The chalk will give you a reference point and close the hood wery wery wery slowly to ensure you did not move to much.

Rob

 

[Mosesatm]

And don't forget the rear bolt, in front of the upper door hinge.

 

[robert campbell]

Spot on Arlie!!!

Rob

 

[p51]

Thanks for the insights!

James

 

[robert campbell]

James,
If the gap you are trying to fix is near the shock tower, you may not need to go after the aft bolt above the door hinge. If you loosen all the top ones in the engine compartment it should move forward of the shock tower just fine.

Sometimes and extra person to gently push or pull while you tighten is the hot ticket and an excuse to share a beer!! Beer makes everything better!!

Rob

 

[p51]

OK. Need some more advice here...

Rather than first moving the fender I decided to see if just readjusting the hood to even the gaps between hood/fender which is now ~3/8" total for both gaps (vs ~2/8" before MC bar) would be sufficient. So, I loosen every thing up (hood-to-hinges and hinges-to-body) adjusted the hood and it actually looks fine with the ~3/16' gaps on both sides. However, after the adjustment I now find that the back of the hood next to the cowl is jacked up ~1/4" from being flush (it used to be very close to flush). I tried a number of the typical suggestions off of the web

(1) Lubed the hinges (the hinges are in good condition but they are not OEM nor are they highest quality hinges)
(2) Pushed up on the hood to change the angle of hinge mount while tightening the hinge bolts to the body

No bueno

Any other tricks that people use to adjust a hood and get the back of it flush with the cowl?

James

 

[p51]

OK. Need some more advice here...

Rather than first moving the fender I decided to see if just readjusting the hood to even the gaps between hood/fender which is now ~3/8" total for both gaps (vs ~2/8" before MC bar) would be sufficient. So, I loosen every thing up (hood-to-hinges and hinges-to-body) adjusted the hood and it actually looks fine with the ~3/16' gaps on both sides. However, after the adjustment I now find that the back of the hood next to the cowl is jacked up ~1/4" from being flush (it used to be very close to flush). I tried a number of the typical suggestions off of the web

(1) Lubed the hinges (the hinges are in good condition but they are not OEM nor are they highest quality hinges)
(2) Pushed up on the hood to change the angle of hinge mount while tightening the hinge bolts to the body

No bueno

Any other tricks that people use to adjust a hood and get the back of it flush with the cowl?

James

Just in case anyone is interested...

After a bit of futzing around I finally gave up getting the hood to close properly. It seemed to be the cheap aftermarket hinges were binding in such a way that the hood would not close flush with the cowl. So, I bought some new "premium hinges" from West Coast Classic Cougar and, short story, problem solved. Works perfectly - hood is flush/squared away and opens/closes easily. These hinges seem to be pretty high quality. Thought I'd give them a plug...

https://secure.cougarpartscatalog.c...ugar-/-1967-1970-Ford-Mustang.html?attribs=78