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I am looking for suggestions on the assembly order now that the body is on.
probably the firewall items both inside and engine compartment should be easiest to do prior to the fenders etc.
maybe get the brake master and associated parts assembled bled.
radiator support obviously will be needed to fit the fenders.
Thanks for any input.
THat's got to be a good feeling!
Looking VERY good!
Did YOU paint the cowl section? Or did you ship it out?
Thanks for the comments, yes it's a good feeling.
Yes, I repaired and painted the cowl section and the dash (Satin Hot Rod Black).
You can see how I got to this point with the link in my signature.
Have you properly gapped the doors, fenders, and hood at all to this point or are you just expecting to bolt everything on and that it will all fall into place?
Have you properly gapped the doors, fenders, and hood at all to this point or are you just expecting to bolt everything on and that it will all fall into place?
No and No
Body bolts are still loose with anticipation of possible tweaking.
The plan is sooner than later to fit the doors first... (waiting on strikers)
then fit fenders then hood, disassemble paint, reassemble.
The question becomes should that all be fitted before attaching anything to the firewall?
I personally always gap all body panels before final assembly (before attaching anything to the firewall). Hang and gap the rear of the doors to the quarters. Put on the rad support and then hang and gap the fenders to the doors. Put on and gap the hood. Don't be suprised if these gaps are bad. You will likely heed to add (weld) or remove (grind) material to the front and rear door edges as well as the back of the fender to get perfect 3/16" or so gaps. Then more body work is required to finish out that work.
Here is an example:
I had to add about 1/2" to the front of this 69 chevelle reproduction quarter to get the gap correct.
Original quarter and door: (OK but not great)
Original door fit to reproduction quarter: (Good at the top, but terrible by the time you get down to the door handle)
Final metal finished gap before body work
Final product after paint
That was one of the worst gaps on the car, but all gaps needed some degree of this tipe of work to be perfect. Same story for my wagon which had all original body panels and every other car I have ever done a full restoration on.
Last edited by Loaded68W34; Apr 27, 2022 at 01:43 PM.
Make sure you rebuild or replace the door hinges before you align the doors or install the fenders. My hinges seemed ok but had some wear so I had to pull the hood and fenders to replace them.
Make sure you rebuild or replace the door hinges before you align the doors or install the fenders. My hinges seemed ok but had some wear so I had to pull the hood and fenders to replace them.
Agreed do all body fitup now.
Make sure the body is square on the frame.
Then square the core support.
Then doors then fenders then hood.
Don't forget the trunk gaps. Anticipate the rubber bumpers and get initial latch adjustment. Anticipate the rubber bumpers on all of the panels. They can mess with alignment.
Remember a vert will flex a bunch so do the gaps with the wheels on the ground (or like you have them). You can add dummy weight in the car to simulate real world.
I will put the bumpers on to check alignment. This allows test fitment of the brackets. The bumpers get test fit and then tweaked if needed before chrome.
Test fit the windshield and back glass. Now is the time to make sure it is square and the depth is good anticipating calk and stainless trim. Don't want to monkey with that after paint application.
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