Fender to dash rods: 27" measured from where?

[tkeahi]

I've decided to ruin my whole week by trying to adjust the hood and fenders on my 52 truck. I'm trying to follow the instructions here:

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/bo...alignment.html

...but can't even get past step 2, which says:

"Check and adjust fender skirt to dash brace rods. Measurements should be taken from center of bolt head to edge or brackets: Left side 27 1/4 inches. The right side should be 27 inches."

I have two bolts at the firewall side of each rod and a brace /two nuts at the fender side.

Which bolt am I measuring from?

Which edge of the bracket am I measuring to?

Attached pic is not my truck, just one I found and marked up in paint.

Thanks!

[hogfarm]

when I did my 54 I tried to follow all the directions ended up using none,just started twisting bolts.the front of the fenders have little or no adjustment up or down,rear can be moved.so after a couple days this is what I did.
Installed the rods lose,removed hood latch,installed hood wit no springs.set hood down in place with rubber bumpers in,moved hood to get cowl gap good and tightened the bolts from the inside,then opened the hood and tightened the rest of the bolts,tightened the rods,adjusted rear of fenders,reinstalled the hood latch and adjusted it,then installed springs.It took 20mins,but need 2 guys as hood is heavy

[mr48chev]

I'd think at best the measurements are a starting point and not and exact final measurement. No two of these trucks seem to be exactly the same as the new robot built trucks are now.

I think Hogfarm did pretty much the same as most of us do. Once the hood is set right you adjust the nose to match the hood.

The rods help cut down on squeaks and rattles almost as much as they help keep the fenders lined up. They are a big part of keeping the nose in place and cutting down on how much it moves around. I'm sure not having them on in 1982 is why my hood blew open when I passed a semi running serous mph in the middle of Wyoming as the whole truck shook when he went by and then the hood flew open. The 120 Louvers saved the day that day as they let enough air through that the hood didn't fold over the roof.

[MARTINSR]

What Mr48chev said, that length means NOTHING, I have no idea where it comes from other than what they started with at the factory or something.

You move them to make all the panels fit, it does not need to be any certain measured length, it needs to be the right length that makes the panels fit, that is why they have so many threads and are adjustable!

If the adjustment wasn't needed they would have made the rods 27 1/4" and that would have been it!

Brian

[tkeahi]

Thanks guys, Good advice. I'll keep working at it.

Right now I can get it close but it seems like the hood is too wide to fit nicely between the fenders at the front.

[hogfarm]

my 54 is in storage,but is I remember you can move them out a bit,been working on my 58 and things just blend together

[mdpaulson1]

Martinsr wrote a great fourm on adjusting sheetmetal on these trucks. it has been a big help. He also wrote one on just adjusting the hood that made a lot of sense for me ( I am a carpenter and understood his explanation)

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=675777

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mdpaulson1

Martinsr wrote a great fourm on adjusting sheetmetal on these trucks. it has been a big help. He also wrote one on just adjusting the hood that made a lot of sense for me ( I am a carpenter and understood his explanation)

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=675777

Thanks for the kind words. I don't explain this particular thing in good detail though. It gives a good overview but not these rods in good detal. I will have to add that to the "Basics of Basics"

Let me say I hope I can do this as that would mean my trucks front sheetmetal was being installed! That is in my new years resolution, getting back to my "Five minutes a day" plan on my truck. Which reminds me, it's the first, I need to get out to the garage today to start the year off right!

Brian

[mdpaulson1]

Originally Posted by mdpaulson1

Martinsr wrote a great fourm on adjusting sheetmetal on these trucks. it has been a big help. He also wrote one on just adjusting the hood that made a lot of sense for me ( I am a carpenter and understood his explanation)

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=675777

Brian answered the question of hood alignment in another thread. It had a diagram of two triangles and how sliding them back and forth made the hood fit, for me it was a moment of clarity, I don't remember the link/thread but it was helpful

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mdpaulson1

Brian answered the question of hood alignment in another thread. It had a diagram of two triangles and how sliding them back and forth made the hood fit, for me it was a moment of clarity, I don't remember the link/thread but it was helpful

Here is that thread, yeah isn't it wild when we see something different. The other day at work we were working on a Toyota Sienna and the sliding door gap was huge to the quarter panel, instead of moving it forward as the gap there was perfect, he moved it up and widened the gap! The line up the quarter is at an angle so moving it up increased the gap!

Click on this link. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s....php?t=714430&

Brian