panel fit & alignment

[David M.]

68'small block roadster. Low miles,no hit car. Two areas that are bothering me. The right front bumper guard and lower grill moulding are way off on alignment and fit. There is about an inch gap between the two and the moulding is pushed back an inch at the guard end. The left side guard/moulding fit is acceptable. Ive seen cars with and with out this problem. What's the cause and fix, major surgery? I do a fair amount of body work mostly on steel. Just getting into glass. Second prob.is with a slight bulge and a dip on the pass door skin,about where the upper hinge resides inside door frame. I've heard this is a 68 problem. Is the hinge causing this? Whats the permanent fix? Thankx Dave

[Wayne W.]

Re: panel fit & alignment

I would be a little difficult to diagnose this problem without seeing it. On the door situation. I am not sure exactly what you are talking about, but there are some typical problems with 68-69 doors. One is rust in a metal brace near the top of the door. It will rust and push up on the fiberglass. Another is the hinge itself. 68-69 hinges were weak and they bend allowing the door to open too far. The bracket hits the fiberglass and will knock a little chunk up on the door. The later hinge is beefed up in that area and is not as prone to bend, but if installed on a 68-69 the door will have to be modified slightly to install it.

[David M.]

Re: panel fit & alignment

Thanks Wayne. Agreed on sight unseen diagnosis. I'd heard these two areas were common. I will do some disassembly and see if any obvious things stick out. Dave