Panel gap question.

MJM

MJM

Promoted Users
Worked on the header panel the meets the drivers side fender. Straightened both pieces so they are flush if butted up against each other.

My question is, do all body panels have gaps, or can they be butted against each other? I have no idea how this came from the factory.

I took a picture of the before on the drivers side but, the picture is to dark to see clearly so, the first picture is the passanger side, metal to metal

Metal to metal
20220511_173259.jpg


Drivers side with 1/16 gap.
20220511_173114.jpg
 
If you run your doors that tight, you better make sure they clear the fenders when opening and closing after your paint is on there.
Chipping the paint on door edges and fenders is a common problem. A 1/16" now is will be a 1/32" after adding primer and paint to both edges.
 
I have not seen shims used to space a header panel to fender gap. They are just bolted together. Your hood to fender gaps will increase with shims.

This does not apply to door to fender and door to quarter gaps etc. 3/16” is generally the gap but that is not achieved with shims in general…

Don
 
'68 Coronet R/T said:
If you run your doors that tight, you better make sure they clear the fenders when opening and closing after your paint is on there.
Chipping the paint on door edges and fenders is a common problem. A 1/16" now is will be a 1/32" after adding primer and paint to both edges.
Click to expand...

Doors to 1/4 panel, and doors to fender have 3/16 gap. Good tip about the 1/16 to 1/32 after paint applied.
 
Last edited:
JimKueneman said:
Drop your hood in the hole and make sure that lines up as well before making that permanent!
Click to expand...

Good suggestion. I did that last night

Drivers side with a 1/16th gap between header panel and fender. I have 1/8 between side of hood and fender.
20220511_194030.jpg


Passanger side with header and fender, metal to metal.. Hood still needs alignment but, that won't happen until I fix a damaged nut in the fiberglass hood for the hood hinge. By going metal to metal on the header panel to fenders, I'm thinking once the hood is aligned, I'll have a 3/16 gap from fender to side of hood on each side of the car.
20220511_194045.jpg
 
Last edited:
dhutton01 said:
Here’s an original barn find car.
View attachment 20884

Don
Click to expand...

Good picture right there. I did notice, and which can be seen with the passenger side fender to header panel picture I posted yesterday is both the fender and header panel where they butt up to each other have a chamfered edge at the top. Paint would not be rubbing against each other. Where the two pieces bolt up together (metal to metal), I could place a piece of thin material, maybe like a black paper gasket to insure there is no metal to metal contact?
 
Last edited:
Harbor Freight has a body shim assortment kit 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, and 1/64 sizes, the thinner ones work great to dial in gaps like this.

I'm building a '66 F100 now that originally had a butted header panel above the grill. I wanted a slight gap to keep the paint from chipping. The edges of the fenders and the edges of the header were uneven so I had to reshape them to have a straight gap. I also straightened and reworked the flanges so they would accept shims.

Starting point-

tTDPEk1h.jpg



Inner flanges before reshaping-

1mN0J4Yh.jpg


qDaD6tth.jpg



After-

bCtehFDh.jpg


32qPZDqh.jpg


G54Zb0Bh.jpg
 
cars are engineered and built 1 time . when they bolted together the panels would seat . the original paint was piss water thin . your going to put 10 times the mill thickness on the parts . be prepared to put some kind of shim rubber or even washers to set your gaps .
 
Last edited:
metalman said:
That gasket material sounds like it might soak up water. IDK, maybe some flexible plastic?
Click to expand...


Good call........paper was the wrong word to use. I thought about water absorption, too. Shine suggested rubber, that would work good.
 
theastronaut said:
Harbor Freight has a body shim assortment kit 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, and 1/64 sizes, the thinner ones work great to dial in gaps like this.

I'm building a '66 F100 now that originally had a butted header panel above the grill. I wanted a slight gap to keep the paint from chipping. The edges of the fenders and the edges of the header were uneven so I had to reshape them to have a straight gap. I also straightened and reworked the flanges so they would accept shims.

Starting point-

tTDPEk1h.jpg



Inner flanges before reshaping-

1mN0J4Yh.jpg


qDaD6tth.jpg



After-

bCtehFDh.jpg


32qPZDqh.jpg


G54Zb0Bh.jpg
Click to expand...

That's what I'm talking about ^^^ Great work right there !!!. It's details like that, that seperate the men from the boys. Details like that really standout to me.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Last edited:
shine said:
cars are engineered and built 1 time . when they bolted together the panels would seat . the original paint was piss water thin . your going to put 10 times the mill thickness on the parts . be prepared to put some kind of shim rubber or even washers to set your gaps .
Click to expand...

Oh you bring up a very valid point. Don is correct that when manufactured, it was metal to metal, but your millage point strikes home. I really like the idea using a rubber gasket to set a gap.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top