fender gap, need advice

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mikess68

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Guys, I have an unacceptable gap in the drivers fender/door. cant seem to get anything to move. door hinge is strong, no need for bushings lines up good else where. loosened bolts visible under the hood, fender wont move. never had the fender off etc., car is a easy fixer with low miles. short of bondo, how could I close the gap? here is the pic.
 

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do you know about the nut
under the fender, at the rear
sometime hidden, due to the splash shield
( metal part on right> is upper door hinge)

003_zpsvyxywgcu.jpg
 
I just went through this after accident repair on the front of a Dart. The top door hinge doesn't adjust, the bottom one does so start with the top of the door as a fixed point and adjust everything to it. So probably in your case adjust the bottom of the door (bolts under kick panel) so that the back of the door is even along the rear quarter and then loosen up the whole fender including things like the struts from fender corner to bumper braces, tabs on grille (they will snap), etc. and then adjust the fender to work with the door and the hood. Good luck, this is really tedious...
 
did not see the hidden bolt, that's why the fender would not move will give it another try thanks
 
I find it hard to believe a 68 model doesn't need hinge service, Especially at the drivers door. I suggest you look closely at the top of door alignment to quarter where a belt molding is or would be. Look at that latch and post too. Better to service a hinge than crack the body at that latch post.
 
I don't know if yours is the same, but both of my A-bodys had some type of adhesive under the top lip of the fender. I had to break it free before I could remove the fenders.
 
Adjust the door to the quarter panel and the rocker first. Then adjust the fender to the door. Sometimes it helps to adjust the hood to the cowl before the fender. I have even welded the edges of the fender to close the gap. As to previous comments, it matters a lot how the gaps fit. It makes the car look exceptional, and shows you didn't just slap the car together.
 
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