Noticed that there seems to be some very minor (but noticable) body panel misallignment near the front of my car. I know the most obvious answer is that the car was in an accident...which i am not denying (because it could have happened at some point)...but it just seems unlikely. Is there any other cause for misallignment. For example, new valve covers were put on the car at one point and just from their position in the engine compartment, would anyone ever maybe take off the front fenders to do the job easier? Is there any reason at all (besides swapping an engine) that someone would take off the front fenders?

Alittle background. bought the car from original owner. 29k miles, absolutely stunning black paint, no overspray anywhere, everything is factory intact (w/ the exception of the valve covers and new houses, plugs, belts, etc. The car sat on blocks for about 4-5 years..could this have put stress on the chassis and cause a shift in the panels? It just seems so unlikely that it would have ever been in an accident...also--the car tracks completely straight.

Also, not that it means anything but the car has a clean carfax, etc.

 

a mack, on a different note I see you are from the Pittsburgh area. When I was there last year I didn't see many 3rd gens. It must be hard to really enjoy one with so many hills and curves. I bet you must keep your tranny on point at all times.

 

Is it just one side? Someone could have backed into a door and they removed the fender to put a new door on it.

 

perhaps some pics are in order...it could be that it was previously worked on and improperly aligned.

 

This is the only picture i have that you can remotely see it is this one. The car is put away for the winter at my house and i'm at school in pittsburgh.



you can kinda see that the driver side front fender is alittle lower than the hood near the windshield, and that its not quite flush where that fender meets the drivers side door. You can also kinda see that the further down the hood you go, it the gap between the hood and the driver side front fender appear to get closer and closer (this also happens on the other side of the hood i believe).

 

i am almost 100% sure no one would take a fender off to do a valve cover job... its really not that difficult and the fenders are the last thing to get in the way. an easy way to fix the hood-fender alignment in the front would be to play around with those rubber things that screw in and out that the hood go down on. loosening those lifts the hood up. this may fix that problem. im not sure what could be done about the fender-door problem.
also i would like to say that your car is bitchin'

 

lol if anyone did take the fender off to put a valvecover on then they need to just give up on working on the car.

 

haha IDK, im not that technical...my dad was the GM mechanic...he does the maitenance on the car, i just do the detailing stuff.

Any chance that the car sitting on blocks for about 5 years has anything to do with it?

 

Doubt it. Try what grey said. There is rubber stops front and back. Your problem is probly the back ones. They are right behind the hinge.

 

Over the years these cars would flex. So it will throw gaps off alittle, On the fender to hood gap. U could lossen the fender bolts and slid the fender out a little bit, mes around with the rubber hood stops.. On the door someone probably jacked up the car in the wrong spot( big prob with these cars) And pushed the fender up a little in turn makeing it sticking out alittle... These are all very little things to fix.. And your car looks good

 

From your description of the hood to fender gap changing from wide to tight, I wonder what does the other side look like? Is it doing the opposite? if so, then either the hood was just installed slightly off, or maybe the hinges got bent. Those hinges are not very stiff. as far as the up and down, the advice you've already been given regarding the rubber bumpers is good.

 

I'd take a close look at the hood hinges and what it's restin on back there. If it's the hood that's out of allignment then the hood is your problem.