Thread: I decided to install my hood today - oh dammit

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Actually I installed it yesterday, but not a big deal.

I totally built this car completely, assembling everything but the electricals and seats before I blew it apart for paint. The body, fenders, doors all were well within reason and had uniform gaps everywhere. It took me many days to get it this way with various combinations of shims and bolting. It was disassembled with each shim pack and body block identified and put in plastic bags along with the bolts. The car to chassis placement was marked to make sure that when I bolted them back together there would be no problems and everything would fit right - wrong!!!

My first indication that I had some problems was that the upper raised detail door gap was wrong when I installed the windshield last year at final assembly. Not a clue as to what happened, but I ended up raising a paint chip - not bad, but it's there tho no one else would see it. Evidently this windshield assembly moved some metal somehow, regardless of the fact it had already been on for several months. I'll fix it someday.

That brings me to today - and my hood. I'm only using the two tops for the time being (need to show off the engine, don't I). I was a bit upset yesterday and needed a think through. What happened is that the gaps at the grille shell were fine, but the gaps at the cowl were off - center close, outer edges too far away. This means the grille shell needs to go lower. I lowered it today and it's close, but, dammit, not where it needs to be and I can't lower that radiator any more as the grille shell is now within about 1/16" or less of the fenders - and to cut that shell - there goes my paint job. That leaves me with something I really didn't want to do - put more shims between the body and chassis, tapering up from the back to a bit higher in the front. Of course, to do that means I'll have to readjust door strikes, maybe steering shafting and who knows what else.

I could say the heck with it as it's better then many I've seen or I could take off that hood again, but it does look nice and seems to finish the car off. Or I could open an adult beverage or few and wouldn't even see it or care.

This thread - just blowing off steam. I know what has to be done - AGAIN!!!!

I know how you feel dave.

Ah, I share your pain about gremlins cropping up at the end, no matter how you plan. Only advice I can offer is, the fixes are sometimes not as bad as the thinking about them. But, I also like your car with NO hood!

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Ah, I share your pain about gremlins cropping up at the end, no matter how you plan. Only advice I can offer is, the fixes are sometimes not as bad as the thinking about them. But, I also like your car with NO hood!

Don

Thanks Don - but to have that hood and not use it at least for a while..... At least the sides are not going on. After damaging the first pair and buying the second pair, I didn't paint them so I COULDN'T use 'em right away.

And like I said, just blowing off steam. It will be done tomorrow, Friday latest

Is the paint build-up on the mating parts causing the fitment issue?????

Originally Posted by Bug

Is the paint build-up on the mating parts causing the fitment issue?????

No, it was heavily primed with a Western Paints red oxide when I first did my assembly, then taken down to bare metal for my paint.

Dave oh man I will pop a couple adult beverages with you and make the grunting sounds also ok .

Just walk around the car a couple laps eyeballing things, then shut off the lights and go in the house. Tomorrow the solution will be obvious!!! Works for me quite often!

Oh damn the bad luck. I know your pain it happens all to often during a build. Cut fit tack and do it again. LOL With as nice as your car has turned out their is no doubt in my mind that you will solve this issue and it will be done right. Good luck Dave

I feel your pain. I can't wait for paint! Can hear the sarcasm dribbling out my mouth?

Keith

Originally Posted by IC2

Actually I installed it yesterday, but not a big deal.

I totally built this car completely, The car to chassis placement was marked to make sure that when I bolted them back together there would be no problems and everything would fit right - wrong!!!

Not a clue as to what happened, but I ended up raising a paint chip - I'll fix it someday.

That brings me to today - and my hood. I could say the heck with it as it's better then many I've seen or I could take off that hood again, but it does look nice and seems to finish the car off. Or I could open an adult beverage or few and wouldn't even see it or care.

This thread - just blowing off steam. I know what has to be done - AGAIN!!!!

I guess we all know your pain! Same thing happened to me. When I re-installed the hood after painting, it just won't re-align it seems. And, I did a paint chip in the door, not bad but still... I guess I'll have an "adult beverage", or 2... then get back into it. Some of my interior materials started showing up so onto a different topic soon.

Does the hood have sides? Or are you dealing with the top? If it is just a top i'd make another like this and unhinged.

Right now, the hood fits well - even 3/8" gap all along the rear of the hood which is as far back as the hood center bracket allows. The front is an even 1/4" which is where the front center bracket allows the hood to fit. About a sixteenth inch free play. Now - real pain problems. Since I had to shim the front cowl an 1/8" on one side and 3/16" on the other, the drivers door is major out of alignment. I had put shims on the body to chassis blocks, but evidently not quite enough or the wrong thickness. I have to go back, loosen them all up again and get my exercise jacking, shimming, tightening, checking, etc, etc, etc. Then, I get to touch up a new chip where the out of alignment door scraped the paint off-

Gotta love this hobby. Think of all the good healthy sit ups, deep knee bends and crunches to help get me back in shape

OJH - I'm not using hood sides tho have them, but have a '32 hinged center strip, two piecer

I understand what you are going thru. Believe it or not this is just your hot rods' way of sharing the love.


If you believe that i've got more!

OK - looks like I'm back together and looks 'right'. This is quite a project on a full fendered 'A'. Not hard, but complicated. To get to the body to chassis bolts, the seats need to come out and the carpet at least rolled back then the trunk upholstery side panels need to be pulled away. If you have a '32 grille shell then you have to loosen the radiator bolts which are hidden when you have an electric fan and light wiring. When you have everything loosened, you have to find a free area to jack the body off the frame using, in my case, a couple scissor jacks and some short lengths of 2x4. It took three attempts and a bunch of my alignment shims to get it right. To even jack the front end of the car up evenly from the center, I have to pull the license plate bracket off as well as the splash shield to reach the nuts on the radiator bolts. Now, I have to figure out how to hold the hood tops down - and I might go with the leather straps, springs and buckles from Restoration Supply, but shaped differently then the normal straight ones (bungee cords temporarily tho).

Every attempt to take the car for a ride this week is being made as I missed the 15th, my usual day for a hobby car's first drive of spring in way upstate NY(there are still snow piles in places)