Steve's Nova Site is an automotive enthusiast website dedicated to the 1962 - 1979 Chevrolet Nova, Chevy II and Acadian automobiles. We work together to preserve, restore, drive, show, race and provide fellowship for these classic cars. This is one of the best places to find information about parts, rebuilding, restoration and racing. This website is not affiliated with GM, General Motors or Chevrolet in any capacity.
Does anyone have any suggestions how I can adjust this out. I have a lot of time in trying to get everything to line up, (20 plus hours). My main issue is the lower body line at the door and fender, both sides. And the fender to hood at the front. Like the fender is twisted. Attachment 24381Attachment 24382Attachment 24383
I'm not seeing what you are talking about from the pics.
Forget your front end for now. Align the door to the 1/4 first. Get it perfect then move on to the rear of the fenders, they have to match the doors. Then align the hood and adjust the front of the fenders and rad. support as needed to get the front of the hood aligned.
You cannot adjust the 1/4 or rocker so you have to make the door fit them.
Once you do, you cannot adjust the door again or it will not fit the 1/4.
I have the doors to quarter and rocker at generous 3/16". If you look at the lower body line, door to fender, the fender is a good 1/2" high, but the top lines up good. Both sides are consistent, so I am sure it is something I am doing wrong. I am thinking, maybe, the fender needs to go forward and down at the top, which will lower the entire fender, but I can't get 1/2" out of it.
Like Tech said, get the door to match as best you can, then you may have to "convince" the fender to match. If your door to fender gap is even all the way, you may have to work on the firewall mounts a bit to get the half inch. I'm assuming you have the subframe torqued and the core support also torqued into position. My fenders flopped around quite a bit until the inners were all bolted up and seemed twisted.
You need alot of patience!! you may need to elongate mouting holes do not
be afraid to tweak things a liitle bit here and there just keep working at it you
will get it right. those 3rd. gens were not great on fit from the factory.
that means you can do better than the factory!!
I could not get the fender to rocker fit even close with the sub frame bolted tight. I actually have jack stands on my frame connectors just behind the subframe, and the firewall body mounts loosened up to get the subframe to droop. This is the only way I have been able to fit the fender and rocker correctly.
I have elongated the fender hole behind to door already, which also helped.
I had the same issues with a 69 Camaro I built a couple years ago using reproduction fenders. Had to cut and repostion the fender brackets just to get the fenders to come close to fitting. Never did get them to fit like GM fenders would have. Not beating on repops but if I was to do it over I would have found NOS fenders or good used GM fenders.
You may have to get a bit more aggressive with that body mount on the fender, and it may mean cutting a bit out of it and welding back together. The mount at the top of the firewall may be the one holding the fender up at this point.
I have a feeling that there may be problems with the subframe mounts.
On my 74 I had the frame in wrong due to incorrect bushings. I had too thin of ones on the firewall base while I had the correct thickness ones on the radiator core support and under the seat. When it was like this the door to fender gap was good at the top but wide at the bottom by the end of the rocker sill. The reason this happened was the frame with the wrong thickness firewall bushings pitched the radiator support up higher and since the fender sits on top of the radiator support it pulls the bottom back edge of the fender by the rocker sill away. If I would have left the wrong thickness firewall base bushings in place and pried the bottom back edge of the fender rearward to close the gap it would affect other things like what you have now with a poor uneven fender to hood gap.
Hindsight I think this is the problem I had on my 73 years ago and it looks very much like the problems you have now.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.