Panel Alignment-Is it Fair to "Cheat"?

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dibbons

dibbons

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Looks like my doors are setup just about right and I would like to not have to fool with them again. The passenger fender is one micron from the door in two tiny spots, but will pass everywhere else. Might be a little plastic filler on the edge of the door or fender making it such a tight fit in those areas, might not be.

Since I would like to keep the door where it is, and the fender for some reason feels solid and won't budge forward (even with all the fasteners loose) I am tempted just to sand/grind a small amount in the tightest places and call it a day. Any similar experiences out there someone would like to share with the group? Thank you.

(photo not my vehicle, for demo purposes only)

gaps.jpeg
 
It's your car. Put it on sideways if you want to.
 
Remember the edges are rolled over. So if you cheat too much, you'll end up with two pieces of metal and a square edge. Then you have to take more off so you can weld them back together and smooth the edge out again.

If there's room to go back, you could also shim the door hinges. A little goes a long way.
 
The doors should be aligned with the quarter panel, and the rocket panel. Then the fender aligns to the door. Are you sure that you can't adjust the fender? You can slot the holes on the fender to get more adjustment. If it is a replacement fender, plan on modifications. I do whatever I can to get the best panel alignment. It makes the car. I have sanded the door and fender gaps, and others, I had to weld up the gap, due to being too wide.
 
Some of the prows weld un fluxed brazing rod to the edges. Perfect radius and gap.
 
This reminds me of when I was fitting the fenders to my Duster. In order for the fender to line up with the hood the gap at the door was to wide. I thought the cowl was bent back so I was going to pull it. The tape measure was laying there and my son about 10 yrs old was measuring everything in the garage.

He came over to me and said "Dad do you know that the door on the other side is longer than this one". I told him that he was probably measuring it at an angle. He came back over and said no Dad this door is 2 little lines longer. I got up and measured them and he was right The left door was 1/8 to 3/16 longer. My car always had wider gaps on the right side that was the way it was built.
 
Furyus2 has the right of it. There is a sequence to panel alignment. Doors to body first, then front clip. If you still need to “cheat” the fenders or hood, use shims or further elongate the oval mounting holes.
 
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