CHASSIS SHEET METAL 11-7
Fig.
6 - Hood Catch and Lock Plate - Chevelle Shown
HOOD CATCH AND LOCK {Fig. 6)
Removal
1.
Remove catch plate assembly by removing screws
retaining catch to radiator support, center support,
and tie bar.
2.
Remove lock plate by removing screws retaining lock
plate to hood and remove lock plate.
Installation
1.
Install lock and catch plate following the removal
procedure in reverse order. Refer to torque speci-
fications in rear of manual for correct torque values.
2.
Adjust lock and catch plate as outlined under adjust^
ment procedure in this section.
FENDER
ASSEMBLY
ROCKER
PANEL
BODY HINGE
PILLAR
VIEW B
Fig.
7 - Fender to Cowl and Rocker Panel Shimming
HOOD TRIM AND INSULATION (Figs. 13 and 14)
Figure 13 shows the installation details of both the
hood ornamentation and insulating pads. The hood em-
blem and molding retaining nuts may be reached from the
underside of the hood panel.
COWL VENT GRILLE (Figs. 1 and 2)
Removal
1.
Raise hood.
2.
Remove windshield wiper arms and disconnect
washer hoses from tubes. Remove screws securing
washer tubes to cowl vent grille. Pull tubes out
from under rubber molding and remove.
3.
Remove cowl vent grille retaining screws.
4.
Leaving rubber molding in place, remove cowl vent
grille from vehicle.
Installation
Install cowl vent grille following removal procedure in
reverse order. Refer to Figure 4 and 5 for correct
sheet metal adjustments.
REAR WHEEL COVER (CAPRICE, AND OPTIONAL
ON OTHER CHEVROLET MODELS EXCEPT
STATION WAGONS)
Removal and Installation
Lift the skirt (fig. 15) retaining lever (at the bottom
inside skirt flange) over the lip of the flange and pull it
downward. Pull the skirt downward and out of the open-
*
ing. To install the skirt: position it inside the opening,
insert the rod into the slot, lift the skirt and attach the
hook to the wheel opening flange. Hold the skirt from
below and behind to assure proper hook attachment then
lift the retaining lever up and into the skirt lip. Check
to insure cover is firmly engaged to fender.
SIMULATED WOOD GRAIN MOULDING
(STATION WAGONS ONLY)
The wood grain transfer film is a vinyl material with
a pressure sensitive adhesive backing. The transfers
are serviced in pre-cut panels. The shelf life of this
material is 90 days at a maximum temperature of
105°
F.
Removal
Remove the mouldings from the affected panel. Re-
move the transfer film by lifting an edge and peeling the
material from the painted surface. Exercise care so as
not to damage the paint.
NOTE: Application of heat to the transfer and
panel with a heat gun or heat lamp will aid in the
removal.
Installation
Preparation of the surface to which the transfer will
be applied is very important. In cases where body metal
repair has been made it is necessary to prime and color
coat these areas to blend with the undamaged surface.
Apply the transfer film to color coated panels only, never
to bare metal or primer. The surface must be free of
any imperfections that may high-light through the film.
Remove dirt nibs and other foreign material in the paint
by light sanding with 600 grit sandpaper.
CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL
CHASSIS SHEET METAL 11-12
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The sturdy front end structure is formed by three
welded assemblies, the left and right hand fender skirts
and the radiator support panel. These units are bolted
together and to the dash panel (fig.
16).
Fender skirts, containing spring towers and support
brackets for control arms, are welded to the reinforced
"closed hat section" side rails. The skirts and rails
are fastened at top and bottom to reinforced areas of the
dash panel. Each skirt and rail assembly is securely
mated ta the body with three bolts at the top, and at the
stub fr|.me butt plates with a four bolt series. Heavy
gauge, formed, reinforcing plates receive the top of the
fender skirt and provide a shimming surface for precise
alignment of front end and body when assembled.
The one-piece radiator support panel completes a box
section when welded to the front crossmember. The
panel is formed to add structural strength and rigidity.
This strong combination is bolted along the full length of
each forward vertical edge of the fender skirts and at
the stub frame ends. Additional strength is obtained from
rigid diagonal corner braces. These open hat section
braces, bolted to side rails and front crossmember,
provide mountings for the suspension tension struts.
Conventional front fenders, grille, bumper and brack-
ets all bolt on to the unit front end structure. The hood
is connected to the front end with hinges that are attached
to the fender skirts.
MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS
" TO •/•"
Fig.
17 - Sheet Metd Adjustment - Chevy II
CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL
CHASSIS SHEET METAL 11-13
HOOD ADJUSTMENT
The alignment of the hood in relation
to*
other sheet
metal parts is controlled by the position of the hood
hinges and the height of the two bumpers, located one at
each end of the radiator support. The adjustments at
the hood latch must be made after the hinges and bumpers
are positioned to yield the dimensions shown in Figure
17.
Latch adjustments are made so that effort required
to open and close the hood is reasonable, and hood align-
ment obtained by hinge and bumper adjustment is main-
tained when the hood is closed. Note that the hood latch
is not designed or intended to correct basic hood align-
ment faults.
To align the hood and lock, proceed as follows:
HOOD HINGE (Fig. 18)
1.
Note that the mounting holes in the body-mounted
end of the hinge are slotted to provide up and down
movement of the hood assembly while the hood
mounted end is slotted to provide fore and aft move-
ment.
2.
Scribe a mark around the entire hinge plate which
will be involved in the adjustment.
3.
Loosen the appropriate screws and shift the position
of the hood on the hinge plate the approximate amount
to correct misalignment, using the scribed marks to
check amount of movement. Check condition of ad-
justment by tightening cap screws and closing hood.
Fig.
18 - Hood Hinge - Chevy II
Fig.
19 - Hood Lock, Catch and Support - Chevy II
HOOD BUMPERS
Hood bumpers must be adjusted until hood and fender
line up as shown in Figure 17.
HOOD CATCH AND LOCK (Fig. 19)
Hood lock plate mounting holes are slotted to provide
fore and aft adjustment of the hood lock bolt. The hood
lock bolt itself is adjustable for up and down positioning
of the lock bolt head so that its proper engagement in the
latch assembly may be provided for. The distance that
the lock bolt protrudes out of the lock plate should be
adjusted so that the hood bumpers are slightly com-
pressed by the fully latched hood and so that the effort
required to release the hood catch is reasonable.
FENDER ADJUSTMENT (Figs. 17 and 20)
DO NOT CHANGE SKIRT ASSEMBLY-TO-DASH SHIM-
MING IN AN EFFORT TO ADJUST THE DOOR-TO-
FENDER GAP OR ANY OTHER SHEET METAL AP-
PEARANCE ITEM.
The front fenders are shimmed independently of the
skirt assemblies, unlike conventional- vehicles on which
almost the entire front end sheet metal assembly is
shimmed and adjusted as a unit.
Figure 20 shows the locations of front fender shims.
1.
The rocker panel extension location allows adjust-
ment to make fender outer surface flush with door
outer surface.
2.
The upper or plenum chamber location provides a
means of adjusting fender upper surface so that it
is flush with the upper surface of the cowl.
3.
The locations atop the skirt assembly are shimmed
to close the gap created between the fender mounting
flange and skirt assembly when the plenum chamber
CHEVROLET CHASSIS SWVICE MANUAL
CHASSIS SHEET METAL 11-14
location is shimmed; thus keeping the fender mount-
ing bolts from crushing in the fender mounting
flange.
If shimming is done without the fenders being disas-
asembled, it is suggested that fender mounting bolts
rearward of radiator support be loosened while shims
are inserted and sheet metal fit is checked. Tighten
shimmed mounting bolts first, then all others.
COMPONENT PART REPLACEMENT
BATTERY TRAY (FIG. 21)
Removal
1.
Disconnect battery cables.
2.
Remove screw retaining battery hold down clamp.
3.
Remove battery from vehicle.
4.
Remove screws retaining tray assembly to fender
skirt and support, and remove tray from vehicle.
Installation
Reverse removal procedure.
RADIATOR SUPPORT (FIG. 22)
Removal
1.
Remove grille and related components (Section 13).
Remove battery tray as outlined in this section.
Remove shroud attaching screws and remove shroud
if vehicle is so equipped.
Remove horn relay, horns, voltage regulator, and
wiring harness from radiator support.
Remove shroud and radiator (Section 13)o
Remove screws attaching radiator support to frame,
skirts,
fenders.
Remove radiator support from vehicle (fig. 23).
Installation
1.
Position radiator support in vehicle; align mounting
screw and bolt holes with drift punch.
Install screws and bolts loosely until all are started,
then tighten.
3.
Complete installation following removal procedure in
reverse order. Refer to torque specifications at rear
of manual for correct torque values.
4.
Aim headlamps as outlined in Section 12.
FRONT FENDER ASSEMBLY
Removal
1*
Remove headlamp dooro
2.
Open hood and remove screws joining fender top
2.
Fig. 20 - Front Fender Shimming
Fig.
21 - Battery Tray
flange to skirt. Remove, and record number of
shims at first cap screw forward of windshield (fig.
24).
3.
Remove screw located on upper surface of headlamp
cavity.
4.
From under forward end of fender, remove screw
retaining fender to radiator support.
5.
From inboard side of rocker panel extension, remove
cap screw retaining fender to extension. Remove,
and record number of shims.
6. Separate headlamp filler panel from fender by re-
moving remaining screws.
7.
Remove fender from vehicle.
Installation
1.
Inspect condition of cowl-to-fender seal and replace,
if necessary, as shown in Figure 25.
2.
Install headlamp filler panel on fender.
3.
Position fender on vehicle. Note that eowl-to-fender
seal must be positioned so that outer edge points
toward front of vehicle. Align all mounting screw
and bolt holes with drift punch and install all screws
and bolts loosely. Do not tighten any screws or bolts
until all are started. Refer to removal rocedure
for screw and bolt locations.
4.
Replace shims taken out when fender was removed
from vehicle and continue as outlined under Main-
tenance and Adjustments—Fender Adjustment.
5.
Install headlamp door and cheek headlamp aiming
as outlined in Section 12.
CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL
CHASSIS SHEET METAL 11-15
FRONT FENDER TRIM
If fender spear molding is to be replaced without re-
moving fender from vehicle, proceed as follows:
1.
Perform Operations 2 and 5 only of Front Fender
Assembly—Removal.
2.
Pull rear* end of fender away from body far enough
to insert a short piece of 2 x 4 between lower rear
corner of fender and rocker panel extension.
3.
It should now be possible to gain access to first and
second retaining nuts forward of rear end of fender.
All other nuts can be reached from front wheel
opening.
SKIRT ASSEMBLY
Removal
1.
Remove hood and hinge assemblies as outlined in
this section.
2.
Remove grille and radiator support as outlined in
Section ia.
3.
Remove fender assembly as outlined in this section.
4.
Raise car from floor and place jack stands under
rocker panel extension.
5.
Remove suspension bumper support, shock absorber,
front spring and stabilizer link as outlined in Section
3.
6. If removing left skirt assembly, remove steering
gear mounting bolts, power steering hose clamp (if
so equipped) and outer (left) clutch cordon shaft
bracket (if so equipped).
7.
Remove tie rod ball stud from steering arm as out-
lined in Section 9.
8. Support engine and remove engine mount cushion as
outlined in Section 6.
9. Remove spring clip from brake line junction which
passes through skirt and remove junction from skirt
(see Section 5).
10.
Remove four bolts retaining front crossmember to
skirt.
11.
Remove four bolts retaining skirt assembly to dash
front brace. Remove 3 bolts retaining upper end of
skirt to dash (fig. 26); record shims removed.
12.
Remove skirt assembly with remaining suspension
parts attached as shown in Figure 27.
13.
Suspension parts may be detached as outlined in
Section 3.
Fig.
22 - Radiator Support Assembly
CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL
CHASSIS SHEET METAL 11-18
b.
Check and adjust front wheel alignment as out-
lined in Section 3.
c. Check and adjust headlamp aiming as outlined in
Section 12.
HOOD ASSEMBLY
Hood may be removed either with or without hinges.
To shorten aligning time, hood hinge plates may be lo-
cated by scribing a mark on hood and/or body which
outlines entire plate. See Maintenance and Adjustments -
Hood Hinge for hood adjustment procedure. Hood hinge
springs may be easily and safely removed and installed.
through the use of Tool J-9559 as follows:
1.
With hood opened only far enough to allow passage of
mechanic's arm between hood and fender, insert ends
of J-9559 (through bolt removed) between coils of
spring until barrel of tool contacts outer diameter
of spring.
2.
Open hood fully while still holding spring (with tool
installed) in hand; when hood is near fully opened
position, spring may be removed as shown in Figure
28.
3.
As soon as spring is removed, insert long bolt sup-
plied with J-9559 through holes in end of tool, pass-
ing it through spring, and install nut on bolt.
Spring may be removed from J-9559 or J-9559 may be
installed in a new spring by the following method:
1.
Place a closed 6 or 8 inch "C" clamp in a vise or
fasten it to a heavy bench top (bench should be fas-
tened to floor).
2.
Hook one end of spring in clamp and the other end
in hook of a hoist as shown in Figure 29.
3.
Stretch the spring enough to allow insertion of
J-9559. Install through bolt if spring is not to be
installed on hinge at once.
HOOD CATCH AMD LOCK (Fig. 19)
Removal
1.
Remove catch assembly as follows:
a. Remove screws retaining catch assembly to radi-
ator support.
b.
Remove screws retaining catch assembly to catch
support assembly.
c* Remove screws retaining catch assembly to grille
upper bar.
2.
Before removing hood lock plate from hood, locate
position on hood by scribing around base of lock
plate. Remove screws retaining lock plate to hood
and remove lock plate from vehicle.
Installation
1.
Install both catch and lock assemblies in reverse
order of removal procedure.
2.
Align as outlined under Maintenance and Adjust-
ments - Hood Catch.
HOOD TRIM
Crown Molding
Hood crown molding is retained by clips installed on
underside of hood. Clips may be removed by carefully
pressing them off molding mounting studs with screw
driver.
When installing a new molding, force clips onto mount-
ing studs as far as possible and then clench clips with
long-nosed pliers to eliminate gap between molding and
hood, as shown in Figure 30.
Emblem
The hood emblem is retained by four nuts which are
accessible from under the hood.
COWL VENT GRILLE
The cowl vent grille replacement procedure for Chevy
U is the same as for Chevrolet and Chevelle. Refer to
Chevrolet and Chevelle Cowl Vent Grille replacement
procedure and see Figure 16.
FRONT END ASSEMBLY
The Chevy n front end body design allows for removal
of the entire front end of the vehicle without disassembly
of front suspension of sheet metal. One man may remove
and transport the front end assembly using only a floor
jack placed under the crossmember and the vehicle front
wheels. Figure 31 illustrates the assembly in process
of removal with jack stand in position under rocker panel.
Proceed with removal
as.
follows:
Removal
1.
Remove hood assembly as outlined in this section.
2.
Remove engine assembly as outlined in Section 6.
On 4 cylinder models, replace crossmember.
3.
Raise car from floor and install jack stands as
shown in Figure 31.
4.
Remove pitman arm from steering gear as outlined
in Section 9.
5.
Remove steering gear mounting bolts from skirt
assembly.
6. Remove 4 bolts securing each skirt assembly to
lower dash brace.
7.
Remove fender-to-rocker extension mounting screws
and record shimming.
8. Remove brake hydraulic line and fuel line from right
hand skirt.
9. Position floor jack or equivalent under front cross-
member.
10.
Remove hydraulic line from main cylinder.
11.
Remove fender-to-cowl mounting screws and record
shimming.
12.
Remove upper skirt-to-dash mounting screws and
record shimming.
13.
Remove front end from vehicle as shown in Figure
31.
Inspection
If car has been involved in a collision, it is advisable
to carefully inspect cowl and dash area for damage. Pay
particular attention to welds, cage nuts, weld nuts and
skirt mounting surfaces. Cage and weld nuts may be
repaired by outright replacement (the best method), or
by the installation of spiral thread inserts. If the spiral
inserts are used, follow the instructions furnished by the
manufacturer. -
Installation
%, position front end assembly at upper dash mounts
and lower dash support, align screw holes with drift
punch and install all mounting screws and bolts
loosely; do not tighten until all screws and bolts are
started. Replace original shimming.
CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL
CHASSIS SHEET METAL 11-20
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Camaro sheet metal components are much the
same as other Chevrolet passenger models as shown in
Figure 32. The front end design is such that servicing
of the fenders and skirts is most efficiently performed
by removing the fender and skirt as an assembly. Refer
to Section 14 for bumper service procedures, Section 13
for radiator and grille, and Section 1A for air condition-
ing components.
MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS
HOOD ADJUSTMENT
The Camaro hood is adjusted in the conventional man-
ner, by adjustment of the hood bumpers and hinges. The
two hood bumpers are located on each side at the top of
the radiator support. Do not attempt hood latch adjust-
ments until the hinges and bumpers are correctly ad-
justed. Latch adjustments are made so that effort re-
quired to open and close the hood is reasonable, and
hood alignment obtained by hinge and bumper adjust-
ment is maintained when the hood is closed. Note that
the hood latch is not designed to correct basic hood mis-
alignment.
HOOD HINGE (Fig. 33)
NOTE: The body mounted portion of the hood
hinges are slotted to provide up and down move-
ment. The hood mounted end is slotted to pro-
vide forward and rearward movement.
1.
Scribe a. line around the entire. hinge plate to be
repositioned.
2.
Loosen the appropriate screws and shift the position
of the hood into correct alignment using the scribe
marks to check amount of movement. Check align-
ment by tightening screws and closing the hood.
HOOD BUMPERS
Adjust hood bumpers so that hood top surface is flush
with fender and header panel top surfaces. See Figure
34 for correct sheet metal adjustment dimensions.
HOOD CATCH AND LOCK (Fig. 35)
Adjust hood lock bolt so that top surface of hood is
flush with top surface'of header panel. The distance that
the lock bolt protrudes out of the lock plate should be
adjusted so that the hood bumpers are slightly com-
pressed by the fully latched hood, and effort required
to release the hood catch is reasonable. Close the hood
and insure catch engages securely.
FENDERS
Fenders are adjustable with shims at the cowl and
rocker panel. To add or remove shims, loosen bolts
Fig. 33 - Hood Hinge - Camaro
at shim locations (fig. 36) and carefully apply force with
pry bar to provide clearance for shim removal or in-
stallation.
SHEET METAL
For proper operation of doors and hood, and for pre-
sentable appearance, adjust front sheet metal to the di-
mensions shown in Figure 34.
COMPONENT PART REPLACEMENT
NOTE: When replacing sheet metal compo-
nents on Camaro, note position and attachment
of all seals and dust shielding and replace if
necessary.
BATTERY TRAY
Removal
1.
Disconnect battery cables and remove battery from
vehicle.
2.
Remove screws securing battery tray to fender skirt
and radiator support.
3.
Remove battery tray from vehicle.
Installation
Install battery tray following removal procedure in
reverse order.
RADIATOR SUPPORT
Removal
1.
Raise hood, disconnect battery cables, and remove
battery.
2.
Remove front bumper (Section 14).
3.
Remove grille and related components (Section 13).
4.
Disconnect horns, horn relay, voltage regulator,
CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL
ELECTRICAL-BODY AND CHASSIS 12-5
Fig.
8—Turning Level Adjusting Screw to Calibrate Aimer
HEADLAMP PANEL TRAVEL ADJUSTMENT
Corvette (Fig. 9)
The headlamp panel travel is limited by two adjusting
screws which are located on the arms of the shaft
mounted stop.
Fig.
9—Headlamp Panel Travel Adjusting Screw
1.
Raise hood and as a safety precaution install a bolt
through the hole in the hood support - secure bolt
with a nut.
2.
Adjusting screw (A) limits headlamp panel travel in
open position - adjust this screw so that mounting
face of panel is within 2 degrees of vertical in the
fully open position.
NOTE: Each headlamp operates independently
of the other, therefore individual adjustment is
required for each panel.
3.
Adjusting screw (B) limits headlamp panel travel in
closed position - adjust this screw so that panel is
flush to upper body panel in the fully closed position.
4.
Lock both screws by tightening lock nut against stop.
5.
Remove safety bolt as installed in Step 1 and close
the hood.
SERVICE OPERATIONS
FRONT LIGHTING
HEADLAMP REPLACEMENT (Figs. 10 and 13)
1.
On Corvette and Camaro Rally Sport models, rotate
the headlamp panel to the open position.
2.
Remove headlamp bezel retaining screws and remove
bezel. On Chevrolet, Chevelle and Camaro models
lift bezel to disengage retaining tabs from slots in
filler panel.
3.
On Chevy n models remove three retaining ring at-
taching screws. On other models disengage spring
from the retaining ring and remove two attaching
screws.
4.
Remove retaining ring, disconnect sealed beam unit
at wiring connector and remove the unit.
5.
Attach connector to replacement unit and position
unit in place making sure the number molded into the
lens face is at the top.
NOTE: In the dual headlamp installation the
inboard unit (NO. 1) takes a double connector, the
outboard unit (No. 2) takes a triple connector
plug.
6. Position retaining ring into place and install the re-
taining ring attaching screws and spring (as
applicable).
7.
Check operation of unit and install the headlamp
bezel.
PARKING LAMP REPLACEMENT
Bulb
1.
Remove two lens retaining screws and disengage lens
from housing.
2.
Replace bulb, check operation of lamp, reinstall lens
and retaining screws.
Lamp Housing
Chevrolet, Chevelle and Chevy II (Figs. 10 and 11)
1.
Disconnect lamp wire assembly in-line connector
from wiring harness.
CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL