Fender-to-Grille Fit Problem

[DransportGarage]

I bought a used grille and a very good unmolested set of fenders that I assume are '57s based on the trim hole that is in them. They are going on my '55 3100. Here's the problem:



So:
1) Is this normal poor fitment?
2) Did I buy a crummy grille?
3) Are '57 fenders different than '55 fenders?
4) Other?

Thanks for any light you can shed on this sea of darkness...

[Speedbumpauto]

Supposedly the only difference between 55 and 57 fenders is the little flat spot and hole shown in your pic and you need to take care of that before finish body work and paint. That being said, the flat and hole allow the 57 grill to cover up the what needs to be a pretty close tolerance fit between the grill and fender. I had one 57 fender on my truck and didn't know it because of ignorance at the time. Even after the fix of the hole and flat spot, that fender never seemed to fit as sweet as the 55 fender on the other side. Was there a tolerance stack that GM allowed after the design fix? Who knows, but when you get the paint and bodywork done, that little place will only be noticeable to you......and me, since you pointed it out.
PS. The grill is 55-56.

[ghettoluxury]

These were trucks, not much more than tractors with heated cabs. They were not the luxury pickups of modern day. The fitment of panels was not of the same caliber as it is now.

[gale]

Even with my cataracts I see a slightly irregular line on the fender. If it were mine I'd remove the fender and do a little hammer and dolly work to make the line a uniform curve. With the fender out of the way it should be easy to trace the outline of the grill edge to a piece of poster board and then cut it out for a template.

The first cataract goes away next Wednesday so it may look better then.

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by gale

Even with my cataracts I see a slightly irregular line on the fender. If it were mine I'd remove the fender and do a little hammer and dolly work to make the line a uniform curve. With the fender out of the way it should be easy to trace the outline of the grill edge to a piece of poster board and then cut it out for a template.

The first cataract goes away next Wednesday so it may look better then.

Good luck with the cataract surgery. I had both eyes done earlier this year and it was not bad at all.

I noticed that fender line also. Looks like you could do a little metal work and improve the fit a good bit.

[mr48chev]

Having seen what Gale pointed out, I'd say that he and Russel have it right. you should be able to work that area to get the fit a lot better than it is now.

You might want to make a pattern using the grill so you can hold the pattern up to that area of the fender as you work on it to be able to get it to match the grill.

The tolerance may be a bit off from when it was new or someone may have given it a bit of a hammer massage somewhere in it's history to get the 57 grill in a bit easier.

[DransportGarage]

Thanks to all for the quick, informative replies! I sand blasted that fender today and sure enough, it's been hit in the snout. Not bad at all, but enough. Thanks for your experience and the motivation to pound on that sucker!