Front Clip Fit

[John]

On my car, there's a small amount of play in the front clip when you grab the radiator opening and lift. It's just enough to make the metal to metal contact between the rollers and their holders clatter when you jiggle the clip up and down. Can that be adjusted out?

Also, the fit between the base of the windshield and the top of the clip isn't uniform all the way across. The seam at the A pillars is close but it widens out near the center line of the car. It seems like it might be a normal fit because vertically, the doors line up with the corresponding clip line. In other words, if I were to adjust the front of the clip higher so that the under-windshield seam was narrower and more uniform, the vertical gap between the doors and the clip would be wider at the bottom than at the top.

To make that long story a little shorter, how is the fit on other SPF cars?

 

[Seymour Snerd]

On my car, there's a small amount of play in the front clip when you grab the radiator opening and lift. It's just enough to make the metal to metal contact between the rollers and their holders clatter when you jiggle the clip up and down. Can that be adjusted out?

I haven't done so, but can think of a couple ways you might: if I remember right the sheet steel slots attached to the clip that slide onto the rollers (spools?) have a slot height that decreases as they slides rearward. So perhaps the spool can be located forward or the sheet metal pieces rearward to narrow the gap between the two. I've noticed on P2160 that when the clip is fully on, one of the spools is all the way into the sheet metal slot, but the other is not, but have not yet gone in to see why.

Or, the gap itself could be narrowed either by bending the edges of the slot, or by adding to it some nylon or rubber edging. Conversely make the spools larger in diameter with plastic tubing, plastic or rubber tape, etc.....

What I'd really like to do with all that is replace it with a hinge mechanism, but that's a bigger job....

As for the windshield base fit issue, I plan to put my front clip back on tomorrow and will take a look and report back.

 

[Seymour Snerd]

To make that long story a little shorter, how is the fit on other SPF cars?

I finally put my clip on today (after my first drive!) and it doesn't display the problems you mention: the spool/slots in front don't rattle or appear to have any play, and the gap and alignment along the rear edge of the clip appears uniform on the sides and along the top to my eye. So I'm mystified as to what's going on with yours. Is it possible the clip at the center rear has something underneath it that is causing it to bow, like the windshield wiper or some such? Just a wild guess because the only other explanation I can think of would be that the clip is warped. I'll look more closely at the spool/slots and see why they could be loose.

 

[John]

Thanks Alan. I've had my car apart for a thorough cleaning and new parts. No it's time to refit all the pieces.

 

[Ron R.]

My car is the same as Alan's.

The spools are not equally positioned in the clips when everything is together, but the gaps are pretty good all around. Also, my spools are spaced out a bit from the framework using a stack of washers. It's not exactly equal side to side, and I believe that would affect your gap at the windshield.

Getting gaps correct on any car can be a time consuming and tedious process, good luck.

Oh, and while you make your adjustments, consider taping the edges of everything.