C1 hood fit

[studiog]

My car is in the middle of priming (with body off frame) and I thought I would check the fit of the hood as it was the one item that was not attached when I got the car. I have seen many a poor fit at the front of the hood especially at the corners so I decided to check it. Well this one is no different. I placed the hood in position shimming it up so it is level with the body. It is not mounted to the hinges. I have an uneven gap across the front lenght and one corner has a large gap. Should I mount the radiator frame to the body and then attach the hood hinges to that and then repair? Or should I wait till I reinstall the body so the radiator frame is mounted to the body and the car frame? Also any suggestions on a method to get the gap even again? Thanks all.

[John Mcgraw]

Studiodog,

It is not really necessary to mount the body before closing up the gaps. The two materials that you can use to close the gaps are glass and resin, and bonding adhssive. If you have a lot to close up (more than 1/16") then I would build up on the body side with layers of glass and resin. If it is less than that, I would just use bonding adhesive. You can even add a little bonding adhesive to the edge of the hood and then shape it back down. The factory regularly used the bonding adhesive to cure poor gaps!

Regards, John McGraw

[studiog]

Thanks John.

[61 Silver]

Studiodog;



I agree with John about using resin and glass. I attended a local NCRS seminar on restoring bodylines and panel fit. The lecture on restoring the body exceeded the quality of panel fit to what left GM. The hood on my 61 fit better than many C1's that I had inspected, but not the quality that I wanted. The hood set higher at the front edge and the front line was not even. I remounted the radiator support; mounted the hood; and the rebuilt the outside edges (glass and resin) on the car to my liking. I raised and lowered the hood to insure I had the correct clearance. The next step was to use a thin self-sticking weather strip to seal the underside of the hood seam. I filled the hood gap and the top of hood and fenders with Everlast GOLD and sanded flush or till I was happy with the fit. (I tried to keep the amount of body filler to 1/6”) I cut the hood free using a jig saw blade mounted to a wooden handle and than sanded the hood line using a paint mixing stick with 40 grit sand paper stuck to each side. I have a few body repairs that I plan on reworking this winter (shrinking causing repairs to telegraphing through the paint in the bonding strip areas) but I am very happy with the hood fit and look.



I hope this helps!

Ray

[studiog]

Originally Posted by 61 Silver

Studiodog;



I agree with John about using resin and glass. I attended a local NCRS seminar on restoring bodylines and panel fit. The lecture on restoring the body exceeded the quality of panel fit to what left GM. The hood on my 61 fit better than many C1's that I had inspected, but not the quality that I wanted. The hood set higher at the front edge and the front line was not even. I remounted the radiator support; mounted the hood; and the rebuilt the outside edges (glass and resin) on the car to my liking. I raised and lowered the hood to insure I had the correct clearance. The next step was to use a thin self-sticking weather strip to seal the underside of the hood seam. I filled the hood gap and the top of hood and fenders with Everlast GOLD and sanded flush or till I was happy with the fit. (I tried to keep the amount of body filler to 1/6”) I cut the hood free using a jig saw blade mounted to a wooden handle and than sanded the hood line using a paint mixing stick with 40 grit sand paper stuck to each side. I have a few body repairs that I plan on reworking this winter (shrinking causing repairs to telegraphing through the paint in the bonding strip areas) but I am very happy with the hood fit and look.



I hope this helps!

Ray

Hi Ray, how are you doing? Thanks for the tips. I think this is what I may need to do to get this hood to fit right. What did you use as a template to cut the edge with the jig saw blade

[61 Silver]

studiog;



My hood was in very good condition and had good lines. After I completed the filler and sanded to the profile that I liked, the hood line showed through. I use the edge of the hood as a guide to cut through the filler. The filler in this area should only be as thick as the hood, approximately 1/4" and that is why you use the weather stripping as filler. The plastic body filler sets on top of the weather stripping. I removed the weather stripping prior to cutting from under the hood. Once you have cut and sanded the edges or gap to your satisfaction you will need to fill the areas on the fenders and front panel. You should find a nice raised 1/4" line on the fenders and the front panel. Check the edges of the fender and front panel and note the contour prior to the start of the repair. The edges will be very sharp after cut and will need to be re-profiled. The rear of the hood was slightly higher than the cowl area. I left mine that way, it seem to look correct. If you have problems or would like to discuss the process, email me at rcarney5@rochester.rr.com and I will send you my phone number.



Hope I have helped!

Ray

[studiog]

Originally Posted by 61 Silver

studiog;



My hood was in very good condition and had good lines. After I completed the filler and sanded to the profile that I liked, the hood line showed through. I use the edge of the hood as a guide to cut through the filler. The filler in this area should only be as thick as the hood, approximately 1/4" and that is why you use the weather stripping as filler. The plastic body filler sets on top of the weather stripping. I removed the weather stripping prior to cutting from under the hood. Once you have cut and sanded the edges or gap to your satisfaction you will need to fill the areas on the fenders and front panel. You should find a nice raised 1/4" line on the fenders and the front panel. Check the edges of the fender and front panel and note the contour prior to the start of the repair. The edges will be very sharp after cut and will need to be re-profiled. The rear of the hood was slightly higher than the cowl area. I left mine that way, it seem to look correct. If you have problems or would like to discuss the process, email me at rcarney5@rochester.rr.com and I will send you my phone number.



Hope I have helped!

Ray

Hi Ray,

Thanks for the details. My hood lines are very good also. It is the body edge that was poorly repaired at some point. The rest of the hood fits very nice. I just ordered some new hinges as the old ones were pretty beat up and had been brazed/welded to the radiator support. I was able to save and restore the radiator support but the hinges didn't seem like they were worth the effort. My worst gap is probably about 1/8" too much and this is only for a short span. I was dreading having to make this repair but after talking with you and John Mc. it now seems relatively easy. Thanks for the offer of addotional help. As soon as my hinges get here I will get to work on it. Keep you posted.
Gary