We are in the****embly process and can't get the front clip to align. The whole thing is sitting too far back. I can barely make the front crossmember channel with the radiator support. Also, what keeps the front end from teeter-toddering on that single center attachment point? The only attachment points I know of are the 2 per side at the top of the cowl, the 3? per side running down the back of the fenders, a few that connect the inner fenders to the firewall supports, and the one front and center in the little frame crossmember. The shop manual is no help.
[ QUOTE ] ...what keeps the front end from teeter-toddering on that single center attachment point? ... [/ QUOTE ] It's supposed to teeter and totter on that point, that's what keeps it from ripping apart when the frame twists and the body moves on it's rubber mounts while going down the road. I wrote this up the last time someone asked this Q so just ignore the Caddy reference and use what's applicable. If it's a Caddy old enough to still have bolt on rear fenders (thru at least 53 that I know of.) then you have to start at the rear bumper ad align the fenders to the 1/4s first. (I'll skip rear doors, we don't do those here.) Then you align the front door to the fender-1/4 panel and adjust even with the rocker and A pillar. Use paint stir sticks for gap check. usually they don't chip the paint but ya still have to be CAREFUL! The door needs to hang by the hinges at the right angle and THEN the striker is adjusted to just latch the door where the hinges swing it. hinge pins must be good! If it's out at the bottom rear then move it out at the top front, unless it's already too far from the A pillar then move it in at the bottom and move the striker in too. the two hinges and striker form a triangle that you move one corner of at a time to get the opposite corner to change. If that doesn't work, use two 2+4's to "persuade" the door one to pry and a short piece to put up against the inner door frame so you dont smash the fragile door skin edge. "sight" the reflections in the door and rear fender-1/4 panel to see if they are level and even with each other. Then go to the front end. Install all of it with the bolts just finger tight and then shim the lower rear of the fender to fit at the rocker and lower front door edge. That door already lines up perfect with the front of the rocker, right? Now go up to the radiator core support and shim it so that the top rear of the fender lines up with an even gap all the way to the rocker. Cadillacs are supposed to have a "half dollar gap" at all the gaps, or about the same as a stir stick (1/16-3/16" for a Chevy) Now shim the tops of the fenders at the firewall so they are the same height as the tops of the doors and when tightened down they bulge out at the same contour as the door. Don't pry on the sheet metal (much) or you'll bend it and crack the paint for sure, that should be done before painting. Now try to close the hood, don't slam it, because if the fenders are too close together you'll start painting again. just bring it down and check widths and shim or adjust the fastening points of the fenders at the firewall and radiator support to the right gap. Now the fenders are the right height and line up at the doors but the left fender sticks out further than the hood and the right one is back! That means the whole front end needs to be shifted to the right and the hood hinges adjusted that way too, or the other way if it's reversed, but you already have the height right so don't change that. If one side of the hood is high, remember what we did to align the door, triangle between the hinges and the latch. left hinge up right front corner down etc. some cars have adjustable bump stops at the front to stop/align the front edge with the fenders. They have to have good rubber on them and be turned to adjust after the rear edge of the hood fits the fenders and cowl. Some radiator core supports won't move. I found out the support on a '55 Chevy truck won't move sideways. if the fenders and hood don't line up you have to twist the cab on its mounts instead of the support...major****** if the cab hasn't been off and you didn't intend to take it off.
Probably not applicable to your problem, but there's a bolt on each side under the fender where it rolls sorta flat and parallel to the ground. The bolt goes straight up in to the threaded piece. Keeps the lower part of the fender from flapping in the breeze. The only other thing I can think of is the 50's have a flat 6 as well as flat V8. I think - dredging through the memory banks here - the front radiator "U" may get reversed for the 6 so the radiator can sit further forward. It could also be the radiator brackets that are different and they're reversed when manufactured. A friend got a 6 radiator for a mid-70's Ford truck and unsoldered and then resoldered the side brackets so it would fit his V8 truck properly. Doc J's got some good points, but what I'd try first is to simply get the clip connected to the body like it should be and see what you think about the possibility of reversing the radiator "U" bracket. It's doubtful, but you may have something along the lines of a reversible front cushion mount. I know for sure the OD trans and standard trans use the same trans mount. All that happens there is the mounting holes are drilled diagonally so the mount can be reversed to fit both OD and non-OD transmissions.
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