Happy Easter and welcome to Packard Motor Car Information! If you're new here, please register for a free account.  
Login
Username:

Password:

Remember me



Lost Password?

Register now!
FAQ's
Main Menu
Recent Forum Topics
Who is Online
143 user(s) are online (74 user(s) are browsing Forums)

Members: 0
Guests: 143

more...
Helping out...
PackardInfo is a free resource for Packard Owners that is completely supported by user donations. If you can help out, that would be great!

Donate via PayPal
Video Content
Visit PackardInfo.com YouTube Playlist

Donate via PayPal



(1) 2 »

56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#1
Home away from home
Home away from home

Kip56
See User information
The day started out with great promise but ended in a stalemate. After 6 or 7 tries to re-attach the driver's side fender back on the Caribbean, the rear frame holes to the fender will not line up. I pulled a picture from the day I disassembled it and you can see the last two bolts attached the inner fender at the very bottom of the opening.

There is really not much you can adjust once you attach the cowl bolt to make the rear of the fender come down. I do not want to risk cross threading a bolt into the frame. So that left me wondering if I should attempt to remove a front body shim to bring the body down about an eighth onto the frame.

I did not want to dive off into the deep end of the pool without checking with you guys. Let me know if you have any suggestions as I did not run into this when I re-attached the passenger side.

Thanks,
Robert.

Attach file:



jpg  (28.71 KB)
251_48431c86d497a.jpg 800X600 px

jpg  (23.58 KB)
251_48431c964998d.jpg 800X600 px

jpg  (35.73 KB)
251_48431caf82089.jpg 800X600 px

jpg  (37.57 KB)
251_48431cc4600d3.jpg 800X600 px

jpg  (45.20 KB)
251_48431cf7df89f.jpg 800X600 px

Posted on: 2008/6/1 17:05
 Top  Print 
 


Re: 56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#2
Forum Ambassador
Forum Ambassador

Owen_Dyneto
See User information
Bob, the only thing that pops out at me is what appears to be rubber body-to-frame cushions; rubber is used only on closed cars, converts use steel only - check in the parts book for details.

Posted on: 2008/6/1 17:28
 Top  Print 
 


Re: 56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#3
Forum Ambassador
Forum Ambassador

BH
See User information
Any time I have all four tires of any of my Packards off the ground, whether on a lift or four jackstands, I notice a slight, temporary change in the gap between the door and the lock pillar or rear fender. Yet, the frames are solid, and the body of my Carib Hardtop is practically rust-free. With so much weight fore and aft of the point of support, I chalked that up to a cantilever effect.

Given the position of the jackstands under your car, aft of the cowl, is it possible that the front of the frame might have sagged or bowed slightly out of position over the long period of time that your car has been apart?

You might want to jack the front end up and re-position the stands closer, but nonetheless safely, to the control arms and see if that helps.

Posted on: 2008/6/1 17:31
 Top  Print 
 


Re: 56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#4
Forum Ambassador
Forum Ambassador

HH56
See User information
Were the spacers changed or moved? How is the curvature & fit against the door edge? I notice on your second picture (unless its an optical delusion), there appears to be quite a gap between inner & outer fenders (can just get a finger tip in mine). Any chance of something warped? A shim could be removed but it may affect the door fit and latching.

Posted on: 2008/6/1 17:33
 Top  Print 
 


Re: 56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#5
Just can't stay away
Just can't stay away

packprince
See User information
kip56 that looks like a new paint job. Nice! Let me ask you how you cleaned your fenders? Were they sandblasted Kip56? Were the fenders fit prior to painting,,, lets say while they were primer. This problem looks oh so familiar. I found it while my fenders were in primer and car painted. My guess is you had the fenders sandblasted that created heat and warped the fenders a little in to a curl. I don't know how much body filler or what kind of paint you have but don't start removing body shims. Lay down a piece of carpet or a rugand flip your fender or fenders on their painted sides and gently flatten them out a little at a time untill they fit. They just need to be stretched longer. Or if they were in primer you could of just set them on the concrete and with one foot on top and one on the bottom flatten them out till they fit. From that we learned always fit one last time before painting. Notice the primer feder in pic's......MidSouthern Restoration Cookeville TN

Attach file:



jpg  (40.03 KB)
546_48434cbc0c493.jpg 800X600 px

Posted on: 2008/6/1 20:32
 Top  Print 
 


Re: 56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#6
Home away from home
Home away from home

Kip56
See User information
Gents,
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I hope to get back in the garage in the next few weeks and put some of those suggestions to practice and will report back.

Posted on: 2008/6/2 5:43
 Top  Print 
 


Re: 56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#7
Forum Ambassador
Forum Ambassador

Mr.Pushbutton
See User information
Packprince--I'm not a big fan of sandblasting suto sheetmetal for the reasons you cite: if you use sand or glass bead you work-peen the metal and then you have a real project on your hands! I prefer to send un-bolt items like front fenders to a chem-strip typs place, the nearest one to us is in Toledo, OH, an hour's drive from home, and worth it.
We had a whole car blasted clean with plastic medium at the shop I used to work at, that was very satisfactory, it did not work-peen the metal. Some shops use crushed walnut shells as a blasting medium, again, very satisfactory results, you can bring it back, epoxy prime everything and start bodywork with no backward steps.

Posted on: 2008/6/2 7:32
 Top  Print 
 


Re: 56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#8
Forum Ambassador
Forum Ambassador

Owen_Dyneto
See User information
A bit off the subject, but congratulations on carrying the Danube Blue forward to the front parking light area and the little step below it which is visible between the bumper and parking light when assembled. Some will dispute that this should be the middle color (blue) on 3-tone cars (it's the bottom color on 2-tone cars) but the few factory photos and unrepainted original cars show this to be correct though some of the conceptual pre-introduction artwork (not photos) show it otherwise. Some folks paint that little spot Roman Copper (or the bottom color) which seems to follow the color line but yet which the preponderance of evidence says is incorrect. I'm curious, if you have original steel wheels, are they also Danube Blue on the outside (black on the inside)?

Posted on: 2008/6/2 8:43
 Top  Print 
 


Re: 56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#9
Home away from home
Home away from home

Kip56
See User information
That is an interesting question and I agree with your conclusions. I found it very intersting that the newly released Danbury Mint 56 Caribbean hardtop reflects that same paint scheme. It is an MES hardtop and the portion under the blinker light is Danube Blue. And yes, I do have the original steel wheels and they are as you described, danube blue and black on the inside.

Posted on: 2008/6/2 9:00
 Top  Print 
 


Re: 56 Carib Driver's side fender alignment
#10
Forum Ambassador
Forum Ambassador

Randy Berger
See User information
I agree Brian. When the 400 is on the grease rack I cannot open the doors because of the slight bowing of the frame. I would suggest having all four wheels on the ground and then seeing how the fender holes line up.

Posted on: 2008/6/2 11:37
 Top  Print 
 




(1) 2 »




Search
Recent Photos
Photo of the Day
Recent Registry
Website Comments or Questions?? Click Here Copyright 2006-2024, PackardInfo.com All Rights Reserved