Hood fitment/gap issues!!

[1952chevy]

HELP!!

I have an issue with the gapping on my hood. It's my understanding that this is a fairly common issue, but I was wondering if any of you had any pointers to work this out. Here's some pictures and brief description of the issue:

Notice the gap at the very front of the hood. It is approximately 3/16" on each side. Then about mid-way back the gap is approximately 3/8" on each side.

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Here's the gap on the passenger side.

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Here's the gap on the driver side.

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Here's a few more reference pictures.

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Any help/pointers would be greatly appreciated! If you need more pictures or particular measurements, please let me know.

Thanks and look forward to hearing from you all.

[coralhead]

Do you have the inner fender support rods from midway on the upper fender to the fire wall adjusted properly? Looks like they could come up a bit in the center. Also is the hood all the way flush at the rear with the hood windlass strip in place? The fit was not great to begine with but it will take a bit of tweeking to get them in. Are you running a stock frame? The front radiator mount may be in need of being lowered.

[JR25]

Body shims under the lower bolts that attach the hood hinge to the firewall? Not familiar with how these trucks go together, but saw a similar fitment issue corrected with the body shims under the hinges on a 55.
If its not even possible on this series trucks, don't bash me too hard.....just hoping to help!
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[1952chevy]

In response to Coralhead's Comments:

1. I am using an Absolute Sheetmetal Inner Fender kit with radiator support kit that eliminates the inner fender support rods and lowers the radiator mounts 2".

2. At the back of the hood, the gap is flush but it might be able to come back a little. But it is a great fit at the front of the hood. The gap at the front is great and the alignment with the grill and the latching mechanism is spot on.

I will see want we can do to straighten up the fenders. Maybe that is the real issue. We been focusing on the hood and it might be the fenders. Thanks for the info!

In response to JR25's Comments:

I am not sure if shims would help or not, but at this point, I'll try anything!



Keep the ideas coming. Thanks!
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[mr48chev]

Shims won't do anything on AD truck hinges as far as I know.

From my own experience with leaving the fender brace rods off you end up with a front end that doesn't stay adjusted and squeaks in the front end sheet metal. It won't happen again on any truck of mine.

i don't see a full side shot of your truck but is the cab sagging at the front? If it has run a V8 and automatic for any length of time or has the center crossmember under the bellhousing removed without boxing the frame or otherwise reinforcing the frame the weight of the cab will push down on the brackets the cab mounts causing the frame to twist and the cab will sag until it is laying on top of the frame rails. I've seen this in a number of trucks including my own. If you stand back to the side of the trucks that have had this happen they look slightly bent at the cowl.
You have to raise the cab back up to the specified height off the frame to fix the problem.
Here is what the space between the cab floor and frame should be.

[miknjan]

Off topic.. i have the same inner fenders you have...could you post any pics?? having some fitment issues of my own.. Please keep us informed on how you fix the alignment

[coralhead]

I'll ask again, are you on the original frame or is this s10 or front clip? If so the radiator frame may be too high and will need to be lowered.

[JR25]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Shims won't do anything on AD truck hinges as far as I know.

From my own experience with leaving the fender brace rods off you end up with a front end that doesn't stay adjusted and squeaks in the front end sheet metal. It won't happen again on any truck of mine.

i don't see a full side shot of your truck but is the cab sagging at the front? If it has run a V8 and automatic for any length of time or has the center crossmember under the bellhousing removed without boxing the frame or otherwise reinforcing the frame the weight of the cab will push down on the brackets the cab mounts causing the frame to twist and the cab will sag until it is laying on top of the frame rails. I've seen this in a number of trucks including my own. If you stand back to the side of the trucks that have had this happen they look slightly bent at the cowl.
You have to raise the cab back up to the specified height off the frame to fix the problem.
Here is what the space between the cab floor and frame should be.

Originally Posted by coralhead

I'll ask again, are you on the original frame or is this s10 or front clip? If so the radiator frame may be too high and will need to be lowered.

Willing to bet one of these guys has got your coon in the tree! After reading that the gap from hood to cab is good, shims wouldnt help anyway, they just move the pivot point closer or further away.

[solidaxel]

There is also adjustment up & down at the rear of the cab mounts for the back of the hood. Still could not get the back of the hood to sit right so we welded a 1/4" rod all along the rear edge of the hood, (some adj. required!!)
We used a port-a-power on the underside of the fenders at the center seam to the hood to get the adj. closer.

A lot of time but not much material !!

[1952chevy]

All,

Thanks for all the info. Here's the set-up I am running:

I am running a modified stock frame with a Mustang II Front. The chassis has been boxed back behind the cab. This chassis has not ran a V8 set-up, but once we're finished it will have a 383 stroker with a Tremec TKO 600. The rear is leaf springs with a Ford 9". I am going to put 2" drop spindles on the front and 2" or 3" lowering blocks on the rear.

The floor and the firewall were cutout and new metal was put in. We also built custom 3/8" mounting plates and used rubber mounting blocks on the cab. Here's some pictures:

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In response to Coralhead's question about the radiator height:

I have used what used the *****in' Products, now it's Absolute Sheetmetal, inner fenders and radiator support kit. It lowers the radiator in the truck 2" and supposedly eliminates the need for the inner fender support rods. But, after mr48chev's comments, I may have to reconsider. Here's a link to product:

http://www.premierstreetrod.com/deta...Apron_Kit.html

In response to mr48chev's comments:

Here's some more pictures from different angles.

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In response to miknjan's comment:

I don't have a lot of pictures of the inner fenders and radiator core support installation, but the next time I go to the shop, I will get some. Here's what I currently have.

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Here's a link to radiator core support kit (it's a PDF and it's on pg. 27):

http://www.absolutesheetmetal.com/chevy.pdf

In response to solidaxel's comments:

I also welded a reinforcement strip on along the back of the hood to get it to fit better. When we first installed the hood, it was bowing up a bit. This allowed us to manipulate it and it hold it shape. Can you elaborate on the technique you used with the port-a-power?


Once again, thank you all for your support! Hopefully with some of the tips you have given, I will be able to get this straigtened out.

[mr48chev]

Well, I'd have to say that the frame isn't an issue but you will probably spend a lot of hours adjusting here and adjusting there to get everything perfect as far as alignment.

From seeing the side shot it doesn't have that "bent at the cowl" appearance so that helps a bunch.

Here is the instructions I copied out of the service manual for someone else. They may not be in order though.















And the instructions for the stock cab mounts This may not help a lot but might give you some measurements to go by.

[1952chevy]

Thank mr48chev, for all your info. I have the manual at the house, so I will go through it and read over the section. I think with all the info you guys have provided and I found a different thread that had step by step instructions for fitting the hood, I might be able to get it straightened out. It's not far off, but it's enough that I am concerned it will bother me in the end. I will keep you all posted.

Thanks again!

[coralhead]

I fought this same fight and then looked at the rear fender mounting locations. I loosened up the fender to body bolts and completely removed the inner fenderwell mount/firewall bolts. I then put a jack under the rear fender and put upward pressure as much as possible to raise the rear of the fender up against the lower cab. Tightened up the fender bolts and then went to work on the inner fender to firewall bolts. Being that you do not have a stock firewall the holes may be not aligning.

Am I seeing a patchpanel line on the drivers side lower? That may be keeping the rear of the fender down if the panel was a bit short or the weld pulled the panel up too much. Just thinking.

[1952chevy]

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[1952chevy]

Coralhead thanks for the info. I will look at the same. As for the patch panel on the driver's side, there is not one. Althought, good idea if it was.
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[MIKESAD50]

how is the truck coming? you have more pictures of the inner fenders and radiator support? more pictures of the progress

[Iceburgh]

Mr48 nailed it. Most problems I see are a combo of the cab mounts being bad (Not in this case) hood springs being worn out and soft pushing up the rear of the hood and not using the fender braces that attach to the firewall and also the that attach to the rad support

[gag1025]

I will be interested in finding out your solution to the problem. Every part of the body of my truck is after market (it was complete when I bought it) except for the chassis and cab. I figured that it was because of the after market parts which seldom fit. We have a few things we are going to try when we get it back from the upholstery shop. You can see in this photo that there is a gap in the middle of close to a quarter of an inch.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by coralhead

I'll ask again, are you on the original frame or is this s10 or front clip? If so the radiator frame may be too high and will need to be lowered.

What he said!

The front has to be lowered, or the cab raised.

Brian

[gag1025]

Originally Posted by coralhead
I'll ask again, are you on the original frame or is this s10 or front clip? If so the radiator frame may be too high and will need to be lowered.

Mine is the original frame with a Mustang II IFS. The engine mounts are new (came with the Mustange II kit) as are all the other mounting parts, so I know the problem is not the result of worn out parts. I am hoping it is a matter of adjustment. There are a few adjustment things we are going to try. I looked back at the original photos from when I bought the truck and the gap was there then. It came with the original straight axle.