I'm having problems getting my hood to fit flush with the hood surround panel and I'm wondering how good it has to be to pass judging if in fact I take my resto that far. The gap is perfect but if the rear of the hood is flush and the front is flush the pass fender hump is about a 3/8 inch above the hood and the drivers fender hump is about a 1/4 inch above the hood. If I raise the front of hood to follow the fender conture it looks good from the rear up to around a foot or so from the front. The front will then be sitting about 3/8 or so above the header panel. The hood has not been damaged but the pass side did take a small hit many years ago and the hood surround broke in the usual place. The drivers side is undamaged and I just think that it is odd the the drivers(undamaged side) fits as poor as it does...was this just the way they were? Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.
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Re: 69 hood alignment problems
Later model Sharks had wedges that set in the hood opening to force the hood flush to the fenders. Maybe two feet forward of the latch. Maybe your car is supposed to have these? Missing? -
Re: 69 hood alignment problems
Greg Most hoods need to have body work to the fenders and the hood to get the fit most expect today. Your hood may be fitting close to the way it was made but it sounds like it is worse than GM would have done as 3/8 is out more than what the AIM says I think. LyleLyle
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Re: 69 hood alignment problems
Greg, my understanding of your problem is the same as mine: you have more curvature in the hood than there is in the inside fender edges.
Like Lyle said, your hood fit was probably acceptable for the factory, and not that unusual. The fix is not easy...in my opinion, a major undertaking done when the car is to be repainted. It involves breaking the bonds between the fenders and inner fenders, raising and supporting the fender inside edge to the curvature of the hood, and then rebonding the fender to the inner fender.
If you study the inner fender, you will see that breaking only the bonds near the fender inner edge will permit adjustment only along the middle portion of the fender. In order to maintain a smooth contour, additional steps may have to be taken depending on the amount of adjustment required.Comment
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Re: 69 hood alignment problems
Greg
As Chuck and Lyle said, that is probably the remedy you should seek to fix the problem. I just wanted to comment on the quality of body panel fit on these early sharks. YES!! They fit rather poorly, unfortunately from the factory! In a CORVETTE NEWS issue dated OCT/NOV 1970, an article was written about how carefully the '71 Corvette was assembled and how proud the 500 or so workers were with the finished product, it probably WAS good for it's time, just not what we're used to, today. The article touted how much MORE IMPROVED the process of assembly had evolved from the earlier days (ie: 1968-69 years). Well I'm here to tell you, after owning 7 '70-'72 year Corvettes, there may be a LITTLE improvment, but not much to brag about, in my opinion. But we certainly still love our beloved sharks, don't we.Comment
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Re: 69 hood alignment problems
I read this as him saying the fenders are higher than the hood halfway down. You other guys see it the other way around. Apparently, my interpretation of the problem is incorrect. Where did I go wrong?Comment
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Re: 69 hood alignment problems
No, actually you're right, Mike. I went back and read Greg's post again, and I guess I interpreted his problem to be the same as mine.
The solution may still be the same because I don't think the contour of the hood can be easily changed. I would hope that once the fender/inner fender bonds are broken, the relaxed position of the fenders would be lower, but there are no guarantees.
If it were me, I think I would try another hood first to see if the relative fit was the same...maybe it is the hood that is the problem. If buying a hood would fix the problem, it would sure be the easiest solution.
On early C3s, there are no wedges or bumpers in the center that help with hood alignment; you can shim the hinges in the front, and/or you can adjust hood locks on the rear.Comment
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Re: 69 hood alignment problems
Thanks for all your thoughts guys. I think I got this one beat! I had removed the support rod from the nose piece to the bottom of the rad support and didn't realize how much the nose would drop without it. Once I reinstalled it things looked much better. I adjusted the hood to be flush with the top of the fenders so now the front of the hood is only about an 1/8 or so inch above the nose panel. Due to the past collision and that I R&Red my header bar to replace the rivets this area needs some filler anyways.
If I place a "block" a couple of feet ahead of the pass side latch like the later ones had,that whole side looks perfect. I know it's not correct for my year but does anyone know where I can get this block? Maybe if I temporarily install one,over time the hood will fit better...might be just wishfull thinking too. The drivers side is very close...not within +- .040 like the AIM says but not far off. This side had no damage at all so I guess if the fender and inner fender are not bonded to each other correctly then that's how it has been since 1969 so I'll leave it. I don't want it perfect...I just want it the way it was.
Thanks again guys.Comment
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Re: 69 hood alignment problems
Blocks were not applicable to 69's but they will work. Doc Rubberhead, I mean Rebuild I think sells them.Dick WhittingtonComment
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