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I bout a 2000 trans am from a guy that I know with 78k on it
he only put in about 500 miles in 8 years
so what really bugs the hell out of me is the hood not lining up with the pumper.
Some panels seem to have gaps that are larger than the other side
this car was in a accident I believe because the paint underneath is red and it appears in some spots
also on the whole inside of the front bumper.
You can tell the original color by a quick check of the RPOs. If it was originally black, you will see the code "41U" (bright red was 81U.) Though it's certainly possible that used parts were obtained to rebuild various sections after an accident. Carfax might be clean, but the event may not have been reported.
Body panel gaps aren't always perfect on these cars from the factory, but they shouldn't be off by huge amounts either. Besides collision repair, other explanations for excessively poor gaps include bent lower fender mounting tabs (super common problem, being jacked up improperly just one time can and will bend these, causing fender alignment issues) and hood bumpers/stoppers that have been screwed out of adjustment or that are missing (there are four under the hood, two up front and two behind the headlights near the fenders.)
It looks more to me that the front bumper / fender is the cause of the issue and not the hood.
I've never removed the front bumper on a F-Body, although I did on a G35 and also the rear bumper on my 99 z28... They don't always go back on cleanly I'm afraid. They're pretty difficult to align.
It looks more to me that the front bumper / fender is the cause of the issue and not the hood.
I've never removed the front bumper on a F-Body, although I did on a G35 and also the rear bumper on my 99 z28... They don't always go back on cleanly I'm afraid. They're pretty difficult to align.
This. I havent removed an f-body bumper but have removed many, back in the day when I worked in a bodyshop. Clips get broken, lost, etc. It could be as simple as that. You might be able to pay a body shop to just take it off and look at what is going on cheaply. Or you can try yourself. I'm sure there is plenty of info out there. For the amount of intercoolers that are stuffed into these things I would think that we would see more mis-aligned bumpers but they all seem to fit pretty good so it can't be that bad to get them off and on.
Look for shims under the fender bolts. If they had to shim a panel somewhere it could mean that the car isn't straight anymore. Then it's more difficult.
If you are worried about that kind of stuff you probably shouldn't own an fbody. The gaps on an fbody were **** from the factory. I am very particular about gaps like you and will usually spend 8-10hrs just getting the gaps all to 3/16. But this is what I do for a living so it doesn't cost me anything.
If you are worried about that kind of stuff you probably shouldn't own an fbody. The gaps on an fbody were **** from the factory. I am very particular about gaps like you and will usually spend 8-10hrs just getting the gaps all to 3/16. But this is what I do for a living so it doesn't cost me anything.
I'm sure he was only expressing concern. Yea our cars don't have the best fender alignment but surely he was only trying to see if there was something wrong or if there was anything he could do about it.. ..If it were me I'd take it to a body shop. I've dealt with font bumpers before and they are a pain.
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Please Help! Hood appearance! 
