Looking at a 72 via pics at the moment, it's about three hours away.
I have a question about this hood-to-fender gap, owner claims it is a missing "clip" and it is a no hit car. Repainted once 8 years ago.
Thoughts?

 

Hi hf,
Might be able to help some by adjusting the hood hinge and the bumper on the latching mechanism. If they're both too tight, the pressure MIGHT bow the hood a little.
I see quite a few cars that haven't ever been hit that have the same or a similar situation of the fit of the hood and the hood surround at that area.
I think it might be a combination of a bit of a 'warp' in the hood and the hood surround being pulled down by it's bond with the apron.
Not a lot of chance of changing the hood's shape but the fender can be improved... but not until it's time for the next paint job.
There's no 'clip' that I know of in that area.
Looks like the wiper door grill could use some shims to improve it's fit with the wiper door.
Regards,
Alan

 

Thanks for the info.

Steve

 

Wonder what "clip" the seller has in mind?

 

If you have gone through all the basic things, this condition comes from a very common problem.

If I were to guess, the passengers fender had an issue at one time. If the fender was replaced or even messed with, it can caused this.

The first time I put a fender on (a 63), ended up with a similar problem. I lined up everything on the fender I could think of. When I put the inner fender well and the fender together together, was not aware the hood needed to be on. If not, you are guessing on exactly where to clamp the two together.

I ended up using a heavy gun to loosen the bonding adhesive and just ran a putty knife with a hook on it to separate them.

[B]My car did not have paint on it.[B]A car with paint on it, you would have to be very careful if you were to use a heat gun. Maybe heat it from undernieth with a damp rag on top where the paint is, or I have seen it done with no heat at all.

My point is, if you can seperate the fender and the inner fender well at the drip rail, I think you will find it will allow you to raise that portion of the fender level with the hood.

Make a jig, or cut a piece of wood to hold everything in place, then mix up a little bonding adhesive and a paper cone, separate them a bit and squirt a 1/2" bead of adhesive into the gap, put it in the correct position, clamp it, and let it dry. If your gap is kind of messy, put a little bigger bead in between them.

Wait a few minutes ans scrape off the excess from inside the fender well and from inside the engine compartment. I use acetone on the inside of the fender well after the putty knife that scrapes most of it away. On the engine compartment side, massaged it so there was just a little left to sand a bit and paint.

Your car is painted, so you will want to tape off your painted drip rail before squirting in any adhesive. I have found three or four layers works best. Just in case you make a big mess, you can remove the messy top layer of tape and still have it protected with the three existing layers.

If there is anything else can help with, just let me know.

Best of luck,

 

Thanks for all the info.
Looked at the car today and, ah..... the gap was due to horrible body repairs.
Did I say horrible?
I couldn't see in the pics, but in the midst of the poor repairs, they secured the fender to the apron with screws and washers.
And that was just the begining of the issues

The search continues........

 

What happened to "no hit" and only needing "a clip"?

 

I think he meant a front end clip.

 

I was thinking the same thing. A front clip.

I also had a few issues why the wiper door fits so poorly too. It seems to have a huge crown in the middle.

Wiring problems are a big deal for most people. I am lucky that wiring does not bother me, but I have gotten quite a few cars cheap over the years because most people do not want to mess with electrical problems.

Electrical problems make a really nice looking car a very cheap car.

What good does it do you to have a great looking car if nothing works.

It sounds like it is a good thing this deal is falling through.

It is just the kind of car I typically buy to fix and sell. It sounds like this one is very unrealistic price wise.