I am putting my 68 roadster back together and am having trouble getting the front bumper to mount up correctly. Although it was never a perfect fit, it is now 3/4 inch too low and too far out from the front of the car. I had the engine out for a rebuild and replaced the radiator. I am wondering if pulling the radiator support caused this. I recall noticing front end movement while removing the radiator support. No amount of shimming of the bumpers will work (moves bumper wrong directions). Also wondering if anyone has adjusted this problem with the front horseshoe bracket. Any hints or tips would be appreciated.

 

I'm not sure about the removal of the core support, but I can tell you that it took me an entire weekend and one night to get my bumper to fit right. After bending the bumper in very small increments to align with the nose, I did have to adjust the front center support and shim the bolts in the fenders from the inside. It was amazingly difficult and I swear that the next person to try to do it on my car will be the next owner.

 

The core support can effect the alignment of the front end of the car. The bolts that pass through the side of the support also pass through the inner fender of the car. These bolts hold the front end up! Besides the nose rod, there is nothing else in the front end to support it. Not having the bolts back in the same place can change the position of the fiberglass in relation to the bumper braces inside the car. Supports can even be shimmed to obtain the correct height of the bumper in relation to the ground. (Please refer to the bumper ride height illustration.

Do you have the center support rod in place?

How is the alignment of the hood, did it change with the install?

The support directly affects the alignment of the front end of the car. I think you might want to take the side bolts loose from the core support and try raising the front end gently while someone tightens it up. The hole in the inner fender is small, but an adjustment at the support, can be a ton at the nose.

If you changed nothing but the support, and the bumper fit fine before you took it off, then there is no reason it should not fit back on the car. An adjustment to the bolts on the inner fender should solve the problem. If not, then I would start with the bumper extension braces and loosen them up, loosen the horseshoe, and then try to align everything up to fit. But in your case, if you did not change the bumper braces, the only thing that changed was the support. Moving the front end upward should solve your problem.

Willcox Inc.

 

just had the same problem, also had put in a new radiator support. had to take one half inch out of the center support bracket trouble must be in after market radiator support.you can e mail me at cherryjw@bellsouth.net and i will call you and tell you what we did to solve the problem .