28-29 repro radiator shell
I bought a 28/29 repro radiator shell about 20 years ago and could never get the hood adjusted to get a consistent gap side to side. I believe it had a "Made in Taiwan" sticker on it when purchased. I am in the middle of shimming the body now to improve the alignment and finally pinpointed just what was wrong with this shell. Looking straight on from the side, the hood can be lined up parallel with the shell on the vertical sides, but at the start of the upper corner radius, the step down is angled forward and meets the back of the radiator neck opening tangentially (if viewed looking straight down at the neck). This creates additional gap that tapers from 1/4" at the neck to 0 at the corner. Comparing this to the original shell on the other car, there is a full 1/4" + between the radiator neck and the step down.
My question : Are the repro shells sold now a closer match an original ?
I really don't want to start another rant about foreign made repro parts. Whoever ponies up the money to have a stamping die machined is free to choose where to have parts manufactured, only I do wish they would spend a little more time checking their product before selling it to us unsuspecting restorers.
BTW, I bought a US made repro door for this car, and even after multiple modifications it still has issues.
Kevin
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