'41 Pickup hood/grille fit

[Roger/Sacramento]

Got the hood, fender, cab to a fair fit but, the Bob Drake grille and hood gap is about 3/8". Could it be that the grille is a little short ? Anybody else have this condition ? I wonder if I elongated the mounting holes in the fenders some and rotated the grille up if that is a reasonable solution. I could add a piece of made up trim to fill the gap. Don't like doing hookie solutions to make things work. I converted the hood trim from '41 to '40 but that wouldn't change the hood size.

[kp4150]

Roger, I'm no expert as I'm working on my first 40/41 pickup project, but from what I've read, your solution is exactly what's called for in this situation. I'm in the same boat as you ... in the fit-up stages of my pickup hood and fenders. I'm still fussing with the hood but I've elongated the fender mounting holes (including the inner panel hole where it bolts to the frame) to accommodate final adjustments. I also made some brackets (sort of like those sold by Bob Drake) that affix to the frame and help hold the inner fender panel in a fixed position once adjusted. Here's the address to one of the discussions about fitting up the front sheet metal: http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66671 the thread was called 40 Ford Coup Hood Alignment. Good luck. -Ken

[Roger/Sacramento]

My last project was a 40 Coupe and it went together very well. The passenger cars are totally different than the pickups.

[okiedokie]

My Drake grill in my 40 std coupe fit very well. Now getting the hood and fenders properly aligned was challenging to say the least. After doing the best I could I took it to a local body guy and he refined it, now all is good.

[41PICUP]

Hang the hood first, get a good fit across the cowl, the fit the fenders and grill. Shim as needed. Takes time........................

[40Dave]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Just completed this project on my 40 pickup. What a fight, took some major rework. The 40 has trim on the front lip of hood which fills in some of the gap and hides the upper mounting screws.

[Roger/Sacramento]

40dave.....do you have a picture to show how yours looks? Thanks

[41LjH]

This is just a theory, because the painter hasn't done my hood yet, but maybe the Lower Front hood trim (11C-8264/5) was put on the 41 to correct the alignment problems with the 40 hood. After all this was only a 2 year body style for the truck and a one year for the car. I checked and it is possible to move the trim down a little and this maybe to cover the gap you have.Could someone with a 41 truck that is complete can check to see if the trim stands proud of the bottom of the hood. I know this will not correct your problem, but it might explain why it happened. Like you, other than the extra holes, I think the hoods are identical. Good luck!!

[41PICUP]

Roger, here are some pictures of my 41.

[Roger/Sacramento]

Another issue I have been struggling with is the chrome plated hinges that hold the hood to the cab. When I would open the hood the hinges would slip some and when I would close the hood the alignment was off some. Adjusting the hood again and tightening the bolts very tight did no good. Each time the hood would go out of alignment. I bought the chome because the black was not available. I located the original hinges and put them back on. Problem solved....not too tight and opens easily and stays in adjustment. The chromed hinges are all galled up......don't recommend using chrome parts that rub against each other.

[Roger/Sacramento]

I managed to close the gap to a satisfactory position. Drilled out the mounting holes larger and used smaller bolts. This allowed me to move the grill up to where it is in the picture. Masking tape with a mark for reference shows how much adjustment was made. I might buy the stainless trim that mounts to the bottom of the hood and that would hide the gap a little. My many hours of messing with the hood and grill are over. Good thing I don't have a dog or it would have run away from home to avoid being kicked many times. LOL