C5 Tech Corvette Tech/Performance: LS1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Hood/bumper alignment help needed...

Old Feb 1, 2020 | 04:27 PM
  #1  
PNW_C5Z's Avatar
PNW_C5Z
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 111
Likes: 8
From: PNW
Default Hood/bumper alignment help needed...

I bought my C5 like this, and I'm not sure what the remedy is. The bumper seems to be aligned at the fenders, but the bumper sits approx. 1/4" lower than the front edge of the hood near the center. Do I need to adjust my hood on it's pivot? I noticed the hood is a little difficult to latch closed, too...any ideas how to fix this???


Reply
Old Feb 1, 2020 | 05:33 PM
  #2  
PNW_C5Z's Avatar
PNW_C5Z
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 111
Likes: 8
From: PNW
Default

Bump! I don't want to get in there and make things worse - if this is a common issue and someone has a how-to-fix, please LMK!
Reply
Old Feb 1, 2020 | 08:15 PM
  #3  
Vetteman Jack's Avatar
Vetteman Jack
Administrator
Supporting Lifetime
Veteran: Navy
St. Jude 20 Year Donor
25 Year Member
Veteran: Reserves
 
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,414
Likes: 24,799
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Default

Moved to C5 Tech.
Reply
Old Feb 1, 2020 | 08:21 PM
  #4  
Ed Ramberger's Avatar
Ed Ramberger
Drifting
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,695
Likes: 490
From: Denver, NC
Default

Lower the height adjusters - bumpers on screws. Check to see if it has an oversize air bridge or anything that could be hitting.

Last edited by Ed Ramberger; Feb 1, 2020 at 08:22 PM.
Reply
Old Feb 1, 2020 | 08:42 PM
  #5  
PNW_C5Z's Avatar
PNW_C5Z
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 111
Likes: 8
From: PNW
Default

Originally Posted by Ed Ramberger
Lower the height adjusters - bumpers on screws. Check to see if it has an oversize air bridge or anything that could be hitting.
Thank you...did some reading...it's probably the air bridge (there's an indentation in the hood insulation). It's a stock C6 LS7 MAF and intake...and it doesn't seem overly huge. I'm not used to Vettes so this intake design seems really odd to me! How do you squeeze anything in that tiny gap that flows enough air?! Any recommendations? I'd love to convert to front-feed instead of bottom-feed, but that's nothing I can do right now.
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2020 | 08:43 AM
  #6  
scorpiofox69's Avatar
scorpiofox69
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 760
Likes: 242
From: All Over The Place
Default

Originally Posted by PNW_C5Z
Thank you...did some reading...it's probably the air bridge (there's an indentation in the hood insulation). It's a stock C6 LS7 MAF and intake...and it doesn't seem overly huge. I'm not used to Vettes so this intake design seems really odd to me! How do you squeeze anything in that tiny gap that flows enough air?! Any recommendations? I'd love to convert to front-feed instead of bottom-feed, but that's nothing I can do right now.
Pics under the hood please, so we can all see what is happening.
Reply
Old Feb 2, 2020 | 09:15 PM
  #7  
pcfred's Avatar
pcfred
Safety Car
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,776
Likes: 142
From: North of Atlanta GA
St. Jude Donor '05
Default

Originally Posted by scorpiofox69
Pics under the hood please, so we can all see what is happening.
pics of the hinges
Reply
Old Feb 4, 2020 | 05:24 PM
  #8  
PNW_C5Z's Avatar
PNW_C5Z
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 111
Likes: 8
From: PNW
Default

Originally Posted by pcfred
pics of the hinges








...here's what I'm working with. It looks like minor marks from contact on the underhood insulation (I just pulled it off to see if it made a difference), but it doesn't look like major fitment issues to me. Is it possible the PO permanently bowed the hood up a little (ie, is the hood frame metal, or is the frame also FG)?
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Feb 4, 2020 | 07:52 PM
  #9  
pcfred's Avatar
pcfred
Safety Car
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,776
Likes: 142
From: North of Atlanta GA
St. Jude Donor '05
Default

There is another bolt for the hood where the arms are toward the front of the hood, you have to lower the hood a little to see it and get a pic.
Reply
Old Feb 4, 2020 | 09:31 PM
  #10  
Ed Ramberger's Avatar
Ed Ramberger
Drifting
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,695
Likes: 490
From: Denver, NC
Default

You might want to ask the guys with big radiators about this. I do not see the upper radiator mount. When it is installed, it keeps the radiator in place and seals the radiator between the air filter side and the fan assembly. It also had an Elite Engineering piece - did the PO tell you about any performance mods it might have?
Reply
Old Feb 4, 2020 | 11:51 PM
  #11  
PNW_C5Z's Avatar
PNW_C5Z
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 111
Likes: 8
From: PNW
Default

Originally Posted by Ed Ramberger
You might want to ask the guys with big radiators about this. I do not see the upper radiator mount. When it is installed, it keeps the radiator in place and seals the radiator between the air filter side and the fan assembly. It also had an Elite Engineering piece - did the PO tell you about any performance mods it might have?
Yes, but nothing that would have affected the hood alignment that I can think of except that he used to have a Vararam on it (went through a puddle and hydrolocked the motor with it). Radiator doesn't move at all; I took the top cover off to check the gap as I'm planning on installing an intake with 4" piping instead of the pancaked air bridge...turns out there's appx. 5" between the top of the radiator and the bottom of the hood. I'm going to get a more exact measurement later this week by closing it on to some putty; sort of a giant Plastiguage.
Reply
Old Feb 9, 2020 | 03:13 AM
  #12  
WIFESC5's Avatar
WIFESC5
Instructor
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 125
Likes: 82
From: Gilbert AZ
Default

Do you have any shims under the bumper cover where it meets the hood? If not, try using some to help push the bumper closer to the hood
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Hood/bumper alignment help needed...



Thread Tools
Search this Thread

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:52 PM.

story-0
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:40


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

Slideshow: 10 reasons why the C6 Z06 is still a performance benchmark after 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 17:20:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

Slideshow: How much horsepower every Corvette engine lost in 1972.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:54:53


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-8
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-9
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE