update on Rich's build

[RICH MUISE]

My mentioning the chassis manual reminded me...I've got an illustration showing the clip and a part number if you need it...with a pn, you could call Antique auto supply in Arlington, tx.

[Ford Blue blood]

That would be great Rich, thanks much.

[RICH MUISE]

What's the model no. of your Fairlane...they may differ.
Back to my project...I feel like I fell into a bucket of roses and came up smelling like S.... Not a good day, although not entirely bad. The fender(more aptly offender), lined up great to the door with almost no effort to do so. Gaps and profile are better than expected. The problems are at the front end. This fender had extensive rebuilding done..front cap, headlight surround, lower rear inner and outer. Apparently I got more distortion in the lower leading edge of the fender as that corner has pulled inwards about 1/2. I was having trouble getting the splash guard that mounts under the headlight behind the grille to mate to the fender profile. I had made those 2 guards from scratch, so my initial thought was they were not right, but to double check, I bolted on the long lower splash pan and realized it was the fender. Not sure if I can manipulate it without screwing up the body work and paint.
This is not entirely unexpected, I must admit. I had totally dismantled my car and rebuilt each piece one at a time...not really any way of fit checking. Some of the pieces had extensive rebuilding..even the leading edges of the inner wheel wells were replaced, the ends of the nose piece, and as I mentioned, hand forming the 2 splash panels. Before I started painting I had in the back of my mind I might want a ghost flame job anyway, so if I ended up reworking and repainting the nose of the car, I'd blend it all in with the flames.
A few other problems...my a/c condenser is mounted too low on the radiator, and is interfering with the (long)splash pan, as is the lower a/c line on the other side. Got to do mods to those two. My inner fender needs to be relocated a tad, I can't get the fender bolts in. I suspect that's a normal assembly thing...just no way to know exactly where the inner fender should mount until the fender is on.
Anyway, all of these things need to be corrected before I can finish alighning anything.

[RICH MUISE]

Fender sits on the splash guard.

I just realized I may have misled with the question. I was refering to the two small splash guards that mount under the headlights and behind the grille.

[Ford Blue blood]

Rich I messed up the answer....the splash pan goes under the hinge housing, behind the front bumper pan and over the lip of the fender.  I will post a couple of pics from my Ranchero which has never been apart.

[RICH MUISE]

perfect, and as I suspected. I had made those pans from scratch, so couldn't be 100% sure of the fit, but it was no way close to working if they didn't go behind the fender.
Any chance you could post a pic of the fender where it sits on the long splash pan...almost like your avatar, but from higher up looking down....like in the first pic I'm posting. In my pic, the splash pan is way down in front, so it's not as bad as it looks. second pic shows the A/c line I need to move, and the ps cooler mounted to low. (I think I mispoke earlier and said the AC condenser was too low)
Bill, I need the model number from the Fairlane you need the clips for

[lalessi1]

Here is a picture of mine. Hope it helps. It is an old picture, my splash pan is off the car now. I am trying to align the radiator panel, the headlight panels, and the hood now. I feel your pain.....

[RICH MUISE]

That's what I needed, thanks Lynn. I think I have multiple issues here. I had welded the seam on the splashpan posibly causing it to pull inwards on the back end. Notice mine seems to have a curve to that surface, while yours looks straight matching the fender profile. I just got in from adjusting the inner fender, so now I've got those bolted together....one step at a time.

[Ford Blue blood]

Rich...67B

[RICH MUISE]

I couldn't find a reference to 67B in the trim and sealant manual..checked the 1957ford website, none there either. I scanned and posted the only page that had a windshield trim clip, and it includes the Victoria Town Sedan...57B, so I'm assuming that may be it. I posted it in the diagrams board here. I think it's pn bac-6403178 retainer...3 req'd.

[Ford Blue blood]

Town Victoria is it, yes three!  Thanks, I'll give the a ring and see if they have them.

[RICH MUISE]

Here is a picture of mine. Hope it helps. It is an old picture, my splash pan is off the car now. I am trying to align the radiator panel, the headlight panels, and the hood now. I feel your pain.....

Lynn....I've been fighting this all day..finally got the right fender adjusted pretty well. At least I thought so until I bolted on the long splash pan. The splash pan is out at least an inch beyond the fender. I thought I'd just pull the bottom of the fender out to meet it, but it's not budging. How is this posible, I thought. At this point I'm 98% convinced I have the leading edge of the inner fender well in the wrong position. I brought the subject up before and we discussed it at length, and everyone was of the concenses (sp) that that leading edge went inside the fender as the rest of the wheel well does. It is that nose that is preventing me from rolling out the bottom edge of the fender to meet the splash panel.
If you look at how that wheel well leading edge is formed, it has a relief notch on the top edge that would have no reason to be there except to allow that panel pass to the other side of the fender. It also had a bend originally that I straightened out to get it to go inside the fender.
Decision time....I think I'll move on to the other fender and try positioning that leading edge where I think it's suppose to be and see if it makes a difference before I undo the right fender. At his point I'm tempted to get out my cut off tool.
So, Lynn, where is your wheel well leading edge located....inside the fender, or inside the (radiator panel, nose, grille panel, whatever we call it).

[Ford Blue blood]

If I remember correctly the nose panel has three captured nuts on the inside (side you can see with the hood open), the fender goes against it and the inner is in the wheel well against the fender.  I can shoot a couple of pics tomorrow to be sure.

[lalessi1]

The leading edges of the inner fender are on the wheel side of the front of the headlight panels where they meet the radiator panel on my car. The headlight panels on my car are aftermarket and not well formed or installed, hence my project. I am working on the assumption that the fender line at the hood and the radiator panel joint should be in a straight line/same plane. That seems to be working at this point. I am actually increasing the spacing between the fenders at the front to allow the hood to fit between the fenders. My splash pan and radiator panel are original. I am increasing the fender gap at the front of the hood by maybe a 1/4 or so though. If you are using a stock grill you should fit that too before any repaint. mine is not close to the bottom of the headlight panels. I hope this makes sense and that I understood your question.....

[RICH MUISE]

Bill, I think pics were posted before showing the fender well inside the fender (behind the headlight). Lots can happen over 50+ years. I just don't think at this point that way of assembly is going to work on mine. That leading edge is also keeping the fender from raising up where it needs to be. The inner fender is as high as it can go where it's bolted to the core support, and the hinge is as low as it can go, but the hood is still higher. the fender hits that leading edge of the wheel well keeping it from raising up further.
Lynn..my headlight surround was replaced also, as well as the fender top cap, and the ends of the grille panel. The more I look at it, I don't think I have an issue there, and I should be able to get everything where it needs to be as long as the leading edge isn't inside the fender.
How does your fender/splash pan fit? I don't know id the headlight surround work was done after that pic you posted was taken. With your grille not fitting correctly, it leads me to believe you are having the same issue as me, in that you can't roll the fender out further at the bottom.
You said: "I am working on the assumption that the fender line at the hood and the radiator panel joint should be in a straight line/same plane." No, I don't think so. From front to back, the plane changes right at the leading edge of the hood. At the "radiator panel" it is straight back, but only for that 3 or 4 inches, then it angles off because the hood is wider at the back.