1950 Chevy Truck (Ep 89) Installing and Aligning the Hood and Fenders

The hood finally goes on the truck! Today we go over some issues you may have while installing and aligning your Hood and Fenders. I have some things you want to look out for, some tips and tricks and some pretty good solutions.
If you have a project you would like to showcase at the end of one of my videos just email me a few pics and a short description to: [e-mail]

[@docuplot3928]

Mark, I am so glad I found you! I have a ‘54 five window 3100 and the hood and doors had me at a standstill. You have given me new confidence. I would like to thank you for the detail to attention and tips like ‘don’t use a screwdriver and slip and scratch your new paint’ and ‘…get help to mount the hood’… I appreciate your advice. Thanks again and teaching GREAT JOB!

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

You are very welcome , I am glad I was of some help to you. Lots of tips and tricks in the whole truck series so check them out Mark

[@Curtis1880]

I appreciate your re-assembly videos. I'm rebuilding a 1949 Ford Pickup, and while it is easy to tear down, and even order the rubber parts, no one seems to teach reassembly.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

You are very welcome Dwayne. You are correct about that, far to many just gloss over the important stuff. That is why I started this channel in large part to help others with their projects. Good luck on the 49 and let me know if you need anything. Mark

[@jassmandidgeridoo]

Finally a full hood install thankyou so much

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

You are very welcome. Turns out nobody has covered all the important details to get everything to look nice so I made a point of making sure I got it all in. Mark

[@stevemartell8097]

You have given the best information that I have seen yet, especially on fine tuning the right fender abd using a strap to move the core support, I wound up taking my 54 to a specialty shop and they started by installing a aftermarket rear cab support and it didn't come back as nice as your install, thanks Steve in AZ

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thank you Steve. When I started the project I received several requests to do a detailed video on hood/front end install and alignment. I am happy it has helped a lot of people so far. Is your truck done? Mark

[@dprocsal1]

Curious what you mean by it didn’t come back as nice. I rebuilt my old ones with bushings from the Car and Truck Shop in Orange CA.

[@stevemartell8097]

After spending several thousand dollars, my hood alignment is not what I call acceptable to my standards, I'm leaving it in primer until I'm happy

[@dprocsal1]

Sorry I didn’t understand your concern. The hood alignment turned out amazing on truck. Mark made it look simple. Before the truck got to him I had completely aligned it so we knew it should go back together the same. But there are a lot of moving pieces to get the hook aligned perfectly. I was able to use the original hinges and I think that helps. But I was concerned after Mark pulled that big dent on the nose. Clearly he did a great job.

[@chandiaz7694]

Wow! What an excellent detailed instructional !! Without this I would NEVER be able get these parts aligned.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks. I am glad I was of some help to you. It can be frustrating getting these old trucks lined up so they look really nice. Mark

[@chesterthomas4891]

Very good information

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@chesterthomas4891 Thanks, I am happy it has been helpful to others with these trucks.

[@douglashart5059]

So many cool tricks of the trade here Mark! This will save me some time when I get to that stage. Absolutely love that paint!!

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks Doug, glad it will be of some help to you when you are ready. If your truck was horribly aligned before you took it apart you might want to mock it up and see if you can solve some problems before it is in paint. Mark

[@B1673]

Great job Mark, thanks again for all the information on this truck, will come in handy over the next few years

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thank you Brad. Before you know it you will be at this step. Let me know if you need anything along the way. Mark

[@jayarflores833]

Great recommendation !

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks, I am glad you liked it. Hopefully it might be of some help to you.

[@warrenglover]

Thank I have too.. still working on it..

[@smokeshow973]

Awsome information paying attention to detail really going to.help me align my front end which i have been dredding

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks. I think most people get frustrated because they don't start at the base which of course is the cab alignment. I am sure you will get your panels looking awesome and lined up beautifully. Let me know if you have any questions. Mark

[@smokeshow973]

Hey Mark quick question just installed the new inner fenders I know the drivers side has the parking brake bracket but when I went to the passenger side they were like 1" away is there something that's supposed to go there thanks

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@smokeshow973 I asked Darren the owner to see if he can answer your question. I don't recall exactly.

[@dprocsal1]

I don’t remember a gap. I don’t believe you’re missing anything. But I can tell you I tried putting on the inner fender first, and I thought that was impossible. The outer fender is just too unstable. I put the inner and outer fenders together and then mounted them. It also takes at least three people to mount the fenders.

[@JourneymanRandy]

Nice work Mark. Ten hours, wow I got some work to do.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Hey Randy, Yep 10 hours but your mileage may vary. Mark

[@lazyhoundracing9621]

Thanks Mark. That's the best I have ever seen this explained.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thank you. Darren made a point to let me know there really wasn't a comprehensive video out there so I did a deeper dive to try and cover all the bases. Mark

[@lazyhoundracing9621]

@@FoothillPaintandFabrication You did a great job. I will definately be using this for reference.

[@user-ro5on3lx9f]

Looks great

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thank you, the truck came out really nice. Mark

[@BusyAsABeaver72]

Super nice job Mark! My panel truck project is on hold (again) because I ran out of winter and it's time to move to some construction projects. I still have the hood in the shop. There is one low spot that needs to be worked on on top of the hood and it should be ready for final sanding. I don't even remember those rubber bumpers on the front it's been so long since I took it apart. Another excellent video, thank you very much.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

I hear you as I have about 600 feet of fence left to install before summer gets here and this truck is eating up my pasture work time. Keep the hood where you can work on it easily and when your back is sore from construction projects take a break and pick away on the hood. Darren has really covered all the replacement needs for the truck so it is nice to have what I need when I need it. Mark

[@BusyAsABeaver72]

@@FoothillPaintandFabrication Yes, the hood is staying in the shop until I get it paint ready. I will get tired of one project and jump back on another one. That is kinda how I roll.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@BusyAsABeaver72 Good way to stay fresh and motivated.

[@johnalbritton1044]

Absolutely beautiful paint

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Hey John It is a nice color choice for sure. To bad it was overcast when I rolled it out of the shop to look over the alignment job. I still have some work to do and will get a thorough walk around when it is all done on a nice sunny day.

[@MarksGarageChannel]

Very helpful video. I used your techniques on my 47 GMC. Thank you

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

You are very welcome Mark, I am glad I was of some help on your 47. You gotta do what you gotta do on these old trucks to make them look good.

[@geneinman4488]

One Beautiful Job . Most people dont get it. well Done.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thank you, I really appreciate it. I try and do my best for each circumstance. Mark

[@tomference4618]

..nice work, nice clear presentation, thanks!

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

You are very welcome, I hope it was of some help. Mark

[@wmw-hv5cx]

excellent video, very detail

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks, hope it helps. Mark

[@jayarflores833]

Mark, great video. I have a 1952 truck which has a 48 cab on it . I did conversion around 1980😂. I was 16. Fast forward to day. My hood has always been had about 3/8” to 1/2” gap on the back and flares out about 1/2” on rear lower corners. Can you send me link to cab adjustment video? Thanks

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Hi Jay, I didn't really do a cab adjustment video and kind of fast forwarded through it while Dave and I installed the cab on the chassis. Ultimately I loosened the cab up while doing the front end/hood alignment but never ended up having to move it or very little. It sounds like your cab is to low at the firewall. Try loosening the mount bolts and raising it up with an 1/2" piece of plywood temporarily. This will allow the hood to drop lower in the front onto the latch and bring it back and the wings should rotate back as well. Of course the radiator support could be to high as well but I think the cab is to low and pointing downwards just enough to stop the hood hinges from their last movement. Mark

[@autoboy48]

Would like to see linking up the cab can’t alight hood and fenders nose is over to much thank you 5:05

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@autoboy48 Cab alignment is important getting all measurements even side to side as a small difference at the frame/cab translates to a lot at the nose. Sometimes you have to tweak the cab to get the front on and looking good even though it isn't technically straight. Frame twist, accidents in the past or simply body/frame mounts that were not installed at the factory straight can frustrate the whole process.

[@YouTube_Nate]

a professional video 😀

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks, I hope it helps others with their projects. Mark

[@corsair2222]

Great Job but how come you didnt show the part where you install the hood props ? They dont just bolt up do they ?

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks. They just bolt to the hood and the adjustment comes from where they are attached to the firewall sides.

[@Davian45]

Do you have any weather stripping underneath the hood that lands on top of the cowl weather stripping? If so, mind linking the product?

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

No there isn't. Originally the cowl strip just rubbed on the underside of the hood sheet metal. Actually the cowl strip holds the hood at the correct level so it sits even with the cab below the window. I did install a flutter kit on the hood in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5abaJ2CmKeniJY Hope this helps Mark

[@johnny-jr5iz]

I like what you are doing very professionally ,,I have a 48 f1 that I started how much would it take,, to do it the way your doing this one thanks

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

How much in labor or how much in materials with you doing all the work? Mark

[@decosse01]

I've been waiting for this one - and it did not disappoint! My favourite of the entire series by a long way. Great perseverance and patience to get it looking really good. The 10 hrs was an interesting revelation and just illustrates not only how finicky this is, but in your quest for excellence (as you say, not perfection, but that's not possible with these trucks). I already know I'm going to need those shims and probably same place, right side, same place as yours. I'm curious as to what the lengths of the fender brace rods ended up being :)

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thank you, I am glad you got something out of the video. I contemplated shortening the rods but each one pulled in snug when I tightened them to the fender so I left them just as they were from the factory. Taking your time and really thinking through all the variables will get you where you want to be in the end. Lining up the hood is easy, getting everything else aligned and looking nice to match the hood is the hard part. Mark

[@user-zl9ph6bi9f]

Do you have a video putting the front end together, fenders, inner fenders, grill, etc?

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

No I do not, the owner took care of all that and left all the fasteners loose. Sorry Mark

[@anzoraaguilar834]

It’s original Hood ??? O is aftermarket ?

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Original. It had as many layers of paint as the rest of the truck.

[@greatgonzer]

Can you send me that paint color code? It is fantastic

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Don't have the code handy but if I remember correctly it is a Toyota Tacoma color called Blue Ribbon Metallic.