Friday morning me and a couple of friends attempted to put the hood back on my 48 Poncho. We got it back on fine but have ended up with a problem I'm hoping some of you experienced guys can help me with. None of us have a lot of experience doing this especially on a car from this era. The front cap is bolted down along with bumper etc.. After we got the hood back on we were unable to get it to latch even though we put it back as it was taken off. Hinges were left on hood and unbolted from the cowl when first removed. On closer inspection it looks as though the middle of the hood at its rear sits about a 1/4" to 3/8" off towards the driver side. The hood sits good on the driver side but has a gap of about 3/8" between the top of the fender and the bottom of the hood on the passenger side. The car has been clipped with a Fatman Stub and has dropped about 6" to 61/2" in front. My question is where have I screwed up putting it back together and do any of you have any suggestions/tips as to how to resolve this? I do not want to cruise with bungee cords across the hood!!! Hate to look like a dumbass but you don't learn if you don't ask questions. As always any help , tips and info are appreciated. 48 Poncho
Some pics would help. Also is the motor in the car? If not climb in the engine bay and see if you can watch the stricker bolt as it goes into the latch. Panel alignment is an art and takes patience and memory. Cliping the car no doubt affected the front end fit. Thats just the breaks. Good luck.
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