Technical Model A hood alignment

I am putting my '30 Model A back together and can't get the grill shell, hood and cowl to all align with a good gap all around. How far can I move the rad left or right without getting into trouble. Also, how much shim can a use under cowl mount to frame? Any help on this matter will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

What do you consider "getting into trouble"? Would you rather have a nice hood gap, or a grille that overlaps one side's fender a bit more than the other?

Are all the parts from the same car? Are you sure your frame is square? Did you pre-fit all this stuff before paint?

I'd fit the body to the frame first and make sure the doors fit nicely in their openings. THEN I'd mess with the stuff in front. I bet you could fudge the hood and grille/radiator around a lot easier than you could move the body. And once you move the body around you are also messing with how the rear fenders will bolt to the body and the splash aprons.

 

So, how much is it off?
Some pics would probably get you the pin point info you need from one of the eagle eyes here.

Does your front crossmember have raised pads and round hole or recessed pads and slotted hole ?

 

I do not know what model A body you have,but I agree,start with the body and door alignment first. This link has good information on body alignment for a roadster and a Tudor. You can adapt it to others.
http://www.abarnyard.com/workshop/door-2.htm

 

Did you install the wood body blocks, rubber body block pads, and body to frame washers ? They set the height to line up with the radiator shell (which requires installing the radiator with the correct radiator bolts and pads)

If you are mixing parts (frame, cowl, radiator shell, cross member etc.) from different years it will take trial & error (and a lot of patience) to get the gap any where near close. You may want to just get the top lined up, put on a couple of leather straps with buckles and run without sides.

 

local Model A store here, reports ALMOST every stock Model A frame they have seen is "sway back" from one end to the other, causing fit problems with hood, radiator, and cowl alignment.

How depressing is THAT?

 

RE: "sway back"...^ what he said, AND some front frame sections are bent/shoved to one side, making hood fit almost impossible.

quotes: "Also, how much shim can a use under cowl mount to frame?" ... This hints to a swayback problem.

"How far can I move the rad left or right without getting into trouble." ..this question hints that the front frame is bent off to one side.

Tape six hanging strings to the frame sides. two way up front, two way back, and other two near rear motor mount area. (These 3 side strings won't line up in a straight row. What you will be doing, is comparing both sides). Then eyeball from the front, paying attention to where the middle string is, as you move your vision so the front and rear strings align. Do that on both sides. If the center string looks way offset more than looking at the other side, it's bent.

 

First of all Tom, did you true your chassis before you started with the body? Model A frames are notorious for a sag right behind the rear motor mounts. I have seen chassis with as much as a 1/2" sway. If your chassis is not square and level you will have issues. I have seen cars with excessive shims under the cowl to try to compensate for the sag. Factory Model A's had a wood block with a 1/8" rubberized fabric as the body mount. Excessive shimming means you have something wrong.