Help! I need some know-how on this...I just replaced my passenger side fender and decided to replace the front fascia while I had everyting torn down (not to mention the impact absorber)...after rectifying the lower bolting point on both sides of the car (from floor jacks evidently) and aligning the doors to fenders and hood to fender to headlamps so on and so forth, I was finally beaten by both sides of the front fascia having about 1/2 inch gap between it and the fenders. If I loosen up the bolts on the retainer, I can slide the fascia back to where they mate up brilliantly to the fenders, but then the facsia is 1/2 inch UNDER the hood. Is there a way to make everything better for this? I haven't bolted the fascia directly to the fenders yet for fear they would deform while tightening...am I overlooking the obvious? I'll have pics as soon as Wallyworld processes them to post. Until then, any suggestion would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!!!

 

I do body work and such for a side living and my best advice is trial and error. There really isn't any way somebody can guide you, you just have to play with it and figure how moving it one way will affect the rest of it.

Either that or get it close and do miricles with bondo

Good luck

(send me pics and I can TRY to help)

CoryKickzAss@hotmail.com

 

I'll have pics up as soon as I get the roll back from the photomat...hopefully it will show better what I'm talking about. I just love trial and error! ha ha

 

lasher_350, Im in Derby, like to see your T/A sometime.

 

Not a problem, 97, I drive through there every single day of my life!! I'm on 2nd shift, though, so weekends would be the time for a viewing of this tragic beast! I'd like to see your 87, too, to give me an idea of what mine is supposed to look like!

Here's a picture taken about two weeks ago, before all this misalignment happened...

Oh, and you can't miss my T/A, it's the only 5-tone one cruising around without any gfx except the rear quarters and rear bumper!

as Steve Irwin says: "Crikey, she's a beaut!"

 

Looks like we both have work in progress cars. I'm on Arrowhead dr. just off of Woodlawn and 71'st. Can't miss it, its in a neutral primer now. Still have a lots of things to do to it before its painted.

 

try sliding your hood back

 

Ditto. You can adjust the hood position on the hinges.

 

That's the first thing I did. If I take it back more, it will not line up with the pop up lights. but I guess a big gap between them and the hood would be less noticeable than the fascia and the fenders, huh. I'm still patiently waiting on my film to come back from Wal-Mart...I should have one-hour'd them...so I could show what I'm talking about...

I'll be in a better position to attack it this Saturday (more time, less kids...etc, etc, etc.) Thanks for the suggestion, though, I'll move that hood back until it lines up with the fascia and see where that puts it and post back!

roll on

 

I think these will demonstrate what I'm dealing with....let me know what to do, guys!

 

and this....

 

sorry, don't know how to post more than one at a time....

 

 

well are u getting the car repainted? cause if so just "FILL" or blend the fender and the facial... and it should look nice.... but word to the wise use fiberglass not bondo

 

Sorry no anwsers here, but a similiar problem. My 85 standard bird was, during its life struck or it stuck something and caused the left corner of the "facia" to get pushed in slightly. Now there is about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch gap difference from left to right between the front edge of the hood and the top edge of the "facia". Is there anyway of pushing the left side back out to even the gap. We're talking back yard garage type maintenance.

 

Okay, I had the front fascia off again today and did some aligning, and I found out that the metal support bar that the turn signal lights mount to was out of whack...and very difficult to get back to factory specs, since there is all kinds of ways to bend and twist that sucker, but my problem is 90% better...except for the very top stud which uses a speed nut...very hard to get to, still trying to butt it up...but on the driver's side I found out the metal tabs on the fender have separated, so instead of pulling the plastic fascia back to it, the metal is bending out towards the fascia, resulting in the gap not going away (for now, I plan on either replacing the whole fender on the driver's side now, or just welding those tabs back in spec so I can cure this little problem.

Faught, you might pull off your front fascia and check out that bar...it's very easy to bend, and even a little smack will bend it out of whack. Now knowing what exactly is behind there, I think that would be your first place to look in pulling that facia back out. Good luck, man, post back and let us know. Pulling the fascia off isn't as hard as you'd think...pretty easy, actually...

 

Thanks Lasher. I'll try that soon. I've got one of those "HANES" manuals that seem to show the process pretty clearly.