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Unpopular take: I stopped chasing perfect panel gaps and my work got better
Been doing collision work out of my shop in Tucson for about 8 years now. I used to obsess over getting gaps to 3mm or whatever the spec sheet said. Spent 2 hours on a door alignment last spring for a 2018 F-150 and still sent it out not happy. Customer never noticed, but I was chewing on it for days.
Then an old guy who does resto work told me to back off and focus on the flushness and the line of the body instead. Said gaps that are a hair wide but perfectly even beat factory spec that looks wavy. Tried it on a Civic rear quarter job last month, cut my time by 40 minutes and the owner actually complimented how the door flowed with the fender.
I'm not saying throw the measuring tape out, but has anyone else found that chasing the number defeats the actual look? Or am I just getting lazy at 42?
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parker_hall59d ago
Wait, 2 hours on a door alignment for an F-150 and you just let it go? That old guy basically told you what took me 15 years to figure out, and I still can't fully accept it. I mean, I get it, but telling me to ignore the spec sheet feels like telling a mechanic to ignore the torque wrench.
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