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Old 04-30-2021, 04:20 PM   #1
blazer2007
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aligning door and fender trouble

Decided to tackle passanger door and fender on my 78 blazer . I put in new door pins and had to hog out the door hinges on both door and body mounting point to get it closer to a nice fit. Now my fender wants to sit high on the nose. If I push down on the nose of fender it will hit the door. The nose is about a 1/2 inch too high. If I adjust the door so fender fits then body lines don,t match. Don,t need it perfect but would be nice to be close. Should I hog out the fr. grill holes where the nose of fender bolts or is there another way, shim front support ? I know is hard with some aftermarket parts which the fender is and doors are from donors. Sorry bottom pic is from before
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Last edited by blazer2007; 04-30-2021 at 04:23 PM. Reason: fotgot something to add
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Old 05-01-2021, 10:26 AM   #2
HAULIN' IT
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Re: aligning door and fender trouble

Let's start at the beginning. What is the condition of the Rubber body Mounts? The Rear ones in this case could play big into what you have going on. Like a see-saw, if the body is "balancing" on the one under the cowl because the back ones are broken down...the front ends up high. The problem & time figuring it out is like you said...some of this replacement stuff is VERY poor & really can never fit correctly. We'll get to that in a moment.
Likewise, has the metal cab mount under the cowl/floor been replaced? How is/was the condition of the rear crossmember under the gate?
I would not just shim something, move on & forget it without some measuring/figuring. Many times that will lead to more/other work later.
If you do need to shim, under the rad support bushing would be the answer. This keeps the gap between the Hood & Grille/trim uniform from side to side.

I suspect there is something else going on though.
The gap at the front of your Door at the bottom tip of the windshield post concerns me a bunch! THAT is WAY too wide...something is wrong with where/why you have it there. The back edge of that fender from the top down to the chrome strip is for sure NOT the correct shape of a Chevy truck. It is curving backwards slightly towards the door right from the top tip...that area should be curving FORWARD down to the chrome strip area. Im guessing that is why you have made the big gap between the door & pillar & likely where/why you slotted the bolt holes? My suggestion, Get another fender before proceeding. Lorne
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Old 05-02-2021, 09:11 AM   #3
LONGHAIR
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Re: aligning door and fender trouble

I agree with Lorne.
One vehicles of that age, all kinds of this can affect this.
Suspension parts, body mounts, and even frame damage itself can contribute to misalignment. Aftermarket parts can make this even worse.
I will never understand how they can make them "so close" and yet still so far off at the same time.
After confirming that the frame is not bent/twisted itself or by suspension problems, check into the body mounts. The rubber disintegrates over time, cracks and sags.
Once that is straight, start with the things you cannot change. Meaning the door opening and how the door fits into it. The shape of the opening is fixed, unless there is crash damage. Same with the shape of the door itself. Once these are fitted, the fenders and hood are relative to the leading edge of the doors.
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Old 05-02-2021, 09:14 AM   #4
blazer2007
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Re: aligning door and fender trouble

Thanks, I was thinking the same at bottom of fender. If it was cut out to match the door at the bottom section it would sit perfect but I thought something else might be causing the problem. Too many things to consider but now I have a place to start instead of staring at it. I figured blazer are more likely to twist and flex thru the years as they don,t have much cab support
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Old 05-02-2021, 09:44 AM   #5
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Re: aligning door and fender trouble

Just a thought, do you think re-shaping the bottom of fender is a option or just looking for more trouble than it,s worth
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Old 05-02-2021, 10:41 AM   #6
HAULIN' IT
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Re: aligning door and fender trouble

You had said the bottom picture was "Before", so its hard for us to give good advice not knowing where things are now. Can you post up pictures of how it is now?
From that bottom picture you originally posted, you need to move the door WAY forward (at least on the top). Its hard to tell the rest due to not being in the picture, to be able to see how it fits the rocker, vertical at the quarter & roof.
If it fits all of the other areas ok then the door is the wrong shape...that upper front gap @ the windshield post simply isnt going to fly. The water would have to pour in as a result & if the back is good then the space for the window HAS to be too small. Twenty, Twenty Five years ago there was some REAL junky parts being sold for these trucks! $39 Fenders & $69 Doors...I remember it well.
As I said in my first post, the upper part of the fender doesnt look the correct shape from the top tip down to the chrome strip & the fender is back too far on the body.
One other thought I have is: "How is the Left side fitting?" Due to the curves in & out of the panel, if the front end (Rad support, frame, ect) is over to the Right, it will "pinch" the door gap since you are making a "V" viewed from the side.
Sure you can cut it to fit. With some skill & a welder its not all that hard BUT that should be quite a ways down on the list of things to do/check. My Two Cents, Lorne
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Old 05-02-2021, 09:20 PM   #7
blazer2007
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Re: aligning door and fender trouble

I took the fender off and put the door where it,s aligned sorta happy, gaps are pretty good. Driver side door is good after I did those door pins , but that side has O.E. doors and fenders. Pass. side has a aftermarket fender. Getting close. Just needed to know where to start and work from there. will post pic later , supper time

Last edited by blazer2007; 05-02-2021 at 09:22 PM. Reason: forgot something
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Old 05-04-2021, 10:35 AM   #8
blazer2007
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Re: aligning door and fender trouble

well I looked around elsewhere on the blazer and put a level on the air cleaner and then checked the front grill rad support on top, [ can,t remember what is called ] and it is down on the pass. side about 1/2 inch. I guess that,s my problem. I,ll take the grill and rad overflow bottle out and see where and why. Thanks for pointing me in a different direction.
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Old 05-12-2021, 10:22 AM   #9
blazer2007
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Re: aligning door and fender trouble

well only 2 upper bolts holding fender on and I,m not running inner fender panels so the grill support had twisted pushing fender down and back. Got all the bolts in ,was a struggle but got it un-twisted and fits alot better. Previous owner probably just put the 2 top ones on in a hurry to get new fender on and forgot to do the rest. Funny thing is I,ve owned this thing for 25 yrs. never thinking it would be a popular vehicle so it has seen many changes.
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