Front Hood & Body parts alignment

[ken mcculloch]

Can someone explain the process of aligning the front end sheet metal & related parts?
I will be replacing my front fenders & while doing that, I want to align all the sheet metal parts.

My hood currently sits cock-eyed to the side panels as well as the radiator & grill guards.

The hood appears to be set correctly to the cab… same amount of gap along the hinge mounting surfaces.
At the front of the hood, on the passenger side, it appears to be overhanging the side panel approx 1/2", but not at the back side near the cab. The Drivers side appears to be aligned correctly all the way down the side of the hood.
It also appears that maybe the radiator & guards may be out of alignment as well with the passenger’s side siting slightly rearward as compared to the driver’s side.

Once I remove the old fenders, what needs to move (and how do I go about doing it?) in order to have the hood lines match the sheet metal & grill guards all the way around?

I do not seem to find any info regarding this alignment in any of the TM’s.

Thanks in advance, Ken

[Cal_Gary]

Hi Ken,
I suppose nobody's weighed in because your questions aren't so easy to answer. What i can tell you is that the rear of the front fender mount holes are oval so there is a bit of adjustment there. The front fender mounts do not have much to adjust with but I do recall that those hangers are also slot-type mounts, worth checking. The possibility also exists that your hood may be a bit distorted; the cab could also be off-centered a bit, causing the hood to appear crooked.

You'll need to take your time and work through these mount points to find the right alignment-I know of no printed material that covers this.
Good luck,
Gary

[refit1701]

I've been out of town at a show...

I had similar trouble putting mine back together. I had never seen my truck with all the front end assembled so I was starting from zero. After trying to get the fenders on with everything else fairly tight, we would up loosening everything above the frame on the front end, including the radiator support and rear fender outriggers, so we could sneak up on correct alignment. The fenders have to flex some to fit in the first place. Just loosen everything up and shove and pry things around until you get close. Then begin snugging up bolts here and there until you arrive at a satisfactory alignment. Mine is still not perfect but this isn't a 66 Mustang either. It helps to have friends to man the wrenches and to shove while you use a critical eye all over.