Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

I'm embarking on a frame-off resto of my '70 GMC, and I'm at the point where the front end needs to come up. While I could remove it as a clip, that wouldn't really serve my purposes because I would then need to blow it apart piece by piece to have the fenders painted, bumper rechromed, grill rechromed, all of that.

Since I assume even the inner fenders and rad support will be painted apart from the fenders anyway, I'm assuming its unavoidable that the clip needs to come apart.

One concern is that in the assembly manual they install the inner fenders to the fixture before installing the clip on the truck, that sort of thing, that I might not be able to do by simply reversing their steps.

In the factory assembly manual it looks like they build the front clip in a jig or fixture and then transfer the whole thing to the chassis. Not having such a fixture, the best I can do is reverse the steps. Can anyone spot an error in my list here, or tell me why this isn't the right way to go about it? It's my first frame-off of a truck (or a full-frame vehicle for that matter).

If I pull the clip, though, I lose the convenient "stand" of it being on the truck.

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

I'm not totally clear on what the question is, but it sounds like you are concerned about putting the front sheet metal back on the truck as individual pieces rather than a complete sub-assembly after painting? If so, you should be fine as long as you're careful and take precautions against scratching fresh paint. Matter of fact, I would suggest painting the cowl, inside of fenders and bottom of hood first. Then reassemble the front sheet metal to spray the outside of the truck. Same with bottom of cab, door jambs, back of cab, bottom of bed, etc, etc.
I would venture to say that nobody on this site has this front-end assembly jig thingy shown in the manual.

Lemme know if this answered your question or if I totally mis-understood what you were asking.

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

When you take the front of your truck apart . do it slow. Bag and mark all the parts you remove for side and location. You will find that the more time you spend now will be time well spent. And have fun with it.

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

I think my question is more basic than I let on: should I indeed take it apart piece by piece, or remove the entire clip and then disassemble the clip.

I assume I should do it piece by piece, and if so, does anyone know the order? Or is trying to reverse the assembly manual steps my best bet?

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

Well, I hope that blowing it apart is the right answer....'cause that's how mine is.....down to the chassis pieces and parts.

That statement about bagging/tagging all the "smalls"....cannot be over stressed. That's regardless of how little or how much you disassemble.

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

Yep, my wife keeps wondering where all the ziploc bags are going :-) Anyone know the order in which to remove everything? I'm trying to reverse the assembly manual steps but believe it or not it's not all that clear (because they build it on a fixture).

Any help from people who've already skinned their knuckles down this path would be great! I'm a little scared...

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

I've done three trucks and taken them apart one part at a time(front clip) take plenty of photos and store them that way you could use them as a road map to reassemble the clip. you need to get in and around every part anyway so good hunting! It will be fun if you let it ! cheers, Pat

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

I would start with the hood.Then it's out of the way so you cn get to the rest easier.Grille and breakables next.Don't forget to bag and tag the shims,they will give you a good start point for reassembly.Label to position on each stack.Then the hood latch,hinges,battery tray,wiring(tag carefully) and cowl.Inner fenders then The rad support bolts underneath.Fenders should be about all that's left.PB Blaster is gonna be your friend.I would suggest you buy a front fender bolt kit since I have yet to see the J nuts for the front fenderwell lips come off without breaking some.
Now go spray it with PB about once every 12 hours or so until you start.


BTW this is just a general overveiw so I may have left out a few things but it should get you going.It's been a while since I've done one.

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

Hello,

I just did this on my '67 chevy a few months ago. I started with the hood, then the fenders, then the inner fenders, and last the radiator core support. Make sure to bag and tag everything but it is actually pretty straight forward and me & a buddy knocked it out in a couple of hours.

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

One thing I'm uncertain of is at what point the grill comes off - does it need to come out in order to get the front of the fenders unbolted?

From a quick look there are supposed to be 4 U-nuts and 2 outer weld-nuts in the grill, but I can't spot them...

So grill and bumper are the two that I'm not sure what depend on them or what their dependencies are.

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

I start by removing the hood, then the inner fenders, then the engine and all of it's components i.e. radiator, condenser if ac, then bumper, bumper brackets to get them out of the way and refinish, grille, grill supports, then the fenders and core support. Removing the inner fenders early on gives you access to the sides of the engine, manifolds etc. making things easier.

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

Thanks! Why do you remove the engine before the front end and fenders? Doesn't having the clip off make taking the engine out much easier?

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

Probably would but I have always pulled it as soon as the radiator was out of the way, got it on a stand, and wheeled it out of the way. One of the things you will find is that all the parts you remove will take up lots of space. You might not have a lot of maneuvering room for a cherry picker once you have the clip off. Glass will have to be stored safely, sheet metal takes up lots of room, seat, etc. etc. I save, bag, and label all fasteners by application so that I can clean them up and repaint and reuse them if at all possible. Good luck photos of your progress are a must.

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

Yep, I've got 91 photos already, and that's just up to the grill and bumper. It's a pain, but I'm taking the time to go through and label each one too...

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

I like to remove the inner wheel wells & bumper then take the whole clip off ( with the help of a strong friend). I set the clip on the floor- I feel its easier to get to the front fender & grill bolts when its off the truck. Just the way I like to do it

Re: Removing entire front end sheet metal - advice please!
 

I reassemble piece by piece, start with the core support then inner fenders then fenders. One common oversight that people make is forgetting the shims between the inner fender and the cab brace. It will ruin your panel alighnment between your fender and door. Loosely attach your inner fenders at the brace, hang the fenders (after the doors have been alighned) and then shim the inner fender as necessary.