Installing fenders and hood

[suntreemcanic]

I have a 52 Buick Super which was involved in an accident last September. The front suspension and both front fenders, inner fenders and hood were destroyed. I put a new subframe on it. I located replacement fenders and hood. I had them painted and now I am getting ready to install them on the car. I have a 52 Buick shop manual and it goes into shim heights, gaps and adjustment directions. But there are no instructions on where to begin. Like when mounting the inner fender to the side of the firewall, there is about 1 inch of adjustment possible. Where do you start? Mounting the fenders to the inner fenders, there is a lot of adjustment possible, where do you start? I know the correct way to have done it was to get the sub frame in place and then mount all the fenders and hood and adjust everything then take it apart and paint everything then remount. That process would have taken the rest of the year and we would have loss the use of the car for all summer so we proceeded to get the painting done while I was repairing the frame and all the other damage.

So does anyone have experience in reassembling the fenders and hood? Is there a manual that I don"t have?

 

[GL03]

I dont have your car. Usually, it's a good idea to align everything before the paint. My opinion: Use measuring tape and or string where necessary to verify frame is straight.
I would put fenders on first, hood last. Use rubber or cardboard to make u shaped shapes to prevent chipping on the edges, including the bottom. Foam also will work, the pet store throws it away from fish packaged delivery. Also, magic tape doesnt stick permanently id use it to hold protection on the edges. Just dont add protection greater than 1/8in. Keep in mind you want to remove it with car part on. Use a measuring tape to check front and rear of fenders fitted(toe in or toe out or none) and compare to width of hood. If possible place vehicle in an even flat ground so you can take heights on both heights. Try using a level if it helps. The bottom shims may be for door clearance opening.

 

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

I would suggest loosely fitting sub-assemblies together, such as inner/outer fenders first, then setting them in place with say 1/8-3/16 worth of shims as a starting point, bring up the fasteners to the firewall just snugly (most cars I have seen have zero shims at the firewall), not torqued, look for even-ness side to side from the front, then get good alignment and gaps to doors and particularly at the top and body lines, this means you're close.

Then a trial fit of the hood, with corner and edge protection as recommended by GL03. This will most often reveal where adjustments are needed. Remove the hood and set up the fenders/inner fenders once again, this time with a bit more tight, not final torque just yet. Retry the hood and this should all be looking fairly straight by now.

I have always found the eye test is the most reliable and provides the best result; measuring comes second. Unfortunately there is not, IMO, a way to do this all in one step. That is, unless you are way more lucky than I am!

Finally, and most importantly, success will depend on a nice straight frame; I am not clear what you meant by "subframe" as i thought these cars had one monolithic frame. If you have welded, the integrity will need to be near perfect.

Dave

 

[suntreemcanic]

The whole front of the car was destroyed including the frame. So I found good parts from everywhere. I have everything back together. The hood sits pretty well on the front fenders. But I can not get the hood to lock into the hood latches. Can anyone with a hood that fits pretty good give me the dimensions from the top of the fender to the top of the hood latch? Is the dimension the same for the front latch as the rear latch?

 

[Bob]

Here is a picture of what was an operating latch from a 1951 Super.

 

[suntreemcanic]

So Bob how far is it from the top of the operating latch to the top edge of the fender or am reading it that you do not have the car for measurements.

 

[Bob]

In this image the latch is open. You want the latch closed, then a vertical dimension to the edge of the fender?

 

[suntreemcanic]

I believe the dimension will stay the same if the hood is open as long as the latch is down. There is an arm that protrudes from the latch and rests on the inside ledge of the fender, if its on the fender resting then it is in position for the measurement I need.

 

[Bob]

At a look, it appears that the "arm" that protrudes from the latch simply rests on the lip on the fender.

 

[suntreemcanic]

Yes that arm rests on the lip of the fender. The bolts for the latching mechanism are recessed as mine are flush with the vertical face of the fender. I am going to check my parts catalogue to see if the latch and the hoods are interchangeable between the two years.

 

[Bob]

Whoops, I said it was a Super, but it's a Special That is probably why the bolts are recessed, to compensate for the body width. I may be able to get some pics of a '52 Super.

 

[Bob]

Ok, this is a '51 Super. The plate rests on a small pad on the fender lip.

 

[suntreemcanic]

Yes that is exactly what I have. I am having trouble getting the latches to fit the hood.

 

[Bob]

So, when you fit the hood onto the car, you cannot close all four latches? Can you close either side individually?

 

[suntreemcanic]

I took exact measurements of the hood guides and then I moved the latches to those dimensions and the hood closed. I have a large gap on the drivers side between hood and fender and I am going to work on that next. The right side looks very good. I suspect my replacement hood, though free of any rust is not perfect. And the drivers side of the car was damaged more than the left so the drivers door does not fit the same as before.

 

[Bob]

Good to hear you are able to make some progress!

 

[suntreemcanic]

Did not work on the car today. Today I went and picked up all the stainless steel. He did a great job on it. The man repairing the pot metal upper grill bar (mustache) and chroming my bumper says he guarantees all his work except the mustache. It is in really bad shape. He says I should start looking for a replacement. Any one have a good upper grill bar for sale? I believe 51 and 52 Super or Roadmaster are interchangeable.

 

[Muley Gil]

Did not work on the car today. Today I went and picked up all the stainless steel. He did a great job on it. The man repairing the pot metal upper grill bar (mustache) and chroming my bumper says he guarantees all his work except the mustache. It is in really bad shape. He says I should start looking for a replacement. Any one have a good upper grill bar for sale? I believe 51 and 52 Super or Roadmaster are interchangeable.

Yes, they are.