Help With Carbon Fiber Alignment
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,281
Likes: 119
More than likely your part is not as precise as the OEM version. It is veeeeeeeery rare that an aftermarket body panel fits as well as the OEM equivalent.
Aligning any body panel can be a bit tricky.
Here is the method I use:
You need another person helping you. Go buy some basa wood shims or make some from balsa wood (Hobby Lobby) and two metal rulers. Peel the cork wood backing off of the rulers so that they can sit flush on the body panels. A wooden or plastic ruler is too thick and will create a margin or error just from looking at it from a funny angle.
Hand tighten the bolts that hold it to the hood hinges. Lower the hood and close it all the way into the latch. Start at the front of the hood and and measure the gap between the hood and the bumper on your side of the front and your buddy needs to do the same on his. At this point, your goal is to move the hood forward or back. You are not yet worried about its side to side placement. Slide the hood as necessary until you both have even gaps as indicated by your rulers. You want the bolts to be just tight enough that you can move the hood around but it will have enough fiction to stay put once you stop pushing. Once you have the gap at the front squared away, place some balsa wood shims between the front of the hood and the bumper so that it does not slide forward and screw up your work.
Now, repeat the same basic process for the side gaps. You each take a side and move the hood slightly as necessary until you have the same gap on either side. Again, add some shims to keep it in place.
At this point, I usually use a small dab of hot glue to hold the shims to the bumper or fenders. If you use a shitty $1.99 hot glue gun, the glue will ever get hot enough to stick to your paint and it will come off easily.
Now that your shims are locked into place, very carefully pop the hood latch and raise the hood just high enough to slide your arm under and torque the nuts on the hinge. Do not fully tighten the nuts. One person holds the hood open while the other torques the nuts on both sides. Just make them slightly tighter than hand tight. The reason for this is that as you torque the nuts, the hood will slide around a bit and screw up your alignment. You want to torque them slightly, lower the hood and let your shims reset its alighnment, raise the hood and torque some more, lower again, etc etc. It should be done in incremental stages.
Once you get it properly aligned and fully tightened down, Raise the hood and take a small drill bit and electric drill and drill through the hinge and into the underside of the hood. The next time you have to align it, all you have to do is still a nail or pin in that hole and it will tell you where the hood needs to sit on the hinge.
This is the method that I developed through trial and error but there may be better methods out there.
Aligning any body panel can be a bit tricky.
Here is the method I use:
You need another person helping you. Go buy some basa wood shims or make some from balsa wood (Hobby Lobby) and two metal rulers. Peel the cork wood backing off of the rulers so that they can sit flush on the body panels. A wooden or plastic ruler is too thick and will create a margin or error just from looking at it from a funny angle.
Hand tighten the bolts that hold it to the hood hinges. Lower the hood and close it all the way into the latch. Start at the front of the hood and and measure the gap between the hood and the bumper on your side of the front and your buddy needs to do the same on his. At this point, your goal is to move the hood forward or back. You are not yet worried about its side to side placement. Slide the hood as necessary until you both have even gaps as indicated by your rulers. You want the bolts to be just tight enough that you can move the hood around but it will have enough fiction to stay put once you stop pushing. Once you have the gap at the front squared away, place some balsa wood shims between the front of the hood and the bumper so that it does not slide forward and screw up your work.
Now, repeat the same basic process for the side gaps. You each take a side and move the hood slightly as necessary until you have the same gap on either side. Again, add some shims to keep it in place.
At this point, I usually use a small dab of hot glue to hold the shims to the bumper or fenders. If you use a shitty $1.99 hot glue gun, the glue will ever get hot enough to stick to your paint and it will come off easily.
Now that your shims are locked into place, very carefully pop the hood latch and raise the hood just high enough to slide your arm under and torque the nuts on the hinge. Do not fully tighten the nuts. One person holds the hood open while the other torques the nuts on both sides. Just make them slightly tighter than hand tight. The reason for this is that as you torque the nuts, the hood will slide around a bit and screw up your alignment. You want to torque them slightly, lower the hood and let your shims reset its alighnment, raise the hood and torque some more, lower again, etc etc. It should be done in incremental stages.
Once you get it properly aligned and fully tightened down, Raise the hood and take a small drill bit and electric drill and drill through the hinge and into the underside of the hood. The next time you have to align it, all you have to do is still a nail or pin in that hole and it will tell you where the hood needs to sit on the hinge.
This is the method that I developed through trial and error but there may be better methods out there.
Trending Topics
me too but with water luckily!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
unclefester24
California - Southern California S2000 Owners
8
Mar 28, 2011 07:45 PM