Body / Glass: Fender allignment on 65

[studebakerkid]

My 65 is going back together slowly. My suspension is done and my inner fenders hung now I am cussing at my outer fenders. Later today I will be pulling my doors off as there is no way I can get the fenders to line up and be able to open the doors. I left the hood on so I have something to line the fenders up to. These NOS Sasco fenders just are not fitting up like ones in the past. I plan to bolt the inner and outer fenders together once I get the doors lined up. I used plenty of POR and primer to prep the inner and outer fenders. I figure I will have to make up some 1/8 inch thick shims so the doors do not bind.

[StudeRich]

There are Several things to consider when trying to fit the Outer Fenders to the Doors and Cowl.

Much of the "Control" of the Fore/Aft. Fit is done at the "Baffles"; the Panels behind the Headlights and their "Fit" to the Inner Fenders, the Radiator Support and the Frame.

Could you Fit the Outer's to the Cowl and Doors First, while supporting their front ends, and then Pop Rivet the Inner's to the Outer's while fitting the Baffles to the Inner's and lastly spot welding it all up?

[Ross]

There are supposed to be rubber pads between the fender and the cowl. That is is how the gap is to be set. Without them you will hopelessly bind the doors.

[Mike Sal]

Did the doors fit good before? If so, leave them alone & make everything else fit. If everything is loose, it makes it a lot more challenging.

[Jeffry Cassel]

Art Seebach told me years ago that they way to do it is to put the whole thing together but don't tighten any bolts. You the walk around the front of the car kicking it and eventually it will be kinda lined up. You then very hurridly tighten all the bolts ( but chances are the parts will shift again and you'll have to start all over again.) It is just like Sisyphus and that rock. It has literally taken me years to get the front end of a Studebaker halfway lined up. We love frustration. If we didn't we'd mess around with Fords. Like Mike said , if it fits DON'T TOUCH IT!!

[studebakerkid]

I pulled fenders off a parts car more then 20 years ago and they bolted up fine. These new SASCO outers were a bugger. Yes I have the rubber spacers in. I wound up making shims out of some sheetmetal. I even had to replace the upper door hinge bolts on the right side with regular grade 8 bolts because the factory bolts were not long enough and the threads were pulling so I chased the internal threads. Instead of pulling the doors I used an old V belt to loop around the upper door frame and a comealong rigged overhead to put on the tension. The fenders now are lined up and the doors do not hit and the strikes are even catching correctly without readjusting the strikes. I used a 8-32 pan head bolts with a lock washer under the head and a lock washer under a nyloc to put the inner and outer fenders together with three 3/16 poprivets in the headlight area on each side. I have my modified radiator frame bolted in and the inner front braces lined right up. Deckades ago I found that used conveyer belt is ideal to make the fender rubber spacers out of as it is much more resistant to rot.

[tsenecal]

Glad you got it all to work. I'm suprised that, pushing the doors back as far as you did, the rear edge, and striker , still fit. Progress is always nice.

[studebakerkid]

That is just it tsenecal I did not shim the doors back.....I shimmed them out at the hinge to get the fender clearance.