When we last updated you on American Modern’s progress on The Build, the crew was tackling the damaged firewall and planning to piece in a less damaged piece to make the car whole again. While that’s still in the works, the crew turned to aligning the body this week so that door gaps, fender gaps and everything in between are just how they’re supposed to be. Check out the progress in the video above.
There’s nothing worse on a classic car than non-uniform body gaps. Okay, we could name some things that are worse, but awkward body gaps stick out like a sore thumb even on the nicest vehicles out there, so it’s important to get them right! That’s why claims specialist Rick Drewry and his helpers took some time on their project to make sure the spacing on the Malibu SS’s body panels were correct.
Using a frame puller, the crew of The Build pulled the firewall forward on both the drivers and passenger sides, lining up the doors so they were straight and featured enough of a gap in order to be adjusted. From there, the crew moved on to the front fenders which presented a bit of a problem on the drivers side since the firewall is still pretty tweaked from the car’s previous run-in with a brick wall.
With a little bit of finesse and some more pulling, we’re sure that the front fender gaps will both turn out great, and then its off to the rotisserie for some serious project movement. Be sure to check back next week to see what The Build has in store for the 1965 Malibu next.