Let me start by saying that I have reviewed archives and I just can't seem to come up with the right answer. The problem doesn't appear to be in the fenders. Doing a full body-off restoration on 68 convertible. All body parts fit good before disassembly. Replaced rusted doors with used doors, two new GM fenders, different radiator support. Tried different hinges and hoods.
When I put the body back on the frame, I centered all the bushings with the holes on the frame and the body (maybe they shouldn't have been). On all the other sheet metal I used other 68's as examples of how much the clearances should be. I installed different doors and aligned them. I installed a different radiator support (centered it). Installed two new fenders (this was after using several used fenders that just didn't want to align properly).

Everything was looking great up to this point. Installed the center header support. This is where my problem seemed to start, it fit okay on the right side, but had a gap in the front on the left side of 1/8", even after tighting the bolts. Installed the hinges, installed the hood, it sat about 1" onto the right front fender and a gap of 1" on the left when closing. Fit good in the back. Tried different hinges,hoods, no change. To get the hood to sit where it's supposed to I removed the hinges and loosen the fender bolts in the back and removed them in the front to the support, and took the lower bolts out of the radiator support and slide it way over to the right. Then I could just sit the hood in place. But now I can't installed the radiator support lower bolts, and it would never work with an engine,fan, radiator and shroud installed. So that brings me back to the body to frame bushings. How do you know if you have the bushings aligned correctly? As mentioned, maybe they shouldn't be centered. Does anyone know for sure if there are any alignment pins for the frame to body assy on a 68?
HELP!
Sorry for the long post, just trying to give you as much info as I can. I have already spent alot of time on this. If I have missed providing any critical info, just ask.

Paul,
Frustated in Lower SoCal



[This message has been edited by PaulLowerSoCal (edited 07-05-2001).]

My body is offset to one side at the firewall. It is fairly square at the back axle. I had to loosen the mounts and shift the body due to what you describe. My car wasn't as bad as you desribe though.

The way to get the hood/fenders installed is to line the fenders to the doors and then fasten them to the rad support and then shift the rad support as you mention.

You need to make sure your fenders aren't mounted so one is further ahead/back to the other one. You may need to open the fender and door gaps on the side you moved the rad support towards and tighten the gaps on the other side. The hood will basically swing perpendicular to a line drawn between the hinges on the fenders. So if one fender is further ahead on the car, the hood will be pushed towards the other side at the front.

You also need to work at getting the opening square by measuring across the opening and diagonally until measurements are equal and the hood will fit.

Good luck, I have weeks of time into the alignment of my cars front end and it is just good, not great.

Peter

As a bodyman who spent alot of time working on GM products, i can tell you that alignment is alot of hit and miss. GM even had a course that taught how to align B body(full size sedans)panels after they came from the factory and before they were delivered to the customer. The principal for A and F bodies is the same.
Your thought on centering the body on the frame mounts is right, but after that, you need to get a cross measurement from the cowl to a hard point on the frame, preferably as far forward as possible. Make sure your measuring points are symetrical. If your frame is square, it shouldn`t be too hard. Tighten the front mounts only. Then mount your doors, aligning the rear edge to the front edge of the quarters and the bottom to the rockers. Make sure your windows are up when you align the doors. Mount your rad support but don`t tighten the bolts. Mount your fenders so the rear edge aligns with the front edge of your doors. A slight scalop effect is required.(the back edge of the fender should protrude outward from the front edge of the door by a slight amount) Don`t tighten the bolts yet. Fit the header and snug those bolts hand tight. Now you can get a cross measurement again for your hood opening. By shifting the rad support to the right or left, you should be able to get a square. Cross measure from the very corner of the header/fender to as far back on the cowl as you can. Eyeball down the length of each fender to the rear of the car to make sure it looks okay. Theoretically, you should have a close enough hole tolerance that you can fit the hood without too much hassle. Having said that, you will probably still have to fiddle until everything is to your satisfaction. After it all fits, go back and tighten your body mounts and panel bolts. Good luck