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Sheet metal placement question

R

RustyRed

Active Member
I was working on the car last night and came up with a question...admittedly probably a "stupid question" but I believe the only stupid question is the one that don't get asked until after you screw something up.

When I took the fender off on Sunday I noticed I had forgotten to order the headlamp inner panel bracket...why the heck they don't just make the repo fender aprons with this piece already attached is beyond me....wouldn't logic seem to suggest that if I needed the battery tray and apron then this piece would be wasted as well?

What I was kicking around is what's the best way to attach this piece to make sure it ends up in the right place?

My best guess was to measure it based on the old one and then use a couple of metal screws to hold it in place and make sure it fits right before fixing it down for good to remove the screws / weld the holes closed?
 
You mean that little piece in your picture, right behind where the wire harness comes thru?

Picture007.jpg
 
Is it welded on? I would guess that they figure since the apron would need to be welded on, whats a couple more welds for the bracket. Saves them money that they can reproduce both pieces and not have to pay to have them welded. In the long run it probably saves the manufacturer and the consumer some money.
 
yeah, I suppose...guess in theory there might also be a strange situation where you needed to replace one piece and not the other....collision repair maybe....

So best guess is just tack it or otherwise put it in a measured spot then try it's fit before attaching it in a more permanent way?
 
Does the headlight bucket bolt to it? Does anything bolt to it? If not I doubt it matters exactly where it goes, just somewhere close. If something does bolt to it, looks like a few decent reference points, the hole for the wire harness or the notch on the upper apron.
 
"Fast68back" said:
Does the headlight bucket bolt to it? Does anything bolt to it? If not I doubt it matters exactly where it goes, just somewhere close. If something does bolt to it, looks like a few decent reference points, the hole for the wire harness or the notch on the upper apron.
Click to expand...

I don't have the assembly manual handy at the moment and can't recall off the top of my head if anything bolts to it or not. Good point on some reference locations, probably over thinking the deal but just one of those strange things I woke up thinking about for whatever reason.
 
Well, last night I finished scrapping off all the crap on the driver's side since I am not replacing any metal over there. Going to paint and undercoat that side before I put everything back together.

I looked at the piece I had posted about and it has clips in it for something to bolt into....my guess is it is the two bolts that go through the front of the fender behind the headlight bucket.

Started thinking about it and I am going to measure it from a fixed point on the car that is not going to be cut out (i.e. the firewall or shock tower, etc) and then use those measurements to put the new one on after the new fender apron is in.
 
"drummingrocks" said:
The fender bolts to it. Two bolts behind the headlight housing.
Click to expand...
This is correct. For a referance point, measure from the rad. core support back to the old bracket(top & bottom) to get the new one back in place. I assume you won't be replacing the rad. support so that will make for a good referance point.
 
I dont use measurements when doing mine, I instead loosely bolt it to the fender and fasten the fender to the car. When the fender is where it needs to be I tack the bracket into place and pull the fender back off. You can then finish welding. Mine needed some massaging to get a flat fit anyways. HTH
 
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