Body Assembly: Introduction
Once the body and body parts repairs were completed, I was ready to assemble the car to determine how well (or if) the parts fit the body. Once everything fits correctly, the car will be disassembled for final bodywork and paint.
When these cars were built, quality was not job one at Ford and “Fit and Finish” wasn’t a priority. Door, hood and deck lid gaps of up to a 3/8 of an inch or more were considered acceptable. In fact, when restored cars are judged, points are deducted if the sheet metal fits too well because the car is considered “over-restored”
This car is not a restoration so my objective is to get the parts to fit right with consistent gaps. Maybe not up to Lexus ball-bearing standards, but fairly close.
This section of the site is again organized by body part. Each of the links will take you to an article that contains the following:
- How the part fits
- Required modifications
- Photos of completed modification
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