Body to rad support issue.

[V8 Rumble]

I finally install my fenders and everything lines up except that the rad support sits about an1" above the rad support mount and there fore there is a 1" gap between the bumper and grill.

Everything on the body lines up but it seems the body is a touch higher than before because of the polyurethane body bushings or at least I think that is the problem. Everything is torqued to spec. The fender wells don't even touch the frame either.

Anyone have experienced this. I have searched and have come up empty. I will post pics later tonight.

Thanks,

Joe

 

[454cutlass]

Did you mount the front body bushings in correctly

 

[V8 Rumble]

I did. Even lifted the body again and inspected all bushings to make sure all was correct.

 

[V8 Rumble]

Pics of what I mean.

How it sits from the frame to rad support.

The fender liners don't even sit on the frame.
Left fender well

Right fender well

This is with the bumper raised as high as I could get it and still have the gap.

 

[Fox80]

My car was similar, I didn't have the header panel on but with the fenders on it had a gap I put the bolts in and it pulls the frame ends up and worked fine, the whole set up gives the frame support on the ends

 

[ssbrewskyaz]

Rumble,

Not sure how you started out but I'm going through kinda the same thing right now. I'm building my car however and it sounds like maybe you're putting yours back together? At any rate, if it had shims in it when you took it apart, you need those shims in the places they were at the very least. In my case, my fenders had never been mounted so I didn't have a reference point shim wise. The right side is spot on but the left side is an inch and a half away from the core support. If I would have bolted the fenders and header panel together before sitting it down on the number one position body mounts, I would have the exact same scenario you have. I started with the core support already mounted to the mounts and tried to build the fenders around it.

Two things I know for certain. You need to align the fender gap to the door first. From there it will be a compromise between the core support and front fender mounting to achieve the correct mounting and gaps. I believe I'll need to shim the bottom of my core support some to compensate for the difference I need to make up. I damn sure wouldn't just arbitrarily pull the bolts down assuming it will correct itself. I'm having my body guy over this weekend to have a look. There's an easy answer to this for someone that does it day in and day out.

Last page of my thread, after the caliper rebuild, you can see the right hand gap I'm talking about. ...

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=33896&start=300#.U4kidK1OXiw

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[Fox80]

Two things I know for certain. You need to align the fender gap to the door first. From there it will be a compromise between the core support and front fender mounting to achieve the correct mounting and gaps. I believe I'll need to shim the bottom of my core support some to compensate for the difference I need to make up. I damn sure wouldn't just arbitrarily pull the bolts down assuming it will correct itself. I'm having my body guy over this weekend to have a look. There's an easy answer to this for someone that does it day in and day out.





I have done this day in and day out and can tell you shimming your core support will leave the same gap he has now, you can slide the bumper up some but not an inch. If all your mounts are in the correct place you can have a gap at the front bushing, it looks like his car is sitting on ramps so his gap is very small if you have it on stand behind the front tire and the motor in you can have a 4" gap!!! This is why the support bars from the wiper cowl to the rad support make such a big difference in how these cars ride, you are relying on the top two fender bolts to hold the whole front frame section in place. It's hard to tell from the pic but I don't think the bushing is in right, so check all that for sure, it's very hard to tell its been 6onths since I set my body back on. I think the Energy bushing for the front was totally different than the rest I think

 

[V8 Rumble]

A member on another forum mention about the frame hanging and I started thinking I had the car on jack stands with the engine on up until last week. I raised the frame horns with a 2x4 and the frame went up significantly from the front.

The core support did not have shims when I took it out.

Ssbrewsky, that is the same exact thing that happened to me with the fender being high off the rad support.

Thanks guys for all your input. Today I will completely line everything up and post some pics.

 

[454cutlass]

I didn't have any issues with mine the few times it had been on and off. Probably because it it was put on separately.

 

[ssbrewskyaz]

I have done this day in and day out and can tell you shimming your core support will leave the same gap he has now, you can slide the bumper up some but not an inch. If all your mounts are in the correct place you can have a gap at the front bushing, it looks like his car is sitting on ramps so his gap is very small if you have it on stand behind the front tire and the motor in you can have a 4" gap!!! This is why the support bars from the wiper cowl to the rad support make such a big difference in how these cars ride, you are relying on the top two fender bolts to hold the whole front frame section in place.

So, If you do this day in and day out, what's the answer? I get that shimming the core support won't fix the gap he has but what's the answer to cinch the thing down? Surely you're not advocating just drawing up the inch and a half difference with the bolt?

My car is not sitting on jack stands, the frame from the ground up measures the same from side to side yet the fender is an inch and a half away from the core support on the left side. Really kind of curious now. ...

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