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Fender fitment woes? |
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Anderslober 
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Joined: 30-July-2019 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 750 |
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 Topic: Fender fitment woes?Posted: 27-December-2022 at 5:34AM |
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Hello forum. I am putting together my 72 again. I am though having a lot of trouble with front fender fitment.
My car is on stands atm….4 stands supporting the frame. Is it best to have the car on wheels and on ground for fitment? Or does this matter at all? Thanks..
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72 RS 351
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Joined: 04-September-2014 Location: Knoxville TN Status: Offline Points: 2445 |
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Posted: 27-December-2022 at 6:47AM |
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The support locations of the jack stands will matter depending on where they are. Try to place them under the frame nearest to the wheels. You should be able to fit the fenders and doors etc, loosely, and tighten them once the support is all on the tires.
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Don
73 Ranchero "Sport 72 front end", floor shift/console, planning EFI 7000+ rpm 351-4V &4R70W 73 Ranchero GT 351C-4V &4R70W for sale later. 92 Lincoln Mark VII SE GTC, OBDII 347/4R70W |
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Anderslober
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Posted: 27-December-2022 at 7:20AM |
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Ok…thanks…..I will move the jacks to the forward crossmember.
I did have everything together…then took it all apart again…..in the hope of putting it ‘perfectly’ together……now, I have the right door hitting/scratching the fender…..very hard to correct… |
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72 RS 351
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Posted: 27-December-2022 at 7:23AM |
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It is normal for the door and fender gaps to change when you lift the car with a jack. Be careful when opening the doors whenever the vehicle is in the air, watch the gaps and how the door latches fit.
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Don
73 Ranchero "Sport 72 front end", floor shift/console, planning EFI 7000+ rpm 351-4V &4R70W 73 Ranchero GT 351C-4V &4R70W for sale later. 92 Lincoln Mark VII SE GTC, OBDII 347/4R70W |
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Anderslober
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Posted: 27-December-2022 at 7:27AM |
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Would you think it best to put wheels on car and put car on ground?
I think I will try this……
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72 RS 351
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Posted: 27-December-2022 at 10:00AM |
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Yes I'd make final fitment of the fenders and doors etc, once it's on the tires on a fairly flat surface. You could mount it all as you have it on jack stands if they don't rub too much. If the frame is held up far from the four wheel locations, the body will be bent/stretched a lot more than under normal forces.
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Don
73 Ranchero "Sport 72 front end", floor shift/console, planning EFI 7000+ rpm 351-4V &4R70W 73 Ranchero GT 351C-4V &4R70W for sale later. 92 Lincoln Mark VII SE GTC, OBDII 347/4R70W |
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Anderslober
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Posted: 28-December-2022 at 2:04AM |
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I put fenders/etc back on car loosely. I then lifted the car slightly on the forward crossmember. This made a huge difference for gapping!🤠
I did not expect that much flex at all! Car being full-frame an’all. I will do the final adjusting once the car is back on the ground. |
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72 RS 351
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Posted: 28-December-2022 at 5:18AM |
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That's the way to make it fit great.
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Don
73 Ranchero "Sport 72 front end", floor shift/console, planning EFI 7000+ rpm 351-4V &4R70W 73 Ranchero GT 351C-4V &4R70W for sale later. 92 Lincoln Mark VII SE GTC, OBDII 347/4R70W |
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72FordGTS
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GTS.org Admin Joined: 06-September-2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Status: Offline Points: 5445 |
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Posted: 29-December-2022 at 12:59AM |
The frames on these cars and most perimeter frame cars from this era are designed to be flexible. They were designed to flex to help absorb the road shock. Further, the front fenders and rad support structure adds strength to the front end of the car. and reduces the frame flex. You are definitely best to adjust the fenders with the car on its wheels. Hopefully you kept track of how many shims were installed in each location so you can reinstall the same shim in the same locations.
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Vince
1972 Ford GTS Sportsroof - Survivor, One Family car GTS.org Admin |
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Anderslober
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Posted: 29-December-2022 at 5:17AM |
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Yes…I took pictures of all corners and mounting points.
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Eliteman76
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Posted: 05-January-2023 at 3:20PM |
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For the front clip, you want to start with your doors. Then build the alignment of the front clip off that.
There are times you will need to shim the body to fender top rear points. Shim the bottom of the fenders to help "pull" or "push" the panels accordingly. Also, the radiator support to frame bushings are critical. Jeff's Bronco Graveyard makes brand new bushings for early Ford Bronco 70-74? years, that are same as Torino. They also sell metal repair kits in case of rust damage to the frame area where the body mounts reside.
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 Andrew:GTS.ORG admin, '72 Q code 5 speed RestomodPondering: #99Problems |
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Anderslober wrote: