Fender removal / re align?

[Transam388]

Not quite sure where this should go so just putting in the Firebird area. My driver side fender on a 98 T/A was hit a while back and of course I really did not get after the place that fixed it but the fender is out along the hood line more than I would like it to be. When you open the hood of course there are the screws that appear to be holding the fender on to the main body up on the top side. What would need to be done to take the fender off so I could work on the mount points to get that fender line closer to the hood? Thanks!

[suchnsuch]

Anyone have an answer for this. I'm wondering what order you should align the door. As in, should I start at the front of the fender bolts or the rear of the fender bolts? Someone who is the body person should know how to do this?

[speedyWS6]

Hey Brett,

Been there and done this in both car hobby and in my work
in a previous life as a coach builder.

Is your car a victim of any collision or are you just after
tweaking the alignment to improve the factory fit any?

Having said that the answer is the same... Don't have any
nuts or bolts tightened up fully. Just nip them up on both fender
and door so you can tweak as you go. That is to say there is no
"fully correct" final position for either but rather adjusting between
the two to get an alignment that you are happy with. You "may"
have to accept slightly less than perfect gaps as a whole rather
than ideal gaps up until the last one which perhaps could be more out
than you'd like!

I have found in the past that a good floor jack with padding on the
top eases door alignment when the jack is taking the weight and
you can finely adjust far more easily.

If you are having to do this post collision you may have more issues
but only you can advise here? If this is the case shims of some kind
can often be used discreetly to help things align better. Don't tell
anybody but i have used some 3mm/4mm plastic shims under the top
fender bolts on mine to decrease the gap between hood and fender.
It just needed them to improve the factory fit a little! You would NEVER
know.

[suchnsuch]

Thank you for your info. Very helpful. In the car's previous life I believe it was bumped on the front quarter. If the picture works here you can see what I mean by the alignment to the hood. It also looks a little puckered in just above the turn signal. I'm thinking I'm going to have to pull it off and see if the mounting bracket (or whatever is under there) is bent. Then use your advise to remount the fender.

[speedyWS6]

Well.....

Pictures speak volumes, eh?
The way the fender and headlight both sit away from it's neighboring part of the hood
does indicate something is out of whack somewhere! Also, the fender and bumper still
look attached together OK. Is your pic AFTER remedial body and paintwork, and it left
the shop back to the previous owner this way? He should not have accepted this as
good work.

Your pics shows something is not quite right but how is this fit up front affecting the door
alignment? Has it all been pushed back towards the door as well?

More pics would help!

Ultimately though there will be a bracket of some kind, lurking down in front
which needs a tweak.