Could not find a build thread here on '39 Chevy so thought I'd ask: Has anybody else had trouble getting a '39 Chevy hood to line up straight and have at least some "passable gaps"? We've been doing a redo on my '39 Chev chopped top 4 dr sedan (driveline swap/paint/bodywork....and...new "factory hood"). I was running a custom hood before this that I didn't care for so went back to a stock '39 hood. After nearly everything is complete....we have a little "sideways curve" in the center hood strip (aka the "top part of hood hinge) as it starts to bend downward towards the front tip of the hood. This little curve is off towards the driver-side of the hood, making that half of the hood fit pretty nice. Trouble is, the passenger-side of the hood has a huge gap (like 3/4 inch) right there at the front tip of the hood. Being as how the center-strip/hinge is bolted to the car's grill, there doesn't seem to be any adjustment. I woke up at 4:00 AM today thinking about this and it came to me that the two "radiator braces"....struts that come out from the cowl/firewall and run up and attach to the radiator shell may just be the "adjustment" we're looking for. Has anyone else been successful with adjusting hood/grill/etc fit using these struts/braces? I was thinking that somebody told me once that these two braces were really needed for hood and front-end fit and adjustment.Otherwise we're looking at maybe tearing the fenders back off it and trying to reattach them in a little different way. Help anyone?!
Yes, I had roughly the same problem onm y 39, and yes, by adjusting the radiator support rods, the hood closed a lot easier. Still do have a slight gap between the rear side hood panel,driver's side, and the cowl part close to the frontbdoor edge, but adjusting the rods helps.Hope this helps you.
I bought a Fisher Body manual reprint when I started building my '40 Sedan and it goes into some detail about adjusting the core support fit using the two rods. My gaps are not precise but pretty much equal. There is no telling if the car was ever tweaked in it's history and remember the factory fit was not what we would expect in a modern car. If it's any consolation there have been books written on how to fix the fit between the cowl and hood on '40 Fords. In severe cases you have to pie cut sections in the hood and cowl to close the gaps.
Not many guys can get a 39 chevy hood to fit right. It's an art. In addition to making sure none of the parts are bent or twisted, you have to get the fenders in the right place, get the grille in the right place, the core support in the right place, etc.
Hey, What kinda shape are the core support mounts in, where the core support mounts to the frame? Is the rubber still sound? Loosen up the right? fender, and with the hood closed, lift the fender with a floor jack and a block of wood. If this closed up the gap, tighten the bolts before you let down the jack. You may well have to shim the core support on that side to close up the gap!
Is this a known problem on 37-8s as well? I'm not quite there on mine, but it seems there are a lot of things that need to get juggled to get it right.
Like everyone's said plus how the body sits on the chassis. If shimming the core support isn't an option, because it is too high, then you might have to shim the body at the cowl to get the core support to come down.
I never had a problem lining my 39 hood up, I guess I was one of the lucky one. Are you using stock steel fenders? I had to replace my fenders with fiberglass, because the original ones were so bent up. Maybe that is the reason everything lined up for me. I left all my bolts about half tightened. The fender holes were drilled out a little bigger than the bolt, and I used washers to snug things up against the fiberglass. After everything was in alignment, I tightened everything up. This information probably won't help you any if you have steel fenders. Good luck .
Worked on two '39's in the past two years, I'm a Ford guy and the thing that I noticed right away is the GM hardware. If I were to do one again I'd find a source for ALL NEW screws and bolts. One car had a stock grille the other a street rod stainless repop, STOCK is far better as far as aligning things. It just takes time. Bob
Firstly I'd start with the body, it needs to be fitted well with door gaps correct. A few shims may be in order. Once this is right, start with getting gap at rear of hood and cowl correct (even) and then move forward. A lot of frustration and time shimming and moving things around until it's correct. A good even gap won't stand out and be noticed when compared to uneven tapered gaps that will jump out at you..
Well, we figured out the correct procedures, I guess. ie.One weekend....Taking the hood apart 4 times, a number of shims, and lots of alcohol!
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