To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

I have seen a lot of trucks with the front clip removed while working on the engine bay and/or suspension. I am about to swap my 350 for another one and was wondering if it would be easier to just remove the front clip to do it. While it's off, I can POR15 the front frame and suspension (since I will be POR'ing the frame under the bed before I redo the bed floor).

How much more work would it be to remove the front clip and then re-align it after the swap? Is it worth it? One thought I had was that I would minimize the risk of bunging up any of the body while doing the swap if I had the front off.

Opinions are not only appreciated, but expected (wow, that is a scary request! Lol).

Thanks ahead of time!

Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

Remove it! It's much easier. Mark all your shims. I put them in separate plastic bags with a note of placement. I have my lady help me remove the hood and front clip.

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I put my 350 in without even taking off the hood. But what you want to do it would be easier to take off front clip to paint and detail.

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That's a good idea... that is one thing I was afraid of, was messing up the work that someone did already by getting everything aligned so well (except the bed - that needs re-alignment).

I'll have to ask a buddy for help, since my wife is 5 months pregnant right now. My 3 year old daughter would love to help me! Lol. Can't get my 11 year boys to help out worth a lick! I'm going to force them to at least watch... ha ha.

Thanks for the info.

Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

Did you have help with the swap or did you do it alone? Gotta love the room these have in the engine bay!

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I had a buddy help me,we also put the trans after the motor. I used a adjustable engine hoist I bought a Harbor Freight with balancer. I put moving blankets on the sheetmetal to protect it.

Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

I was planning on leaving the trans in, supported from underneath. It's been awhile since I pulled an engine and tranny, do you think it was easier matching the tranny up to the engine instead of matching the engine up to the tranny?
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Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

Congrats on the pregnancy! Be sure and place a blanket on the ground or place the front clip on the grass so you don't scuff the bottoms of the fenders.

Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

It's not hard to ailign the trans up to the motor,just take your time and go slow.

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Thank you. Unfortunately, that means I have to finish up the truck as much as I can by July so I can sell it to pay for the new baby. So I am going to be swapping the engine, adding HEI, power brakes, coat as much as possible with POR15, make a new bed floor (going with polished aluminum diamond plate with hold downs embedded), redo the cluster, redo the window felts, replace the sending unit, and possibly realign the doors (if possible). Then take lots of photos and drive her as much as I can before I sell her.
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Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

Thanks for the info
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Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

That's a beautiful truck! You should be able to buy tons of baby stuff with the money you make.

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I forgot to add: put on new mirrors, change the steering wheel, install the headlight relay, redo all the hoses and vacuum lines, and coat the bed walls with bed liner.
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Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

Thank you very much. It will be nice to see my hard work pay off, since I traded my one of a kind custom bike that I put a lot if work into for the truck. Then, I will have put a lot of work into the truck by the time I sell it. I won't be able to do everything I had wanted to do on it, but I had to decide what was the most needed and try to stick with a low budget to pull it all off. Hopefully, it will be a good return.

Sad thing is, before I couldn't see how I could afford to buy another classic project, but was able to trade the bike for one. Now, I really can't see being able to even buy a frame later, since I will be the only one working for a long time to come. It's for my family, so it is all worth it! I just will be happy to have had the opportunity to work on another project, and have the satisfaction of getting another classic back on the road for others to enjoy!
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Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

Blue Aura, You have a great attitude. Hope all goes well.

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A man has to Be A Man! I've sold a lot of my toy's and started over a lot just so I could take care of my Family. You can replace a truck-a child is FOREVER

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When I was married my ex-wife wouldn't let me have any toys. When I got one all she did was complain and gripe! She was pissed that my money was being spent on my toys and not all on her. It wasn't like my children were going without for car parts, I had plenty of money for a toy. So I always gave in to her and got rid of them. After my children became adults, I decided to get rid of her. Now I have a 1965 Chevy truck, a beautiful girlfriend who supports me and helps me during the entire process. Life is great!

Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

Thank you, I appreciate your comments.

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First off, let's hope that the child is forever! I can't even imagine losing one of my kids before its my time! They ARE my whole life, and I do everything for them.

I agree, there has to be a time where a man steps up and is a man, not just a grown up boy that HAS to have his toys! When I chose to give up riding motorcycles, it was a decision that I was going to quit riding for the rest of my life. It was a hard decision, but it was made by wanting to help make sure that I was around for my family for as long as possible. Even though I will miss riding (been riding almost my whole life), I know that they would really struggle if I was ever injured badly or killed while riding (came close too many times).

So, I got rid of the bike to be with them, and I just happened to be able to trade it for this beautiful truck that needed some love. Being able to work on it and sell it to help my family even more is a blessing, and one I don't take lightly.

Thanks for your words!!

Re: To Remove the Front Clip or Not To...
 

Been there, done that! LOL! Good to hear you now are happy and can enjoy life more. Good to have someone that supports who you are and can accept your passion without getting jealous all the time.