Paint and Body GT front bumper cover alignment

[junkyardwarrior]

'92 GT. Had the bumper cover off for about 3 months while doing some other stuff (radiator, a/c, etc). I just unbolted the cover from the fenders and slid the whole thing off, fiberglass and all. Reinstalling now and I have the tops lined up with the hood line and top of the fender on both sides, also mostly aligned at the bottom but in the middle-the bumper cover is about 1/4" "too wide" on each side. It's almost as if the fenders width "shrunk". I can't for the life of me figure out how to realign it. You guys got any ideas?

 

[Wayne Waldrep]

The bumper cover assembly is very flexible. The holes in the fender normally have extra clearance so you can move it around for that very reason. If the top body lines are lined up then lock those down for now and just mash the side in with your hand. It helps to have the next fasteners snugged up so they will kinda stay in place when you mash. It may take a good bit of moving to get it just right. If it absolutely won't go then you could clearance one or more holes in the fender but I've never once had to do that.

 

[JKWilson61]

After having gone through this same type of issue several months back (though with a new bumper cover), I can add only a little here. Wayne hit most of it in his reply. DEFINITELY start at the top. What I can add is to loosen the radiator support to fender brace on one end and totally disconnect the other end. You can still access it from under the car once the bumper cover is in place. Follow Wayne's suggestions and when done THEN reconnect and tighten down the support brace. I'd also suggest a helper to hold the cover in alignment while you tighten the retaining nuts. The support brace tip was given to me by the owner of the late model Mustang salvage yard where I bought a few parts and it proved to be very helpful. Good luck!

 

[junkyardwarrior]

I knocked it out yesterday with the help of the neighbor guy. It would NOT budge, he had to put some serious force against it to get it move, but when it popped loose, it was pretty easy. It's not perfect but really close...body & paint guys can finish it up from there. I guess the cover was kinda stuck to the fiberglass. I thought maybe he broke the glass, but no. At least I don't see anything wrong with it.