55.2-59 1957 driver side front fender hanging low? What to do.

[Darafayen]

Hey guys, I was putting together a 57 Chevy truck I got and the front fender seems to hang down about .750 (3/4) of an inch below the door rocker, I cant raise it up other wise the body line with the door isnt right. What do you guys think may be the issue? I'm not sure if it's the original fender to the truck or not the truck wasn't assembled all the way when I bought it. If I order a new one that's been re popped might I run into the same issue or worse? Any ideas please let me know, and if anyone has any pictures of their front fenders and doors lined up and could post them, that would be amazing!! Thanks for the help.

[MiraclePieCo]

I know a professional street rod builder who builds some of the most prestigious vehicles in the nation. His motto is, "If it looks right, it is right." When I've had similar issues with disparate parts not aligning I start cutting metal until it does align. To identify the location of the actual problem I have hung and measured as many as fifty plumb bobs on a front clip. In my case I found that multiple 1/16" disparities all conspired to equal a very visible 3/4" misalignment. Then I broke out the cutting disc and went to work bringing them together. Good luck.

[Darafayen]

Yeah I wasnt sure about cutting and moving it, just because of the shape of that bottom corner. Being tapered like that, getting it to look right doesnt seem like a lot of fun.

[dsraven]

sometimes the rocker or step has been replaced over the years or maybe the hinge pillar etc etc or maybe the step was bent up at some point. check the weatherstrip fitment on the door bottom and perimeter of the door and if the general fitment of the door, against the window bend and the cowl part-roof line etc is good then maybe shorten the fender or move the rocker down some. maybe the step or rocker was replaced and welded on too far up. maybe the fender you have was reshaped at some point as well. was it on the truck before or new aftermarket stuff or maybe new to you but old fender? when they put these trucks together way back it was sort of an individual fitment deal. there was a jig but they didn't need to fit awesome becuase they were work units, not really a luxury or daily driver thing. that means each door and cab would fit differently. I have several doors here for my 57 and each one fits differently. fenders too. I find the fenders have a big discrepancy around the cowl and door upper edge fitment. some the fenders seems to be cut off fo a different angle and door fitment at the top rear.
anyway, make sure it's all good then cut and fit as required.

-check the frame to ensure it is square and not sagged. corner to corner measurement, down the middle with a stringline or laser to ensure no "wow", string or laser to check for sag
-make sure the cab mounts and structure is all good, hinge pillars and cowls etc so you know the cab is solid and the doors will be solid once hung on the hinges. as you likely know these cabs were known for plugging the cowl drain and then water would build up and run out on the floor causing the front cab mounts and hinge pillars/inner cowls to rot out. if you notice the floor seems to sag down at the front it could be because the cab mounts are rotten and the floor is trying to hold up the weight of the firewall and front section of the cab.
-fit the cab to the frame with new mounts
-ensure the hinges are in good shape and no sag is allowed
-ensure the doors are in good shape. they are known to have issues with the hinge mounting brackets inside the door becoming rusted out or the area cracked around them. once that is established to be all good, fit the doors to the cab so the body lines are good and they fit good all around and will seal on the weatherstripping
-install the rad support with new mounts
-hang the fenders and other front clip parts and when assembled loosely run a string from the front body line start at the headlight to the rear of the cab. the body line should line up. if not shim the fender off the cab at the rear upper fender mount to get things right. the fender shims under the rear upper mount, the cab shims under the front mounts. front inner fender rear lower edges have a mount on the lower part of the firewall. it's rubber mounted but really doesn't take any weight and isn't for alignment purposes in my mind.

if you think of it as 2 parts mounted off 3 mounts it is easier to understand. rear mount is solid so it becomes the hinge point for the rest. front mount is shimmable but only takes the front end upwards more. center mount under the front of the cab does most of the alignment work. door needs to fit the cab first, then the fenders go on and get adjusted, then the hood. if you shim the rear mounts then you will also need to shim the entire box so it also sits taller to match the cab.

hope that helps