Abstract: A fixture and method for aligning a vehicle fender and door, particularly a fixture for an assembly line point that attaches to a vehicle door and moves a front edge of the door to a spacing element, attaches to a vehicle fender, moves the fender to the spacing element and to a pre-defined 3-dimensional relationship with the door, and holds the fender in the pre-defined relationship while the fender is secured in place on the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of welding in which an edge portion of a first panel is placed over an edge portion of a second panel, with an outer edge of the edge portion of the first panel adjacent to a shoulder of the second panel to provide a joint between the outer edge and the shoulder. Spot welds are applied to the panels along the joint by a bronze metal inert gas (MIG) welding gun. Pressure applied by a pressure applicator alongside the MIG welding gun presses the edge portions of the panels together during the spot welding. Linear MIG weld segments are then applied along the joint between the spot welds by the MIG welding gun to form a continuous line of MIG welding. The continuous line of MIG welding is polished to remove irregularities so that it blends evenly and smoothly with the panels.

Abstract: A method for positioning a pair of door hinges on a vehicle body can include the sequential steps of placing the hinges on locator pins carried by a portable fixture, advancing the fixture against the vehicle body so that multiple pegs on the fixture enter into preformed locator holes on the vehicle body, and clamping the fixture in position by automatic mechanisms responsive to entry of the pegs into the locator holes.