Fender-Hood alignment

[SFEbody]

Can anyone post the steps/pictures/video to line the gaps for fenders and hood. I just had a new AMD hood and hinges painted for my 74 Rallye and the need to better line up the gaps. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Fenders at doors are really jacked, so that may be the first help I need then go to the hood-fenders????


B.

 

[Adam]

First align the doors to the quarters (this is the time for rebuilt hinges, contact Leo if you need them), then the fenders to the doors, then the hood to the fenders. You will need to shim the fenders up/ in/out a little to make it look right, so get some body shims. The hood hinges are the hardest part; what worked well for me was leaving the hinge bolts loose but snug.... then with the hood closed I was able to push the rear of the hood down into position and carefully open the hood part way and tighten down the bolts.

 

[Litchkar]

i found these instructions on Restorations by Rick's website. I used them and solve my issues:

Front to rear adjustments are on the hood side area of the hinges.
Up & down adjustments are on the inner fender area of the hinges.
Side to side movement is controlled by the latch positioning and fender side bumpers.
On rare occasions the side position has to "tweaked" by a push on the rear of the hood to the side, causing slight bending of the hinge arms.
The front height is controlled by the bump stop studs with the rubber caps.

A common alignment problem on E-body & 71-up B-bodies is with the rear hood edge being up too high with the hinges being adjusted all the way down on the inner fender.
This is an adjustment problem! Start by moving the hinge up on the inner fender. (yes, up!)
Then, loosen the 2 rear bolts and leave the front bolt snug. Now lift the hood to make the hinge rotate (as viewed from the side). Retighten the rear bolts and check the fit. This procedure will get that tail to come down. Adjust the front-to-rear dimension on the hood side bolts.
It can be frustrating and take some time, but these hoods will fit correctly! I’ve installed them with the hood sitting about 2 1/2" above the fender...using this method, the hood was fitting perfect in a few minutes!

Rick

 

[SFEbody]

Thanks guys for the tips. I have it much closer now but not perfect. If I post pictures then possibly an expert on here can give me the fine tune tip needed. All the help is MUCH APPRECIATED.

i found these instructions on Restorations by Rick's website. I used them and solve my issues:

Front to rear adjustments are on the hood side area of the hinges.
Up & down adjustments are on the inner fender area of the hinges.
Side to side movement is controlled by the latch positioning and fender side bumpers.
On rare occasions the side position has to "tweaked" by a push on the rear of the hood to the side, causing slight bending of the hinge arms.
The front height is controlled by the bump stop studs with the rubber caps.

A common alignment problem on E-body & 71-up B-bodies is with the rear hood edge being up too high with the hinges being adjusted all the way down on the inner fender.
This is an adjustment problem! Start by moving the hinge up on the inner fender. (yes, up!)
Then, loosen the 2 rear bolts and leave the front bolt snug. Now lift the hood to make the hinge rotate (as viewed from the side). Retighten the rear bolts and check the fit. This procedure will get that tail to come down. Adjust the front-to-rear dimension on the hood side bolts.
It can be frustrating and take some time, but these hoods will fit correctly! I’ve installed them with the hood sitting about 2 1/2" above the fender...using this method, the hood was fitting perfect in a few minutes!

Rick

 

[SFEbody]

Thanks guys, your advice has been much appreciated. However if you could take a look at my photos and help my fine tune based on its current alignment I will so happy.

 

[Adam]

One method is to put a couple of phone books or something similar on the right side and gently push down on the left side... do not try to get it all at once, you want to sneak up on it.. looks like you only need about an 1/8 of an inch; so 1/16 down on the left 1/16 up on the right.

Or try screwing the bumper up on the pass side slightly, and down on the driver's side; this will work if the pass side bumper is not actually touching the hood. If the left front side of the hood will not come down by screwing in/down the bumper(s) you can shim up the front of the fender...besides the bolts you can see, don't forget the two bolts in the core support by the battery tray. This will allow you to move the front of the fender up, and inward, to even up that hood gap; it looks a little wider at the front of the car.

 

[quapman]

Make sure you have the two rubber wedges (front) and two plastic spring-loaded wedges (rear) installed in the fenders. These help the side/side alignment greatly. You might have to bring the latch down slightly as well.

 

[SFEbody]

Thanks all. I'm really close to perfect with your guidance. Much appreciated

 

[MoparMoMoney]

i found these instructions on Restorations by Rick's website. I used them and solve my issues:

Front to rear adjustments are on the hood side area of the hinges.
Up & down adjustments are on the inner fender area of the hinges.
Side to side movement is controlled by the latch positioning and fender side bumpers.
On rare occasions the side position has to "tweaked" by a push on the rear of the hood to the side, causing slight bending of the hinge arms.
The front height is controlled by the bump stop studs with the rubber caps.

A common alignment problem on E-body & 71-up B-bodies is with the rear hood edge being up too high with the hinges being adjusted all the way down on the inner fender.
This is an adjustment problem! Start by moving the hinge up on the inner fender. (yes, up!)
Then, loosen the 2 rear bolts and leave the front bolt snug. Now lift the hood to make the hinge rotate (as viewed from the side). Retighten the rear bolts and check the fit. This procedure will get that tail to come down. Adjust the front-to-rear dimension on the hood side bolts.
It can be frustrating and take some time, but these hoods will fit correctly! I’ve installed them with the hood sitting about 2 1/2" above the fender...using this method, the hood was fitting perfect in a few minutes!

Rick

Rick, thank you because this is 100% correct. I was struggling with my 1973 Challenger. I’ve done many classics and this one sucked lol. Rear trunk seal as well. Ordered the D Shaped sits to high don’t order MD2097, MD2096 is correct. Classic Industries tech suggested I slam the trunk. Lmao. He said it needs to form. I said you gonna pay for a new trunk lid. But the trunk alignment was easy.