Hood Adjustment - First step question

[ebg338]

I've been reading through the various hood adjustment threads and trying to come up with a sensible approach. My 95 viper has ~1/2 inch gap between the front fascia and the hood (in front of the wheels, just behind the headlights). It's the same on both sides. The front of the hood to the fascia is fine (very slightly below the fascia but not much) and the gaps / alignment at the doors is good. Car has never been in a wreck.

My question is what is the most sensible starting point for the adjustment? Could the rubber stops at the front be pushing up causing the hood to bow up or should I look to adjust the hinges first. Begin with the fascia?

Sorry as I know this has been discussed a lot but before diving in I was hoping someone might have a recommendation on the first step to try - just don't want to rush in and muck things up.

Thanks

 

[WSAYERS80]

Inside your wheel wells there is a bracket with 4 bolts. 2 are connected to the Radiator housing assembly which is the main frontend component and the other two are connected to the Chasis. Try loosening the two chasis bolts on the side that is giving you issues and adjusting from there. Make small adjustments. Also maybe post a photo so we can see where the issue might lie..

Bill

 

[ViperJohn]

Aligning the hood can be like playing with a Rubik's cube. Post some pics before you start messing with it. You may just be able to adjust the front fascia to take care of your concerns.

 

[ebg338]

Here's a pic of the driver's side. Passenger's side is basically identical.

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[WSAYERS80]

Hey John what do you think of that? The hood bumpers are actually Inside now where near the issue. You may need to Adjust and lower the hood latches then re- align the front bumper cover.

 

[ViperJohn]

I need to see more pictures. From what I can see, the hood and front fascia align nicely between the headlights. I would like to see pictures how well the hood aligns by the doors and above the sills. Even some shots of the whole hood would be helpful. On some of the Gen 1's I thought they intentionally lowered the front fascia on the sides because the hood would catch the fascia and chip away at the paint.

 

[ebg338]

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Here's a shot of the hood to door alignment, same on both sides.

 

[ViperJohn]

For some reason the original pic won't load anymore, however based on what I have seen, it appears that I would loosen the bolts holding the front fascia to inner wheel well. Then try lifting the fascia up to see if you can close the gap up. You will probably need two people, one to hold fascia in place while the other tightens bolts. Based on my memory of your first image, I would also look into raising the headlights up a bit. Doing that would also allow the front fascia come up a bit on the sides as well as close down the gap between the top of the headlights and your hood.

When you hood is closed and presumeably latched, what happens when you gently push down on hood? Does it compress down further or hold its ground?

 

[GhostStalker27]

For some reason the original pic won't load anymore, however based on what I have seen, it appears that I would loosen the bolts holding the front fascia to inner wheel well. Then try lifting the fascia up to see if you can close the gap up. You will probably need two people, one to hold fascia in place while the other tightens bolts. Based on my memory of your first image, I would also look into raising the headlights up a bit. Doing that would also allow the front fascia come up a bit on the sides as well as close down the gap between the top of the headlights and your hood.

When you hood is closed and presumeably latched, what happens when you gently push down on hood? Does it compress down further or hold its ground?

I'm having a similar issue.. it's pretty bad on the drivers side, look at that gap!

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I think I need to raise the headlight, and pivot the front fascia up to fill the gap. I'd like to leave the hood as-is if possible. Will I be opening a can of worms if I start messing with just the headlight and fascia? I've only owned my viper for about 2 months and know little to nothing about how the fascia and headlight are attached.

To answer your question about compress the hood - It does compress down a bit but not enough to make the gap look as it probably did day one.

 

[ViperJohn]

Given how well the front fascia aligns between the headlights, I would try to raise the outside edge of the head light. It appears to be drooping in the picture. Then loosen the bolts that hold the fascia in place along the front inner fender well. Between those two adjustments, you can probably close the gap up signaficantly. Good luck.