I need advice: reassembling the front end.

[In The Ten Ring]

Hi all. It's nearly time to put the front end back together. A forum member and I had planned on him helping me but I know he's really busy. I'd get my dad to help but he's really not in the best of health and he loses his temper so easily anymore, well, you know what that's like!

I may end up getting some help from my truck's painter. The guy has never resorted a C10 but I know he's restored other GM vehicles from the same time period. I think his personality is one that never loses his composure, so I guess I'll get him to help.

I have some questions though.

All the sheet metal up front is off. Are there things I need to look out for when putting it all back together?

I'm thinking in this order.

1). Radiator core support (with bushings underneath).
2). Outer fenders.
3). Cowl
4). Hood
5). Headlights and all wiring
6). Inner fenders
7). Grill
8). Bumper

What torque do the core support bolts get?
Did anyone use a regular nut and lock washer there?

My bushing and bolt kit from Classic Heartbeat came with a locking nut but those are such a pain to turn on the bolts. I don't mind using those if I should though. I meant to call Wes today for advice but forgot....oh wait, it's not the same time out where he lives!

*I am going to get all the hardware replated at a plating shop before I start. The shop owner thinks cadmium is what would work best for me.

[hugger6933]

Sounds like you have it under control. You have a good plan. Just use the German torque method(goodintight)

[In The Ten Ring]

I heard back from Wes. He answered my questions and even answered some I hadn't asked yet but would have!

You guys hit me with more advice if you have any.

[randy500]

Be careful of this:
The cabs are shimmed at the factory to some unknown height specification and the core support the same.
When mounting the fenders between the cab and the core support if they don't line up figure out which is off, the cab or the core support. While doing that ensure that the back of the cab lines up properly with the bed body lines. Shim any or all points of the cab and core support to find what makes it all fit together right.

[In The Ten Ring]

Ugh. I guess I could use flat washers as shims right? At least until I needed a much thicker shim?

[projectking]

You could but would need to remove the bolt to add/subtract. Get it close with them and fine tune with shims.

[notsolo]

To avoid chipping paint a couple rolls of blue tape, tape rear fender to door edge. front of door edge. top fender hood opening. Fender to radiator support...etc. Get some progress photo's posted.

[HO455]

The only thing I might add is to check the alignment of your doors on the back edge first. If your satisfied with the gap then you can align the fenders to the front edge of the door. I failed to do this and after I got a nice gap on the front I noticed how bad the back edge gap was and started the whole process again after I fixed the rear.

[randy500]

As far as shims...I think the factory cab shims are square and large diameter, about the same diameter of the cab rubber mounts. I don't recall seeing the core support shimmed from the factory but am sure it might be needed on a truck this old to make things fit right.

I agree completely on making the doors fit the cab first
Then the cab to the bed
Then the fenders to the cab and core support

Re-shim if needed, cab or core support.

[LongBox]

The shims that I am familiar with were sort of horseshoe shaped. All the 60's and early 70's GM cars and trucks used them. They usually had a turned up end, so you could push them in or pull them out to get just what you needed. I had a large pile of them when I used to work on old A bodies, but figured those days were over, and threw them out a couple of garage clean outs ago.

If you can get a pile of those shims, you should be able to get good panel fits by trial and error, adding and subtracting shims.

[Jason Banks]

I want to bring this thread back. I was thinking I would go.

1). Radiator core support (with bushings underneath).
2). Inner fenders
3). Outer fenders.
4). Cowl
5). Hood
6). Headlights and all wiring
7). Grill
8). Bumper


Has anyone else put the inner fenders in before the outer fenders? Is it a pain? I have done it the other way but was thinking it might be easier with the inner fenders already loosely installed?

[GR8-68]

Originally Posted by Jason Banks

Has anyone else put the inner fenders in before the outer fenders? Is it a pain? I have done it the other way but was thinking it might be easier with the inner fenders already loosely installed?

Not sure why you couldn't but I also would like to hear others feed back on this as well

[fun in dirt]

Reviving this thread because surfing around and wondering the same thing ...
Should I put inner fenders on before or after front fenders?
I had never even considered doing it in that order, but noticed on a tv show they did & it got me to wondering.

[sick472]

I mounted the inner fenders to the outer fenders on both sides prior to installing them on the truck. I have put both on and off the truck a few times in the process of mock fitting things and it works real well this way. I put a folded blanket on the tire and a bath towel over the steering column shaft to keep from scratching things up. You can also put a bath towel in the door jam above wing window and let it hang down over the leading edge of the door to help avoid chips.

I have done all this by myself, but it sure is nice insurance to have a helper. With the inner mounted and tight to the outer...hold the assembly upright and slightly low and forward of it's final position. Work the inner fender up and over the tire and at this point you can set the assembly down on the tire and re-grip if needed. Angle the assembly in just a bit and move it up and back so that you can get a bolt started near the door, then start a bolt at the rad support bracket (the triangular bracket should already be mounted to the core support). It should hang safely at this point, so get the other bolts loosely started...once all the bolts are started, I tighten the upper rear ones first, then the front uppers, inners, and lowers, then the lower one by the door, then the big washer one in the wheel well to the cab frame.

I have not done it the other way for comparison, but this way seemed more doable by myself.

[BigBird05]

At the factory we always put the front sheet metal on before the tires go on. It does make it a lot eazier with the tires out of the way.