I just picked up an 89 Camaro RS that needed some TLC. THe last owner's friend backed into the nose of this car. He went out and bought a new nose piece, and a new passenger side fender.

The problem is the passenger fender doesn't really seem to fit all that well! I've taken a quick look at it (Not a body man here) and it looks like it's mounted correctly, but I can't really tell. The portion of the fender that meets up with the passenger side door seems to be 3/4" out of whack. It kind of sticks out the side of the car.

Here's a pic:

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Also the nose piece that he included looks like the headlight portions are bent slightly outward. Are they supposed to come this way?



I did a rough line up with the new nose....seems to not fit all that well ;-) I just want to know if these parts are correct and I'm a moron...or if these parts are junk for this car.

I could just be a moron ;-) This might be best left to a local body shop to handle.

 

I don't know about the nose piece... But I do know that both my fenders stick out on the sides. I know a LOT of 3rd gen birds and camaros that do the same... so maybe someone can tell us how to fix this??

 

Mine don't, sounds to me like he bought an firebird fender, there is only a slight difference. One sticks out a bit more.


However that front clip looks really small, it just doesn't seem the usual lenght.

 

Find out if the parts he bought are GM or reproductions. I am guessing reproductions. Many times reproductions don't fit well. On the positive side, there are a couple of things you can do.

1) loosen all the bolts that are attaching the outer fender to inner fender (this includes the hood hinge that rests on the fender lip). Just open the hood you will see them. The fender itself has elongated holes which allows for some adjustment. After loosening the bolts lean on the fender to push it inwards and while applying your weight to the fender tighten the bolts. Just be careful not to dent the fender as you push on it.

2) If the holes don't give you the adjustment you need, you can use a grinding stone on a drill or a dremel tool to enlarge the holes to move the fender even more.

Just make sure you still have enough clearance to close the hood. You wouldn't want to slam the hood onto the fender if it is moved to far in. Also open your door all the way to check the clearance with the rear of the fender. If the fender is too far to the rear the door can pinch the fender and crease it. Basically just don't slam the hoods and doors without checking clearances after you adjust the fender.

 

I'll be ripping the fender off tomorrow. Hopefully that will clue me in as to whether it's a GM replacement....or an aftermarket. The nose piece doesn't seem to have any markings on it other than painting instructions, but I'll have a second look at that in the morning as well.

The hood he put on is a fiberglass hood....and it already has a tight fit on the passenger side fender. I did see the hood mount you were talking about.....so I'm hoping he just did a quick screw down job and not actually seat it in all the way. No way I want the body of this thing staying this way....

I'd rather sell it and pick up one with the body intact ;-)

Thanks for the replies! Any other ideas...please post away!

Scott

 

when replacing body parts......always use gm replacements!!!!!!


i found out the hard way

 

I took the passenger side fender off tonight, but I'm still not sure if it's a GM Replacement! Is there anyway to tell? I don't see ANY marking on it....just 2 stickers on the back side.

One reads "R-DOT"

The other says "Made in Taiwan"

Somehow I doubt this is a GM replacement from the made in taiwan sticker....but who knows!

The nose piece doesn't have any GM markings on it either. It did come in a plastic bag that says "Tang Yan Group" Or something like that. I looked at it a few hours ago...but forgot the exact name already!

It did have a sticker on it(the bag that is) that said it fits 85-91....but it looks out of whack. Not too sure as this is my first Camaro....and I didn't take it apart. I've got a bunch of labelled bags with screws in it.

I might have to get a local body shop to shoehorn this thing back together for me....unless someone on this board is local to Masachusetts and wants to help me out ;-)

I'd be willing to hand over a few bills for some help! heheh

It also looks like this guy used a sawsall or something to cut off the old nose piece. He cut through some of the headlight casings on the passenger side...and left a 1 1/2" piece of the old nose on the driver's side. Looks like a semi-hack job to me!