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Does your 70-72 Passenger Fender stick upward in top back?
How did you compensate? thought it was just mine but It appears to be documented.
FWIW here's an entry from "The Good Olds Days"
Can anyone confirm or deny?
"All passenger side fenders DO NOT line up on the top back, they stick upward."
"This was a flaw in the mold that never got fixed."
Sometimes they've been damaged and repaired over the years, sometimes with ill-fitting aftermarket parts. Sometimes they just weren't that great from the factory. When doing restorations, you expect to have to do extensive work to gap them cleanly.
Mine looks exactly like that, but it's aftermarket. I can't remember what the original looked like.
My original was aligned properly, but the NOS GM fender that I installed back in the 1990s sits too high just like that. My conclusion was the upper mounting bracket was welded on incorrectly, but I did not have the tools to cut the bracket off and re-weld it in the proper location. I always suspected that was the reason it was a replacement panel instead of being used on the production line - didn't pass QA so sent to the parts department and let a body shop deal with it.
On mine, the drivers side had room for a shim or two under the bracket. The passengers side with no shims sat high. This indicated to me that the bracket was not welded in the correct location.
On mine, the drivers side had room for a shim or two under the bracket. The passengers side with no shims sat high. This indicated to me that the bracket was not welded in the correct location.
Judging from mine I think this is the best explanation
On mine, the drivers side had room for a shim or two under the bracket. The passengers side with no shims sat high. This indicated to me that the bracket was not welded in the correct location.
The one at the top rear that sits on top of the firewall(?). It’s been since the 1990s so my memory of exactly where that bracket sits may be a bit off. From what I remember, there was a vertical mounting surface and also a horizontal mounting surface. The bracket was attached so that the horizontal surface was too high. The vertical had a hole that gave enough adjustment room.
edit:
I grabbed this pic from a video I found online. It’s a driver fender, but the horizontal flange at the very far left is the one that was too high.
Last edited by Fun71; January 9th, 2023 at 07:53 PM.
I removed the bracket to see if I can get the passenger fender positioned better,
Seems better but still could come down a bit.
I am going to see if I can get it adjusted and the bracket welded back on.
You have more skill than I and you asked the right people.
I tried adjustments to get my NOS fender to align, but couldn't get it right. When I sent the car for paining, the painter said he had to cut off a bracket and reweld it to get alignment correct.
When he told me that, I immediately thought the same as Kenneth...
Originally Posted by Fun71
I always suspected that was the reason it was a replacement panel instead of being used on the production line - didn't pass QA so sent to the parts department and let a body shop deal with it.
I got impatient when I took the bracket off, (The spot weld bit wasn't working fast enough)
I butchered the welds and ripped holes in the brace, so I had to fix them (kinda)
I traced the old position and the new, you can see my butchered holes and the trace marks.
You can see where there is no paint and about a quarter inch forward the trace mark for the new position.
I should have put something between the welding clamp and the fender surface, now I have a little body work to do.
I got the brace tacked in and test fitted again and got it pretty close to matching the driver's side.
I have an NOS fender where that bracket is not welded in place and just safety wired to the fender. I have noticed this alignment issue prior and tried to adjust / align it out on one of my original paint cars to no avail.
Spent some time tweaking the gaps now that the bracket is welded back in place.
Got it to closely match the driver's side.
There is a little crimp on the fender that needs attention at the seam.
Sometimes you can get away with hogging out the hole to give you more adjustment. Like someone else said also, shimming the core support can sometimes make a difference. Now is the time to bang and cut metal if you have to before anything is painted. That gap at top of door is challenging, it can look great when closed but be sure to watch how close it get when the door swings open. Also dont forget about the door hinge adjustment, in and out and front to back can help sometimes also. Stay with it and you’ll get it.
I would add some shims at the bottom and also shim up the core support on that side as the door gap is too wide at the top.
That's what I'm thinking. I've had trouble with my passenger side and added more shims to the bottom which pulled it down. Still, not perfect but very close! Fun stuff! LOL
How far did you move the bracket? Hard to tell from the pics. I am having the same issue. It is not as pronounced, but I may give it a shot because it will bother me to no end. I got the drivers side perfect. The eyebrow on the drivers side was a mess though....still doesn't fit right.
How far did you move the bracket? Hard to tell from the pics. I am having the same issue. It is not as pronounced, but I may give it a shot because it will bother me to no end. I got the drivers side perfect. The eyebrow on the drivers side was a mess though....still doesn't fit right.
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...6/#post1480556
shows the trace marks for before and after.
it needs to be about 1/4" down and about 1/4" forward.
I recommend centering the bracket adjustment and tighten the bolt then clamp the fender to the bracket and drilling a couple of holes for the cleco clamps.
Once welded you should have plenty of adjustment to tweak.
January 3rd, 2023, 03:57 PM
