Do all the S650s have this gap in the front on the hood?

[MAT1955]

@Gregs24 ..... all cars flex to some degree, as you should know. As any Mustang convertible owner knows theirs will flex to some degree too (something discussed on many Mustang forums if you care to do a bit of reading) - less if you have a strut tower brace(s) and less so if you also have after market stiffeners. Coupe owners who seriously track their cars discuss frame stiffening. Yes, there have been some examples of Mustang panel gaps that needed adjusting by dealers - as mentioned on Mustang forums - but those adjustments were easy to perform as videos have shown. You mention the gap between the front hood area and the plastic front where the hood meets the front facia stating it will never be a problem - exactly my point and if you took a second to look at the perimeter seals of the engine bay and on the underside of the hood itself you would see it is obvious Ford intended that gap. So what is your point? You buy a Mustang then obsess over a gap? A friend just purchased a Macan (over $100K) his dealer had to loosen the upper adjustment screws of both front panels to better align them. As for your trolling/rubbish comments to me - come on, what's the point of that? What do you British say? Don't be such a wanker!

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[kinelisch]

@SmoothButter .... looks the same as my 2024 GT premium convertible. I don't mind a bit of a gap as long as it's basically consistent. If the Mustang is tracked or you if have a convertible, allowing for a bit of body flex is IMO good. Most people don't buy Mustangs do drive to church or try to impress people at the yacht club. Mustangers buy them to scare the $hit out of themselves and harass BMWs, Porches and any other snooty car drivers out there. The roar of the Mustang's exhaust silences barking dogs as they know the author of that roar IS actually dangerous. We drive them because they are one of the last blasts of excitement out there for a reasonable price. I have had three Mustangs all with slightly different "gaps". All drove like a rat on fire, sounded like a banshee and all three are still on the road giving other drivers a ton of fun......Respectfully, have a $hit load of fun with your Mustang and leave the gap measuring to the Genesis crowd.

Amen!

 

[Gregs24]

@Gregs24 ..... all cars flex to some degree, as you should know. As any Mustang convertible owner knows theirs will flex to some degree too (something discussed on many Mustang forums if you care to do a bit of reading) - less if you have a strut tower brace(s) and less so if you also have after market stiffeners. Coupe owners who seriously track their cars discuss frame stiffening. Yes, there have been some examples of Mustang panel gaps that needed adjusting by dealers - as mentioned on Mustang forums - but those adjustments were easy to perform as videos have shown. You mention the gap between the front hood area and the plastic front where the hood meets the front facia stating it will never be a problem - exactly my point and if you took a second to look at the perimeter seals of the engine bay and on the underside of the hood itself you would see it is obvious Ford intended that gap. So what is your point? You buy a Mustang then obsess over a gap? A friend just purchased a Macan (over $100K) his dealer had to loosen the upper adjustment screws of both front panels to better align them. As for your trolling/rubbish comments to me - come on, what's the point of that? What do you British say? Don't be such a wanker!

I will take your last comment in the humorous way it was intended!

I totally disagree - panel gaps should be right when they leave the factory, they are clearly achievable, even on a Mustang, so why not just do the job right. Otherwise it is just a can't be bothered attitude which always lead to customer dissatisfaction.

Yes, the gap should be there as you say, but my point was don't use your excuse that big gaps are needed for body flex reasons (they are not) and that uneven panel gaps are acceptable (they are not). The gap on the OP's car looks too big to me from the only photo we have, the gaps on your car look spot on.

Don't suggest the OP is wrong to complain just because it is a Mustang and that in some way means it doesn't have to be as good - it does, should and can be.

 

[roket]

this seems normal. mass produced vehicles will have panel gaps. just be glad you dont drive a Cybertruck. big panel gaps with panel edges that will cut you and a frunk that will remove your fingers. all while some panels are welded into place under tension and others are barely handing on

 

[SmoothButter]

Phew, this was not supposed to be an argument-starting thread. Just asking (what I thought) was a simple question before I drop $50k.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

 

[MAT1955]

@Gregs24 ..... the thing is your are IMO spending a lot of effort on saying nothing. The gaps per capita are not an issue on the Mustang. If some are misaligned they are easy to fix as happens with many autos. If a purchaser new to Mustangs wants to ask that question, no worries. IMO you should know better.

 

[REV745DH24]

There was an article out on the website regarding hood fixtures and how to do it! I had seen it in the past and did a great job adjusting it! Might want to check out CJ Pony website video that mentioned when new Mustangs came out!


Here it is:

 

[glenng6]

Went to view some in person, is this normal?

(Sorry maybe not the best photo)

First, let me say that if this isn't the gap across the front of the hood, ignore everything I say. All Mustangs have that gap but as MidLifeCoyote said there is weatherstripping in the gap. That being said, I think that gap is excessive. I will attempt to include a pic of mine. I took the pic standing to the right of the headlights. Not quite straight down. I believe the gap in your pic is wider. Glenn

 

[glenng6]

I have the same gap. You can see it on this video as well. Its not too noticeable.

Hey Viking 805fan,
You let other cars park that close to you? Glenn p.s. Great looking Stang!

 

[viking805fan]

Hey Viking 805fan,
You let other cars park that close to you? Glenn p.s. Great looking Stang!

From my past history with randoms at my parking complex I always try park in them corner spots same way when I go out. lol. Don't have a garage spot currently.

 

[Grabber1]

My April 2024 build ~ Mustang GT. The car arrived 2 months ago. I have 600 miles on it and love it. The gaps are fine on mine. You have to zoom in on the photos to review.

 

[JWS]

It's Not Normal! (Although for Ford - It Is)
you can see from his photo that the angle of the hood doesn't match the Bumper Cover and may not even match the Fender.

I have a 2015 50th Anniversary Car that came from the factory with many different panel gaps from the Trunk to the Doors to the Hood and Rear Window. The Hood Gap was wider on the Driver's Side.

When I installed the Ford GT350 Front End Parts, I was able to get the Hood Gap eliminated.
That was, until I Installed the 350 Cooling Shroud and the Belly Pan. The Cooling Shroud pushed the Bumper Cover Out and the Belly Pan Pulled the Bumper Cover Down. The Result was that I ended up with the exact same Hood Gap as I had with the Original GT Parts.

I had to buy an Aluminum 350 Bumper because the Steel GT Bumper didn't have the Center Groove that the 350 Cooling Shroud nests into. Didn't matter, still had the Gap in the end.

Back then. It seems the Production/Assembly Engineers never consulted with the Design Engineers. The Rear Fender had an Overhang with the Rear Bumper Cover near the Tail Light Housing. Ford sent the Dealer the Engineering Drawings and it was built (Designed) in, despite the Clay Mockups having no overhang.

Convertibles had different stampings for the Quarters, Bumper Covers and Trunk Panels and Trim. They didn't suffer from this alignment problem.

The GT Plastic Trunk Panels never aligned with the Tail Lights. Once again Convertibles didn't have this problem. Only years later did the newer panels at least come close or matched up. 2024's don't have the same problems with aligning with the Tail Lights, but do have inconsistencies with the Plastic Trunk Panel lining up with the Bumper Covers.

The Rear glass has always been a problem as it slopes or drops on the driver's side at the top.

Even the new cars are hit or miss, but better than before.
Doors not aligned with the Front Fenders. Very Poor Quality Control. Some cars are perfect and others like mine were outside of engineering criteria.

These are Computer Designed Cars and Assembly Equipment. There's really no excuse, once the Trial cars are run through the lines.

By the way, when I ordered the 350 Fenders, the first had a Sawtooth edge because the trimming tools apparently weren't correct. The second replacement fender appeared to be good until I went to assemble it and found they hadn't punched a hole to join the fender with the bumper cover at the plastic block. Already had it painted and needed to assemble the car for a Show, so had to drill my own hole and file it to the correct shape, based on the opposite fender.

Because these were some of the first replacement parts manufactured back then, I can maybe cut them some slack, but how did they manufacture replacement stock compared to production stock?

Like I said, there's really no longer an excuse and owners have every right to complain About Fit and Finish!

 

[9secondko]

Went to view some in person, is this normal?

(Sorry maybe not the best photo)

if it’s the same width as the gaps. On the sides, near thefenders, then it’s normal.

if not, then it’s not normal.

if it’s off up to a certain point, Ford won’t fix it. They have a tolerance amount they consider “normal” for assembly variances.

 

[Adamrx11]

@Gregs24 ..... all cars flex to some degree, as you should know. As any Mustang convertible owner knows theirs will flex to some degree too (something discussed on many Mustang forums if you care to do a bit of reading) - less if you have a strut tower brace(s) and less so if you also have after market stiffeners. Coupe owners who seriously track their cars discuss frame stiffening. Yes, there have been some examples of Mustang panel gaps that needed adjusting by dealers - as mentioned on Mustang forums - but those adjustments were easy to perform as videos have shown. You mention the gap between the front hood area and the plastic front where the hood meets the front facia stating it will never be a problem - exactly my point and if you took a second to look at the perimeter seals of the engine bay and on the underside of the hood itself you would see it is obvious Ford intended that gap. So what is your point? You buy a Mustang then obsess over a gap? A friend just purchased a Macan (over $100K) his dealer had to loosen the upper adjustment screws of both front panels to better align them. As for your trolling/rubbish comments to me - come on, what's the point of that? What do you British say? Don't be such a wanker!

I have a convertible with the strut Tower brace, it's a performance pack, but what aftermarket stiffeners should I be looking for? I want to get rid of as much body roll as possible. I took the car on a rough road trip through bad roads and I was bouncing all over the place even with Magnaride, was very underwhelmed. Can't wait until they come out with a 650 Magnaride tuner

 

[MAT1955]

@Adamrx11 ..... The guy who purchased my 2014 bought a x shaped brace that went into the trunk. He said that made a decent difference. I believe Steeda and LMR have kits to stiffen the car with in the trunk braces und underframe kits. I haven't purchased anything so I can't advise from experience. I do feel some janky movement with my 2024 GT in curves that have weird slants, it is definitely not as rigid as the coupe - of course as expected.

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