It's a simple fact-regardless of how good the paint job is, it will never look its best if the body panels don't line up properly. Big gaps between the fenders and doors or inconsistent seams between the hood and fenders are part of those all-important details that can turn a good job into an excellent effort.
But what does it take to pull this off? Assuming the car hasn't been twisted from a previous accident or tortured with excessive abuse, you'll only need to invest in a little time along with a shim assortment pack to bring everything into alignment.
We visited Same Day Auto Painting in Newhall, California, where owner Frank Bennetti gave us the lowdown on basic panel alignment techniques. If you recall, Bennetti is the one responsible for fogging our resident Flamed Mustang two years ago (See "Easy Paint and Body," Apr. '02), and he has also been involved with many big-dollar movie vehicles. Remember the convertible Hemi 'Cuda in the syndicated Nash Bridges television show? He built all four used on the show, and coincidentally, he was in the middle of building another '71 'Cuda the day we dropped in. Follow along as we go in search of the perfect fit.