This might seem like an no brainer but once I started I got to thinking that it might not hurt to ask for some opinions. Here is what is going on: 48 chevy with front end damage- I have bought new metal from a 42 chevy- Now I need to switch it all over to the car, but here is the rub; The new metal is not straight, there are some dents and a little rust. Should I clean up and do the body work on all the parts while they are off? Also, is there a "good" way to put all this stuff back on? Assemble the metal and put on as one? (would that work?) Start from the inside fender wells and work out? Install the inside fenders on the car or on the fender? What is a good order to re-assemble these? I am planning on shooting it all in black primer. (old school west coast suede, wet sanded primer with a coat of wax) Do it while off the car or do it on? Any help would be great. I am thinking I should do the body work and shoot them first, but what if things don't line up just right? Should I mock it up and then strip it down? It is a driver... not a show car.
man... if you dont know what yer doing just take it to someone who does. this isnt a job for a beginner. not trying to be mean im just being honest.
Compare the two and see if the bolt holes all look like they are in the same place. If they are you are half way home, the right way would be to make sure it fits then pull it off and repair then put back on. You could repair just the hard to get at areas then put it on and finish once it's all lined up too.
All the bolts seem to line up pretty well. The inner-fenders that were on there line up as well as the top mounting hole. So, I think as far as fitting I am fine. I am not too worried about that. I was just wondering if there is a "better" way of doing this sheet metal. I am a beginner... but everyone was when they began. No better way of learning than by doing, huh? Back in So Cal I had a lot of old timers that I could ask for help, but now that I am up in WA I have not met anyone. So... it is up to you guys
generally the more time you spend checking the fit of parts, the better the end result is. I'd probably bolt the front end on piece-by-piece with about half the bolts it is supposed to have, kind of mock it up, and see how it all fits and how it easiest to assemble and disassemble, and also do the rough bodywork needed to get the parts to align correctly. Before the final assembly I'd do all the bodywork and paint the hidden parts and edges first.
yeah, what squirrel said........and my .02---fit the hood to the body first, then fit the fenders to the hood. Fender-to-hood fit on 40s GM cars is notoriously poor---even undamaged and NOS parts. You'll save yourself some time doing it this way.
Start your line up work with the doors. Make sure they hang straight and the gaps are parallel and even side to side, Do your initial fit of the doors without the striker plates installed . Once the doors are square install the strikers ,making sure that the gaps dont change because of the striker alignment. Next install the hood and square the rear edge to the cowl. Loosen the radiator support bolts and center to the hood. Then install the fenders starting with the bolt at the upper cowl first, the lower rear at the rocker next and then the frt edge of the fender to the hood. Be carefull to check the hinge pillar it may have shifted back from the impact. A small adjustment can be made in the hinges but if the cowl is moved back significantly you may need to have it pulled or jacked back into position. Dont let others discourage you. Its pretty simple to do just remember work from the inside out. If the doors and cowl dont fit correctly the fenders never will. Dont force any parts or oval out any mounting holes and youll be OK. If the things dont line up easily the possibility of structural realignment might be necessary.
Yeah, my hood alignment is pretty bad too. No matter what I've tried to get everything else straight. Glad to hear its not just me. Looks like you are missing the headlight trim rings on the new clip and your old one is turfed. I've got an old pair of black trim rings I'm not using (I switched mine to chrome). They're rough, but you can have them if you need them. PM me and let me know. Tom
Thanks for all the good responses guys! That was exactly what I was looking for. I feel much better about this now. I knew there was a good way to line up all this stuff, just didn't know what it was. A couple more questions to clarity; Is it better to attach the inner fender parts to the car or to the fender? Shouls I take off all the old metal and start over, or should I try to do one side at a time. (or does it matter) Also, I snapped the top cowl bolt off when taking it off. (the one up near the top corner of the hood) What is the best way to clean up that mess? It seems that many of these bolts are snapping. It is either the age/rust or maybe the accident that is causing it. Tomcat- thanks for the offer, I pm'd you.
the bolts will break off because they are old and rusty....it helps to heat them up and put some oil on them before they break off. might be difficult without a torch though, and dangerous with one (stuff in side the car can catch on fire easily). Probably need to drill and retap the holes for the broken off bolts, it is a pain. You probably want to do the whole thing at once, take off all the old metal you won't be using. Usually (but not always) it works easier to put the inner fenders on the outer fenders first.
I'm with Squirrel on the inner fenders thing. I put them together loose and could adjust as I tightened them up. The center radiator is critical because with a smacked car, it may have knocked stuff out of whack pretty good. My 54 was off by a good inch and a half when I started. I use a lot of PB Blaster and time and still break off a bunch of bolts. Personally, I'd 'pre-fit' everything together before I did the paint. You may find a few more issues you didn't notice. My cowl is slightly out of kilter and I'll need to fix that eventually. My hood doesn't close all the way on the driver's side. I've changed hinges and it is the same. I changed hoods, too. No luck.
No problem, glad someone can use them. Get a can or three of PB Blaster penetrating oil like danimal said. That stuff saved my ass last night on my rusted in galaxie sparkplugs. Tom
also a tip,when you put you pieces on don't tighten the bolts,until all of them are in,then line up your piece and tighten it.Also when you are working the rusty bolts out turn the rachet an 1/8 turn to loosen,then a 1/4 to tighten once they are backed out far enough.hopefully you won't break as many bolts off this way.
On painting I would test fit then remove the parts pain the hard to reach areas edges of fenders inside of hood etc. Then mount the parts than pant the car/ front end. you will scratch the paint mounting the parts otherwise. For the bots that are snaped off if the is enopugh left to grab with vise grips soak the bolt in oil few a day or so then heat is with a torch and wiggle the bolt back and forth with increasing force untill it breaks loose I have had some luck using this method but you don't have much to loose by trying it.
Hey, Before ya hang all that front sheetmetal take a good look at your motor mounts, the distributor shaft, trani mounts and do some rough measurements on the frame from the cross member foward. Also, look at the stearing box and where it bolts to the left rail. Even on a light hit, given the age of the vehicle, all of those things can have moved or have been dam- aged. I'd be a real drag to bolt up and/or jam all of that sheet- metal only to have to pull in to r&r a broken motor mount or a swung frame rail. Larry nailed it on the method on assembly on the tin. Swankey Devils C.C.
I usually sandblast the inside, rustproof it, hammer out the rough spots, bolt it up, and then finish the bodywork.
Another way to remove rusty bolts is to use bee's wax. It'll only work if you can apply heat to the bolt. The trick is to get the bolt good and hot, then let it cool. Apply some bees wax. If it smokes and burns off, you're still too hot. The perfect temp. is when the wax flows like water. Then, let it cool and take the bolt out. I've had real good luck with it. I've heard of guys using candle wax, but it isn't as thin as bee's wax. A good cheap source of bee's wax is toilet base gaskets. Might cost you all of $2.00 at the local hardware store. Penetrating oil works good if you give it time to soak in. If I've got some bolts that I need to remove, I'll usually spray them down ahead of time. Give the rusty bolts a shot of PB Blaster a couple times a day for a day or two. The problem is, it takes time. But it works well.
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