I'm new to the C3 world but am learning as I go. I have a '76 and I noticed that the door gaps were not even @ the front of the doors were they meet the fender. My first thought was worn door pins, which I replaced but to no avail. After more thorough investigation it appears the front clip is leaning forward and in the door jamb of the passanger door a crack is apparent at the top appox 3/4 of an inch. My question is how is the clip mounted to the cowl, Glue? The body mounts look good and adjustment at the nose seems pretty straight forward but how do I loosen the the back?

 

They are glued in place. I have heard of guys using chisels to separate the bonding adhesive. Sounds fun huh?

 

Thought it might be something grusome like that. No, it sounds like no fun at all. Any idea as the cause?

 

I have the same issue I think, I have a gap about a 1/2 wide at the top and almost touching at the bottom between both front fenders and doors. I also noticed, when the doors are open, looking between the door and fender that the seam sealer is broken lose and has a gap as well. I plan on repairing this and would like to hear of anyone's experience doing this.

 

Assuming your doors are properly aligned and the vette does
not have extensive damage from an accident/etc :

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the door gap being
wider at the top is indicative of a rusted windshieldframe/birdcage.
The top corner of the fender is glued to a triangular piece that
is rivetted to the lower corner of the W/S frame.
When the W/S frame starts to rust, it pushes out on this
piece and causes the whole fender to move.

If this is the case, and the rust is confined to the W/S frame only ...
then it "can" be repaired without pulling off the entire front clip
and cowl. basically, cut off the fender corner with a hacksaw,
fix the underlying steel, replace the fiberglass and glass it back in.
However, W/S frame rot is a sign of possibly bigger problems.
Before moving on, take off the kick panels at the base of the
door hinge pillars ... check the "birdcage" at the rocker channels
and the body mounts. Also check the ones that are accessed
behind the small plate in the front of the rear wheel well.
If the steel around the body mounts is good, then you can think about
W/S frame repairs. I have heard estimates of $1-2K for a shop to fix the W/S frame.

You don't wanna do this if you don't HAVE to:



Here yo usee the triangular piece I was talking about ... with a bunch of rust stuck to it:




Here's what was left of the W/S frame lower corner:

 

Thanks NHVETTE, Does look like alot of work and I assume you are doing yours yourself , would love to see more pictures as you progress! I'm new to this but like doing the work myself and it helps when you don't have to drive as your main car!! I'm planning on a full body off restoration but will be saving money up for the next year or so before I start. Good thing is - is I have my 77 in my heated garage and my wife parks her SUV outside thanks to the remote starter I bought her for X-mas