Projects HELP - 1950 Olds 88 hood fit

Need help on my 50 Olds 88 hood fit -





the upper photo is mounting brace i took off the hood i swapped

lower is same brace left on the car and used on both hood's

My friend Rob Rider in Seatac Washington said removing the hood brace can create a lot of fitting problems
i used the same mounting brace on both hoods and the result was wider gaps



i installed a hood that's in better condition

did not loosen the fenders just swapped the outer metal

the fit went from bad to worst as you can see

considering both hoods share the same mounting brace

any ideas why this turned out this way?

I have California fenders to replace the ones currently on the Olds

 

Solved my problem

Figured it out, i caused the fenders to move causing the gaps
it happened went i was attaching the hood to the brace starting the nuts under the brace

this front hood locking panel helps tie the fenders together
which has been off for years will i was installing the engine & hydro

used a ratchet belt to pull the fenders in like the panel & support would of

 

glad you were able to figure it out.. body issues can sometimes be perplexing.

 

Remember there is a tie bar that connects the inner panels. The hood latch pan in your picture is not for support, it only serves to latch the hood and direct air through the radiator.

 

Thanks Marty for that information

my car never came with a tie brace plus other parts that were missing
it had a 1957 Olds 371 engine only sitting in it, a chain held up the rear of the engine

anyone have a picture of the tie brace that they can post

 

I was going to suggest fenders, the 50 is basically the same as my 48 98, I had the same problem and it was a fender issue rather than a hood issue

 

There are 2 different tie bars for 49-50 cars, depending on 76 and 88 models. The 76 (6cyl engine) had more offset and the latch pan was built to match. This one could be bolted on backwards, I don't remember, as we were only using it to hold everything together.

 

Thanks for the pictures Marty

I went and seen my friend Harold who has 50 Olds parts he sold me a tie bar for $15 painted no less
the paint makes it hard to see the detail of the piece

 

Marty my tie bar measures 28-1/4" in length by 3" wide
to me your photo looks like it has the same measurements as mine

My friend Rob in Seattle has a 50 Olds 2 door sedan with a 455 engine
he said his tie bar measures 28-1/2 “ long by 5-3/4 “ wide.
he might have a tie bar for a 6 cylinder by what you said

 

If the 50 is like a 53 I had there were supports bolted to the rocket and then to the sides of the hood,I had to weld them to the hood before removing the rocket or it would not latch right.