Please take a look at the picture and tell me what you think might be causing the hood trim moulding to be misaligned with the eyebrow mouldings.

The hood sits level with the tops of the fenders and flush on the front. The history is that it was smacked sometime in its history and the body shop repaired it the best they could. They had the moulding to fit the "point of the hood", but for some reason the way it fits now makes it look like the hood is not closed all the way.

What do you think???

Is it an after market hood? I had the same thing with my 66 El Camino and I carefully pulled the bottom lip of the hood out till it lined up with the headlight trim.

No, it is the original hood and there is some bondo in there to do the repair. If I pull it out it will surely crack. I am thinking about getting a new hood. The guy that did the car said he woudl paint it fo rme off the car for $150.00.

I think that is the only way to get it right.

You will also have to fit the new hood before you paint. If you noticed there is really no support on that lip and it might have been pushed in by the bondo work. You have to pull out and down with a firm but steady pull not jurking it. If you are planning on getting a new hood anyway you might give it a try.

That photo is no where near close enough to tell anything. But it sure looks like the HOOD is high on the drivers side to me.

All I can say is, if you think these parts don't fit, try an aftermarket hood, then you will look back at this fit with fond memories.

Get a closer shot of the problem, shoot one from under the edge of the hood with it open as well. Shot that under hood one CLOSE, with good light. Even if it is over exposed, this isn't an art class, we need to see what is happening.

Brian

i had a 66 that was all original and there was a missalignment on the drivers side that some restorers will tell you is "factory correct"...and, ive seen more than a few that back up that claim ...but as brian says, it looks like your whole hood needs adjustment, in fact, from that pic, the pass side looks even worse, you say the top aligns with the top off the fenders? if you eye ball the front from one side do they line up on a vertical plane?...at first glance to me it looks like the hood lip is twisted out, as if you would (if one could) grab the very bottom lip of the hood and lift and twist it flatter between the hood spear and the front top edge

which, i see now, is what pizzi-man was saying, except yours is opposite, i think

i had a 66 that was all original and there was a missalignment on the drivers side that some restorers will tell you is "factory correct"...and, ive seen more than a few that back up that claim


LOL, you are not kidding there a bit. I have a number of 65 Skylarks, NONE of them had a hood or deck lid that was fit as good as I got my Gran Sports to fit. They weren't even close. Not only did it take "massaging" of the lid and hood but it took cutting and welding on the rear body panel and quarters as well as the fronts of the fenders to get them to fit as they do.

But it does look like the hood in the picture is way too high, even for the factory standards.

Brian

Part of what you can't see is the fact the hood is snug against the stops, and it may really be 1/16 - 1/8 high at the very front edge compared to the fenders. I will try and post some closeup pictures but also in the repair is the "filling" of the rusted areas on the backside of that front lip. I had the guy use filler because I thought I was going to get a new hood when funds allowed and it would have been expensive to try and repair with fresh metal.

I will take a couple more pictures and post them this afternoon.

Thanks for your help.

Mike

If just the front edge as it rolls over and down toward the grill is higher than the fenders, it is likely because the hood is too far forward. Move it back and down a little (maybe even a little "too low" to make that front trim line up, robbing Peter to pay Paul).

The problem is, now that the car is done, fitting a repro hood is not going to be easy. You STILL may be better off having the hood rust repaired. It really depends on how the rest of the hood looks If it is all real nice and rust free with only the front left side having rust, fix it. It the whole hood is rough and rusted, a new hood may be a better choice.

Brian

I am starting to think that at 60 mph on a galloping horse you won't see it and at the shows the hood is open anyway. It just bothers me. I am going to fiddle with the stops and adjust it fore and aft to see if it changes.

thanks for the helpful suggestions.

Mike

If I remember right could you lower the trim on the hood just slightly by enlarging the holes that hold it on? That and adjusting the hood down a bit might get you close enough that it wouldn't bother you. It's usually a trade of with a little of this and a little of that with older cars. None of them fit like the newer cars....

i think if you take advice from all these guys and do a little of each...you'll be there...hella nice ride btw, i like the all black-all red contrasts