Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

Keep in mind that when I acquired this truck, both the front fenders, inner fenders, and the grille parts were loaded in the bed of the truck. I've never seen them on (or taken them off myself).

Now I'm in the process of putting it mostly back together. I had re-installed the inner fenders and had test fit the grille and the lower grille section that mounts to both sides of the radiator support. I began to wonder how I was going to attach the grille to the hood latch section that mounts to the top of the radiator support and to the lower section of the grille/radiator support.

As luck would have it, I had to take it all apart and remove the inner fender on the drivers side. Why you ask? It seems that I forgot to leave the engine with the number one cylinder at TDC before I reinstalled the magneto that this truck came with. As a result, I was forced to remove all those body sections and the Vintage Air compressor and remove the radiator so that I could get to the crank pulley to crank the engine to #1 TDC.

Now that I have all these parts laying on the shop floor, I'm wondering what the correct way to attach the grille to the upper and lower sections that are bolted to the radiator support. Also it seems that the outer fenders mount to the body sides using the same captive nuts as the inner fenders. Is that the case?

Attachment 2270372

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Attachment 2270376

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

i like putting the clip together on the floor, starting by bolting the inners to the fenders, then the fenders to the core support (which requires lining up the inner fender braces) then the lower wind director.

then i put it on the truck. with painted parts i recommend a friend and lots of tape. I bolt one bolt/nut from the fender to the cab each side and bolt the hood on its hinges and use it to set the alignment of the fenders to the hood.

then I put in the grille, then the upper hood latch.

I have seen people start with the core on the truck, i think those people might be secretly insane because i dont know how you would get the stackup of core-inner-outer-fender brace lined up with the core mounted already. I imagine they drop the inner/outer fender a lot.

fun fact, an s10 caliper slide is the perfect size to hold all the parts in alignment for those 2 vertical bolts per side core-inner-outer-fender brace

this is a gmc but its the same procedure.

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

Wow, I need a drink.......


The issue I have is somewhat complicated (I'll explain in a minute) but I've already mounted the core support and the radiator goes back in tomorrow.


The complication is this. The engine (a 261 cu.in. 1959 Chevy) has a McCulloch supercharger installed on the passenger side, which with its idler pulley assembly does away with the ability for the radiator to have the lower return on the original side of the radiator. This is further complicated by the fact that I added a Vintage Air AC system which mounts the compressor lower on a bracket with the alternator above it on the drivers side. This complicates the return pipe on drivers side enough that I had to work with a custom radiator company to design a radiator with an unusual return pipe setup. Given how tight the area for this return, there is no way that it and the Vintage Air condenser can be assembled with the inner fenders attached, that is why one of the inners is on the shop floor.

I will have to face up to the challenge of mounting things directly onto the body of the truck and not on the floor as you very correctly suggested it be done. Wish me luck.

Here is a photo of the radiator to show my dilemma

Attachment 2270424

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

I agree put it together on the floor, then slide it in place





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Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

When I painted my truck in 1982 I did pretty well as Joedoe said he doe. Assembeled the nose out off the truck and ten with the help of a cherrypicker and a friend who stopped by to see what i was doing, I set the nose on. It's a bigger fight for me to put a fender on the already installed inner fender panel.

It pretty well takes at least two people to do it but I have installed the fender and inner fender as a unit before. To me that is easier all around than just installing the fender by it's self.

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

TX3100
do you work in that garage or just have dinners and family over. haha. nice shop! it's so clean. mine is a disaster this week.
it seems that having a friend to help is a common denominator and also tape over the painted stuff so you don't get scratches on the edges that are close. one bump the wrong way and you have a scratch to fix.

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

it wont be impossible, its just masochistic (in my opinion), lining up the two vertical (per side) core-inner-inner brace bolts and holding them for installing the two horizontal core-inner-inner brace bolts is going to have you frustrated, but i have only ever tried it alone so if you have help who knows?

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

Isn't there an inner to outer cowl panel missing here?

Attachment 2270547

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

Not sure exactly what this is or where it belongs. I've not seen this part before.

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

Never mind. My bad. Panel I thought was missing is there. I just couldn't see it when using my iPhone.

Thanks. Now I just need to find this part with one of the usual vendors.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

You posted faster than I could edit my post. Sorry, sent you on a hunt you don't need to make.

Re: Jigsaw puzzle - Grille
 

No worries. I hadn't started the treasure hunt for the missing part yet....LOL