Question for the Square-body Guru's

[72BlckButy]

I'm not very familiar with the fitment of body panels on square body truck and I wanted to see if you guys could lend a hand. On the pics below you will see the poor fitment of the front sheetmetal on this '79 C-10. Can anyone explain why the portion that routes up from the fender to the door/windshield?

It seems as though the D/S and P/S fenders are experiencing different issues. Who can name it?

Re-pop doors?
Re-pop fenders?
Poor gapping?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

[CLASSIC87']

They are ALL that way to the best of my knowledge... of coarse unless someone has redone theres. I never could understand why they wouldnt make them an even gap... but that was back in the day I guess.

[72BlckButy]

Like I said, to me... it doesn't look right, but that doesn't mean it is wrong.

[joe231]

That annoys me also. Both of my squares are like that. Maybe one day I will cut/weld/fix the gap

[lolife99]

Looks like a Harwood Fiberglass hood also.

[menace121978]

nice truck! i hate how they line up also...

[Scootin 81 C20]

Mine has poor gapping as well, so nobody is alone in this.

[GMC Guy]

x2
i guess with a LOT of patience you could get them "close" lol

nice truck BTW

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Looks like a Harwood Fiberglass hood also.

Good eye Keith. We all know that the fenders, doors, etc on these trucks have terrible gaps, that hood compounds the problem. Notice that it sit higher in the middle. No matter how well you work the gaps, you can't fix the curve of the hood.

[87 chevy silverado]

ya they messed up at the factory when they designed it. i absolutely hate that but what can u do all they do is build a vehicle then sell it. an we got to make it are own

[Keith Seymore]

Keep in mind guys these trucks were designed back in the late sixties and early seventies: attention to fit and finish (and "building in" the ability to have good gaps and fits) was not like it is today.

K

[USSkoval]

That actually looks pretty good compared to the last couple I have owned. It's mostly due to aftermarket fenders and tweaked hoods... add in worn hood hinges and nothing is close. I spent A LOT of time getting the front end on my '77 Blazer to line up just OK, and I do this for a living. It has aftermarket fenders on it though, they seem to be too short at the top. The '79 crew cab I recently purchased has a fiberglass hood that looks to be identical to yours, and it fits about the same too.

The '81 and up sheetmetal tends to line up much better.

[72BlckButy]

Thanks for the information guy's; like I said I am not very familiar with this era of truck, so I apprecaite your knowledge.

[69BBsuburban]

My Harwood hood fits pretty well....
All these trucks need a little massaging to get really nice panel fitment...if you've ever used aftermarket parts (doors, fenders, etc.) it's even harder...as the aftermarket stuff is made overseas to a less than factory tolerance and of slightly thinner material.